Minor Feelings

Recently, I picked up Minor Feels: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong, an autobiographical collection of essays that detail Hong’s struggles and observations as an Asian American. Hong writes about being stuck in a cultural limbo: not wanting to assimilate into American culture, yet constantly having the fear of missing out. One specific part of the novel that stood out to me was how Americans understand history. History textbooks dance around or hint at the racism Asian Americans face, yet never truly acknowledge it; in fact, the textbook I used in APUSH only briefly mentioned a small period regarding Asian Americans—only talking about the gold rush and WWII. To this end, I feel ignorant when it comes to my own culture; the two years I’ve taken history in high school have both revolved around American and Anglo-Saxxon history, leaving me disconnected from my own roots. This lack of representation in the American school system will end up creating a negative feedback loop, where ignorance leads to racism, which turns into norms and stereotypes. 

Although there are parts to Hong’s story that I can relate to, such as the fact that we’re both Asian and come from immigrants, other parts of the book have made me realize how much I’ve taken for granted. Growing up in a city filled with diversity, I’ve been fortunate to have only experienced a fraction of Hong’s problems. Hong’s novels have placed these issues at the forefront of my mind. In essence, I’ve grown up living in a bubble—surrounded by those that share the same cultural backgrounds and experiences as me. Even though my senior year has just begun, I’ve already begun to ponder my future beyond high school. When I get pushed off into the real world, will the stories Hong wrote about become a reality for me?