Book by Chai, May-lee Chai, daughter of a Chinese American father and Irish American mother, traces the family's move from New York, where her father taught Asian studies, to South Dakota in 1979 when she was 12. There they are met first with stares, then bigoted remarks, and finally violence, which escalates over time. The Chais finally realize they have landed in a "perfect storm" of racism and paranoia: still rampant anti-Japanese feelings, the fear that jobs were being lost to Asia, and the always strained relations between Native Americans and whites, exacerbated by Native demonstrations. Her father hopes to relocate but soon realizes he has been blacklisted by his administration. By then May-Lee has given up on trying to fit in; she is "merely trying to survive." Her junior year abroad in Nanjing enables her to put her South Dakota experience in perspective, for there she observes the same fear of change, economic uncertainty, and racial anxiety that led to the bigotry her family has faced. Deborah Donovan Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved "Easily labeled a coming-of-age story or a narrative about racial tensions in 1960s America, this memoir-whose title employs the Hawaiian word for mixed-is truly an homage to a loving marriage. Only the strongest kind of love could survive the crucible of a community hoping for a family's failure. Highly recommended for all libraries with large memoir and Asian collections." —Library Journal May-lee Chai is the author of three books, My Lucky Face, The Girl from Purple Mountain (co-authored with Winberg Chai) and Glamorous Asians: Short Stories & Essays , and recipient of an NEA Grant in Literature. Used Book in Good Condition