Distinguished Asian Americans: A Biographical Dictionary - Hardcover

Chuong, Chung H.; Cordova, Dorothy; Kim, Robert H. Hyung Chan; Fugita, Steve; Ng, Franklin; Singh, Jane

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0313289026 ISBN 13: 9780313289026

Publisher: Greenwood, 1999

Synopsis

Asian Americans have made significant contributions to American society. This reference work celebrates the contributions of 166 distinguished Asian Americans. Most people profiled are not featured in any other biographical collection of noted Asian Americans. The Chinese Americans, Japanese Americans, Filipino Americans, Korean Americans, South Asian Americans (from India and Pakistan), and Southeast Asian Americans (from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam) profiled in this work represent more than 75 fields of endeavor. From historical figures to figure skater Michelle Kwan, this work features both prominent and less familiar individuals who have made significant contributions in their fields. A number of the contemporary subjects have given exclusive interviews for this work.

All biographies have been written by experts in their ethnic fields. Those profiled range widely from distinguished scientists and Nobel Prize winners to sports stars, from actors to activists, from politicians to business leaders, from artists to literary luminaries. All are role models for young men and women, and many have overcome difficult odds to succeed. These colorfully written, substantive biographies detail their subjects' goals, struggles, and commitments to success and to their ethnic communities. More than 40 portraits accompany the biographies and each biography concludes with a list of suggested reading for further research. Appendices organizing the biographies by ethnic group and profession make searching easy. This is the most current biographical dictionary on Asian Americans and is ideal for student research.

About this title

About the Author

HYUNG-CHAN KIM is Professor of Educational Administration and Foundations at Western Washington University. He is author of many books on Asian Americans, including Asian Americans and Congress (Greenwood, 1996), Asian Americans and the Supreme Court (Greenwood, 1992), and Dictionary of Asian American History (Greenwood, 1986).

DOROTHY CORDOVA is Executive Director of the Filipino American National Historical Society and Affiliate Professor in the American Ethnic Studies Department at the University of Washington.

STEPHEN S. FUGITA is Professor of Psychology and Ethnic Studies and Chair of the Department of Psychology at Santa Clara University. He is the author of Japanese American Ethnicity: The Persistence of Community and The Japanese American Experience.

FRANKLIN NG is Professor of Anthropology at California State University, Fresno./e He is the author of The Taiwanese Americans (Greenwood, 1998), and is the former editor of the Journal of American-East Asian Relations. He is on the editorial boards of the Amerasia Journal and the Journal of American Ethnic History.

JANE SINGH is Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Comparative Ethnic Studies, with an Asian American Specialty at the University of California, Berkeley.

Reviews

This volume features 166 entries, most ranging from two to three pages, arranged alphabetically by person. The Asian Americans included may be native or foreign-born. Those of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Filipino backgrounds are identified as such, but Indians and Pakistanis are grouped as South Asians, while Cambodians, Laotians, and Vietnamese are grouped as Southeast Asians. All were "chosen for their outstanding accomplishments in professions that range from labor leaders to political leaders, tennis players to football players, scientists to distinguished inventors, Hollywood actors to Wall Street investors, schoolteachers to scholars, and comedians to community activists." Among those profiled are Michael Chang, Connie Chung, S. I. Hayakawa, Lance Ito, Bruce Lee, Yo-Yo Ma, I. M. Pei, and Kristi Yamaguchi.

Five criteria were used for selection: life stories that are inspirational; life stories that might teach positive values to Asian American youth; significant contributions to improving the quantity and quality of the Asian American collective memory; contributions to professional fields and American society; and value as role models. Some personal interviews were used to complete the biographies. A black-and-white photograph is provided if available, together with a selected bibliography for each entry. Appendixes list individuals by fields of professional activity and ethnic subgroups.

Many of those profiled here can be found in other sources, such as Current Biography, but having them in one volume is convenient at research time. Distinguished Asian Americans will complement more comprehensive titles such as Marshall Cavendish's six-volume Asian-American Encyclopedia and Gale's Notable Asian Americans [both RBB My 1 95] and should be considered for high-school and public libraries where there is a demand for multicultural materials, especially if the Marshall Cavendish and Gale publications are not already owned.

Edition details

• Publisher: Greenwood
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0313289026
• ISBN 13: 9780313289026
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 448