By APA Staff

On the occasion of APA's Book Issue, we ask our writers to pick out Asian American characters in literature that have made an impression.

(in chronological order)

Ichiro Yamada from John Okada's No-No Boy  (1957)

Ichiro Yamada was a character that pioneered the Asian American canon. He answered "no" to 27 and 28 on the loyalty questionnaire for Japanese American internees; he ambivalently defended his Issei parents, and turned around to abandoned them before finding himself returned; he fought, cried, hated, sought, and drank against his void identity: "the whole of me that I could not see or feel." He is my favorite because he isn't just characteristic of the Japanese American catch-22 after Pearl Harbor. He also symbolizes the rasp, the torn fringe, and the frantic-but-failing adhesiveness of culture gaps between generations, for all immigrant American families. --Ian Shaikh
 

Wu Han-Hun from Pai Hsien-yung's "Death in Chicago" (1964)

One of my favorite morbid short stories is Pai Hsien Yung's "Death in Chicago," which features Wu Han-Hun, a disillusioned student who jumps into the Michigan Lake on his graduation day. Compounded with centuries of English literature sitting in his underground apartment, Wu feels buried alive amongst the ancient pages. He takes a walk downtown, meets a prostitute who calls him Tokyo for being "Oriental," thinks about his dead mother, and despite his newly earned Ph.D in English literature, realizes that he has nothing to live for. Sprinkled with literary references, "Death in Chicago" is the perfect read for these jobless, freshly-graduated English majors during this financial nightmare! (National suicide hotline:1-800-784-2433) --Winghei Kwok 

Allos (or Carlos) Bulosan from Carlos Bulosan's America is in the Heart (1974)

A cornerstone of Filipino American literature, Carlos Bulosan's America is in the Heart follows the story of Allos, a young Filipino who immigrates to the United States in the 1930s. The semi-autobiographical novel is an honest portrayal of immigrant life in the early 20th century. Allos' story fills in the harsh details that our parents and grandparents leave out in their stories about their journeys to America. Yet perhaps what stood out most from Allos' journey was his hope for the future, as well as his conviction that he did indeed belong in America. His final aspirations in the novel is as follows: "I glanced out the window again to look at the broad land I had dreamed so much about, only to discover with astonishment that the American earth was like a huge heart unfolding warmly to receive me." For any young Filipino American, or children of immigrant parents, his story undoubtedly pulls at the heartstrings. --Justin Jimenez

Jubilation "Jubilee" Lee from Marvel Comic's X-Men series (1987- )

Asian characters have traditionally been scarce in American comics. When they do appear, they are usually either stereotypical foreigners or exaggerated caricatures. Jubilation "Jubilee" Lee, one of the few Asian American superheroes in the Marvel Universe with a fleshed out story and personality, is a Chinese American teenager who loves shopping. She has the ability to fire multi-colored explosive plasma, or "fireworks" as she calls them. She even got a fair share of screen time on the classic 90s X-Men cartoon, thanks in part to her close relationship with iconic fan favorite Wolverine. Later in her career, Jubilee tries to a pursue a career in acting, but ironically, only finds herself only landing stereotypical Asian roles. Jubilee also makes several small cameos in the live action X-Men movies.  Despite her minor role on the X-Men and subsequent teams, she has been a perennial fixture since her debut. --William Hong
 

Emi from Karen Tei Yamashita's Tropic of Orange (1997)

Karen Tei Tamashita's Tropic of Orange is a bizarre crime thriller that, at its heart, is a "colorful" portrait of the multicultural city of Los Angeles. Emi, a seasoned breaking-news reporter and media junkie, is a feisty Japanese American woman who has grown apathetic of her cultural identity. Determined to challenge hypocrisy-clothed-in-political-correctness, Emi declares in a sushi bar: "Cultural diversity is a white guy wearing a Nirvana T-shirt and dreads." Having said that out loud, she then confronts a "Japanophile" Caucasian lady, suggesting she put forks in her hair instead of chopsticks. --Winghei Kwok
 

Mona Chang from Gish Jen's Mona in the Promised Land (1997)

Easily one of the most charming and sweet-spirited heroines in Asian American fiction, Mona Chang is wisecracking teenage girl that has a mouth as big as her heart. As the daughter of pancake restaurateurs, she encounters a diverse assortment of characters -- including Seth, her Jewish boyfriend. She even decides to convert to Judaism, much to the chagrin of her parents. Mona quickly learns that escaping your cultural heritage is not as easy as it sounds. Through Mona's indomitable personality, Gish Jen illuminates readers with a poignant coming-of-age story filled with wit, warmth, and insight. --William Hong

