BITING THE HAND Growing Up Asian in Black and White America

Julia Lee performs her new essay collection, which discusses the complex lived reality of being the child of working-class Korean immigrants in California. During the 1992 riots in her hometown of Los Angeles, Lee had a front-row seat to the horrors of white supremacy. As she attends college and moves on to grad school, she has her own racial reckoning as she examines her complicity in America's racial hierarchy. Lee's narration is powerful. She communicates all of her anger and frustration at the racism she experiences and sees around her. She shatters the idea that Asian Americans are the "model minority," clearly laying out her points while also imbuing her performance with intense emotions that come from living in America's racist society. K.D.W. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2023]