The Night My Mother Met Bruce Lee

If you haven't heard of Paisley Rekdal, author
of the delightful collection of essays,
The Night My Mother Met Bruce Lee, you will soon.

The book, written in 2000, is still getting buzz
for Paisley's critically acclaimed observations on
race, growing up Asian in America, growing up biracial
in America(half Chinese, half Norwegian), and the struggle
to fit in. Paisley Rekdal has an MFA in poetry from
my alma mater, the University of Michigan, and also
has written several poetry books.

My favorite essays in the collection were Americans
Abroad and St. Agatha. Paisley on a Fulbright fellowship
to Japan teaches at an all-girl school where her
students are more excited about sex than her,
is forced to eat bread, peanut butter and bananas,
and finds herself isolated from her host family as
well as other Americans.

What's interesting is that even though her host family
is Asian like herself, Paisley, and the reader soon
discover how far apart being Chinese and being Japanese
really is. She doesn't fit in, and even though the book
is a collection of essays, they read more like
investigating stories: Who Am I?

You are with her when she goes to a traditional Japanese-
style dinner where she is made a mockery of by a
photographer, and is ignored by her host family, leaving
her with no choice but to sit next to an arrogant American
who has no clue(and doesn't really care) how lonely she is.

You are with her when she gets so sick at a Japanese
TGIF that she fears her boyfriend Joseph will not
be able to help her at the emergency room because he
doesn't speak the language and is fearful that she will
not be able to recover.

You are with her in the sixth grade when her friend, the
only black girl in her class, stands up to the class bully,
which saves Paisley. The friend, Agatha, frees Paisley,
only to find herself slowly spiraling down into an insane
tunnel from which she does not return until years later.