Bibi Haldar from Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies, "The Treatment of Bibi Haldar" (1999)

There are women nowadays that would scoff at the idea of being "married off" to a man -- as if sex and marriage could cure all problems. But most women have the luxury of "normalcy," if one should choose it. Babi Haldar, in Jhumpa Lahiri's "The Treatment of Bibi Haldar," spends most of her life in a room that's too small to comfortably stand, where she records inventory for her cousin's cosmetic shop. Due to her epileptic spells, where at any moment she could either fall unconscious or go into a shameless delirium, Babi Haldar is not trusted to do anything without supervision. She watches her friends taking care of their kids, serving suppers, getting their eyebrows threaded, and she's jealous of them. She throws tantrums until finally her doctor, exasperated, concludes that yes, a marriage will cure her. Her cousin reluctantly puts up an add in the newspaper, "GIRL, UNSTABLE, HEIGHT 152 CENTIMETERS, SEEKS HUSBAND," convinced that it's a waste of time. Despite eventually being abandoned by her own family (who are convinced that the devil lives inside of her), Babi somehow finds her way towards a mysterious cure. --Ada Tseng

Cho Chang from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series (1999-2007)

Although she isn't exactly Asian American, we'll let this one slide: my pick is the Chinese-English Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw Seeker who stole and broke Harry Potter's heart. As Harry's first crush, Chang's beauty gave him butterflies during a Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Despite being written as a supporting character, she is well-rounded: Chang is a popular student amongst the students, with many admirers, and she is described as intelligent and athletic. While J.K. Rowling makes Chang's Chinese identity clear, the fact of the matter is that Chang is written as just any regular girl, not a stereotypical Asian or Asian American character (i.e. a nerd or dragon lady). In the Harry Potter novels, it seems intentional that race or ethnicity does not play a huge factor and sometimes, that's just alright, especially when there's a complex story involved with equally complex characters. Even the casting for Cho Chang in the Harry Potter films caused quite a commotion amongst the fans and the media, when Scottish actress Katie Leung beat out over 3000 girls to portray her.  --Kanara Ty
 

Laurel from Christina Chiu's Troublemaker & Other Saints, "Nobody" (2001)

In a collection of eleven short stories focusing on character types such as "Doctor," "Star," and "Copycat," Chinese American author Christina Chiu's Troublemaker and Other Saints is a fresher Amy Tan for adolescent eyes, exploring relationships between immigrant parents and their first generation American children. It's Laurel, the protagonist in her first short "Nobody," that really resonates with me as a favorite Asian American character. Laurel does not draw from stereotypical depictions of being Chinese American, which is perhaps what makes her most real. She's a quiet observer, she misses her late grandmother, and she's depressed. Her feelings are raw, she is contemplative, and more importantly, she's someone that anyone could relate to. --LiAnn Ishizuka
 

NiuNiu from Annie Wang's The People's Republic of Desire (2006)

One memorable character for me is NiuNiu from The People's Republic of Desire by Annie Wang. NiuNiu resembles the Chinese version of Carrie in Sex and the City. She's a journalist living in a metropolitan city (Beijing in this case), she's had numerous relationships, and she never fails to impress strangers with her sharp cleverness. Born and raised in America, she traveled back to China to work as a foreign correspondent and find her cultural identity. NiuNiu represents the new generation of Chinese American returnees. She's highly educated (in the sense that she's obtained a degree from the United States), she's a free thinker, and she's a member of China's Westernized professional class. A description of her character calls her: "single and fully detached." (I'm sure the second part bears more weight on our generation.) Hailed as a cross between Sex and the City and The Joy Luck Club, it's no wonder I like this book. --Cathryn Chen 

Honorable Mention:

Sonny Lum from Chieh Chieng's A Long Stay in a Distant Land (2005)... because when's the last time you read about a depressive, gangsta-rap-obsessed father from the OC, the type of parental figure that stands up in the middle of a church function to ask the elderly congregation members: "If someone slaps you, you wouldn't slap them back?...  Come on, you know you'd do it."

and

Claudia Kishi from Ann M. Martin's The Baby-sitter's Club series (1986-2000)... because although I'm cheating a bit and talking about subconscious influence (truthfully, I don't remember anything about the character except for her almond-shaped eyes, funky fashion, and vice presidential duties), nostalgia is very powerful. If you ask a fellow child-at-heart who grew up in the '80s, chances are she'll know what I'm talking about....  --Ada Tseng

Published: Friday, October 3, 2008