Part Asian, 100% Hapa

I found this to be well done and thought provoking. However, I recently learned that Hawaiians don’t want the term Hapa to mean any mixed Asian person, only for those with Hawaiian ancestry. So the book strays from that. The book is very respectful of people.

I'm one of those people who gets uncomfortable when filling out applications and reaches the dreaded "Race" section that says "Select only one."I guess I'm supposed to pick whichever one I identify with the most. I usually skip that section and come back to it at the end. After staring at it for a solid half-hour, I hastily pick something and put the paper out of my sight. I try not to think about the answer I chose, and the ancestors I denied. My answer differs every time.Half my family views me as white (just "white" - because white people have no ethnic backgrounds or interesting cultures, right? There's no English, Irish, Dutch, German, Swiss, etc. - it's just "white"). The other half views me as some strange Mutt they don't quite know how to interact with.I'm sick of being too white or not white enough. This book helped me realize I'm not the only one.

Growing up in the Midwest with a Chinese mother and a Caucasian father always made me feel out of place. When I came across this book, it was so refreshing to hear other people who struggled with being “other.” I related to so many of the stories in the book.

This book arrived quickly and in great shape. It's really cool...I'm not part Asian, but I purchased for a friend who is half Filipino after a long conversation one evening wherein he brought up the complexities and frustrations of growing up half Asian and half white. I was flipping through the introduction and within the first page or two read a sentiment that my friend had expressed as well--about checking the boxes regarding ethnicity. The pictures with the personal quotes make it an interesting read. I think my friend will appreciate this book.

Great book -- I just wish it was longer! I gave a copy to my sister, who has two daughters adopted from China -- so although her kids are 100% Asian, it is likely she will have Hapa grandchildren. I also gave a copy to a friend whose husband is from the Phillipines and has 3 beautiful Hapa children --- they liked the book so much, they bought copies for their children and grandchildren. Beautiful photography, and wonderful insights into being part Asian, 100% Hapa, in an anglo world. My favorite quote is from the boy who said he is 'part Danish, but I usually don't tell people that because they think I am a pastry'.

My daughter works at the Museum of manat Balboa park in San Diego and they have a race exhibit with this book. She wanted this book and I found it on Amazon. Great read!

I was captivated by this book when I saw it at a racial exhibit. We tend to put things into categories in most areas of our lives. We put people into categories by job (architect, teacher, sales, carpenter, hamburger-flipper), religion, and other things. Unfortunately, that leaves out the individual person who never fits the whole stereotype. This book is great at looking at people from only a visual perspective and having the individual describe the complexity of the various parts that make up that person. The visuals are photographs of real people like the one on the cover with a description by the person. What I really like is the surprise I get when I read the description after I have seen the person. There are consistently parts of the person I would have never guessed.

I have given this as a gift to so many part Asian friend & relatives. They all enjoy it, especially the ones living in areas where there is no Asian community, as many of the subjects in the book comment that they felt they were the only ones of their kind.

Witty & real. Flipping through a "mixed" person will find something to identify with, something that reflects their experience. For people who may not identify as "mixed" it may shine a spotlight on how people racially "present" may be misleading and that you shouldn't assume or "exoticize" them. This is the answer to the question "so, what are you?"