The Loneliest Americans

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This compelling blend of family history and original reporting delves into Asian American identity within a predominantly Black and white society. Following the 1965 immigration law that opened the U.S. to Asian immigrants, millions, including the author's family, arrived with little understanding of their new environment or the concept of "Asian America." The narrative traces Kang's family's journey from a Cambridge housing project to a college town in the South and ultimately to the West Coast, set against the backdrop of a growing Asian American population. This influx includes many working-class and undocumented immigrants, while upwardly mobile professionals grapple with their parents' assimilationist aspirations and their own identities in a multicultural elite. Kang articulates the existential loneliness felt by many Asian Americans navigating the racial binary. He highlights diverse experiences, from business ventures in Flushing to the impacts of the Los Angeles riots and the challenges faced by impoverished parents in New York. Amid rising anti-Asian violence, Kang's work advocates for a new form of immigrant solidarity, emphasizing shared struggles over superficial cultural markers like bubble tea and elite college admissions.