This book depicts why "multiculturalism" is neither a fad or a bad word. Multiculturalism also results in accepting the multi-faceted wonders that Life can be. The editors' conception of this book is ahead of its time and I offer my gratitude for their sophisticated approach. Aptly, the complicated theme of "Asian in the Americas" is manifested in a multi-layered approach vis a vis genre: nonfiction, art, poetry, fiction. Dwight Okita's poem "Notes For A Poem on Being Asian American" has been long-heralded; but it is simply one of the many marvels in this book. Highly recommend!

At first glance, one may wonder why a book should be made about South Asians' demands to be more visible in the Asian-American community when many articles and college forums have already addressed the topic effectively. However, this anthology is well worth the effort. Here, academics analyze the history and social construction behind ideas such as "South Asians", "Asian America" and even "Asia" itself. One gets a sampling of the works of the top South Asian-American scholars around the country. Even as East Asians are criticized for hogging the spotlight, East Asian-American academics were allowed to submit pieces to the anthology. The book uses political campaigns, student groups, gay rights, and literature to answer many complex questions. Some essays are convoluted and odd (Song, Prashad) but most (like Roy and Shankar) are excellent. South Asians must buy this book and other Asian Americans will be equally challenged and pleased if they read this text as well.

I have one main criticism of this book. This book often re-iterates that South Asians get left out because both whites and East Asians think of all Asians as "yellow." However, this book fails to point out that South Asians get punished for being dark-skinned. If East Asians get considered "model minorities" or "a paler shade of white", it is partially due to their phenotype. This book doesn't discuss that many Americans confuse South Asians for Latinos. It doesn't mention how Urvashi Vaid was called "practically a [Black American epithet]" when she was appointed as the head of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. It surprises me that the challenges of being "brown" rather than just "not being yellow" are not even mentioned here.