"Struggles to Become ""Americans"": Historical and Contemporary Experiences of Asian Pacific American Immigrants in Children's and Young Adult Fiction, 1945--1999"
Leu, Shwu-Yi
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/79669
Description
Title
"Struggles to Become ""Americans"": Historical and Contemporary Experiences of Asian Pacific American Immigrants in Children's and Young Adult Fiction, 1945--1999"
Author(s)
Leu, Shwu-Yi
Issue Date
2002
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Harris, Violet J.
Department of Study
Education
Discipline
Education
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Literature, Asian
Language
eng
Abstract
Two hundred and seventy titles of children's fiction books were identified as books about Asian Pacific Americans that were published between 1945 and 1999. Although the publishing trends demonstrate an increase in quantity and improvement in quality, the number of books published is extremely insignificant as compared to the several thousands of children's books published each year in the United States. Further, stereotypic and culturally inauthentic portrayals were major problems in the past and they persist in the recent publications as well. Other trends include few authors of Asian Pacific American background, emergence of pan-Asian-Pacific-American books, the emergence of interracial family and transracial adoption stories, and so forth. The investigation of perspectives revealed that books with a social conscience are message-laden and the majority of them suffer from flawed characterization and mediocre writing. Most of the melting pot books are mediocre creations as well and contain stereotypical images. One third of the 270 books are culturally conscious books that have Asian Pacific American as main characters and detail the richness of growing up simultaneously Asian Pacific American and American. They illuminate the distinctiveness and diversity of the Asian Pacific American experiences.
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