Aiiieeeee! by Frank Chin

Aiiieeeee! by Frank Chin

In the eyes of mid-twentieth-century white America, “Aiiieeeee!” was the one-dimensional cry from Asian Americans, their singular expression of all emotions—it signified and perpetuated the idea of Asian Americans as inscrutable, foreign, self-hating, undesirable, and obedient. In this anthology first published in 1974, Frank Chin, Jeffery Chan, Lawson Inada, and Shawn Wong reclaimed that shout, outlining the history of Asian American literature and boldly drawing the boundaries for what was truly Asian American and what was white puppetry. Showcasing fourteen uncompromising works from authors such as Carlos Bulosan and John Okada, the editors introduced readers to a variety of daring voices.

Forty-five years later the radical collection continues to spark controversy. While in the seventies it helped establish Asian American literature as a serious and distinct literary tradition, today the editors’ forceful voices reverberate in contemporary discussions about American literary traditions. Now back in print with a new foreword by literary scholar Tara Fickle, this third edition reminds us how Asian Americans fought for—and seized—their place in the American literary canon.

"Illuminates areas of darkness in the hidden experiences of a people who have been little more than exotic figments of someone else’s imagination"

"A manifesto for an Asian American renaissance!"

"That ‘whole voice’ which speaks so eloquently in Aiiieeeee! Is an amazingly versatile voice. It is a voice that makes one believe in writing again. . . . I herald it with rejoicing."

"When it comes to Asian American fiction...you can't talk about the genre without talking about Aiiieeeee!...the first of its kind and a "key book" that reintroduced forgotten texts and writers when it was first published."

Frank Chin, Jeffery Paul Chan, Lawson Fusao Inada, and Shawn Wong are the editors of Aiiieeeee! and The Big Aiiieeeee! As members of the Combined Asian Resources Project (CARP), they were instrumental in rediscovering many previously underappreciated works, including America Is in the Heart, No-No Boy, Nisei Daughter, and other classics. Tara Fickle is assistant professor of English at the University of Oregon.