The Night My Mother Met Bruce Lee: Observations on Not Fitting In
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"Witty, original, and authentic. A fresh,
young Chinese-American voice."
—Adeline Yen Mah,
author of Falling Leaves
As the daughter of a Chinese-American mother and a Norwegian father, Paisley Rekdal grew up wondering where she fit in. The essays in this, her shimmering nonfiction debut, tackle thorny issues—race and identity politics, interracial desire, what it means to be a "hyphenated American"—with a fresh, feisty, and very funny new perspective.
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Rekdal's family history is, as she describes it, "complicated and vaguely dangerous," and at the center of this strange world is her mother—a smart, stubborn, complex woman who adores her daughter. Rekdal exposes the foibles of family, friends, and lovers, but never spares herself, capturing both global and personal struggles with a critical, compassionate and humorous lens. The Night My Mother Met Bruce Leeflows effortlessly from stunning cultural observation to a recollection of an embarrassing travel anecdote. Her destinations vary widely—a classroom in South Korea, a Japanese family's living room, Main Street in Natchez, Mississippi, a Taipei shopping mall, a beach in the Philippines, and even her own bedroom. In each, she explores the vast differences between cultures, the feeling of being an outsider, the constant battle to understand and be understood.
The Night My Mother Met Bruce Leeproves that shifting the frames of identity can be tricky, exhilarating—and revelatory.
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