Looking for Asian America

An Ethnocentric Tour by Wing Young Huie

2007
Author:

Wing Young Huie
Foreword by Frank H. Wu
Anita Gonzalez
Tara Simpson Huie

Stunning and personal photographs of Asian America today—from a renowned artist

Celebrated photographer Wing Young Huie traveled with his wife, Tara, through the U.S. to explore and document the funny, touching, and sometimes strange intersection of Asian American and American cultures. Accompanied by personal reflections, the spectacular photographs tell a story that both mirrors and contradicts stereotypes of Asian Americans, ultimately questioning what it means to be ethnic and American in the twenty-first century.

Photographer Wing Young Huie and his wife, Tara, traveled through nearly 40 states to explore and document the intersection of Asian-American and American cultures, which they’ve commemorated in Looking for Asian America. Nearly 100 photos are accompanied by the couple’s personal reflections.

St. Paul Pioneer Press

In search of contemporary Asian America, celebrated photographer Wing Young Huie—the only member of his family not born in China—traveled with his wife, Tara, through nearly forty states to explore and document the funny, touching, and sometimes strange intersection of Asian American and American cultures. Looking for Asian America illustrates their rich and surprising journey across the United States.

Through Huie’s eyes, keenly aware of his own Midwestern roots and perspective, we witness such images as a Vietnamese Elvis, Miss Congeniality on her cell phone in San Francisco’s Chinatown, a Hmong street sign in rural North Carolina, a meditating Falun Gong protestor in Washington, D.C., a bubble tea Valley Girl, and a Chinese theme park in Orlando. Huie’s camera captures ABCs (American-born Chinese), FOBs (fresh off the boat), and a self-described “redneck Chinese restaurant owner” near the Okefenokee Swamp. Taken together the photographs reveal a complex portrait of the U.S. cultural landscape, and their dignified elegance invites a closer, deeper look.

Accompanied by the personal reflections of both Wing and Tara Huie, the nearly one hundred spectacular photographs tell a story that both mirrors and contradicts stereotypes of Asian Americans, ultimately questioning what it means to be ethnic and American in the twenty-first century.

Wing Young Huie documents the socioeconomic, ethnic, and cultural realities of his home state, Minnesota. His photographs have been exhibited at the Walker Art Center, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and the Minnesota Museum of American Art, and he is a recipient of the Bush Artist and McKnight fellowships. He is the author of Frogtown: Photographs and Conversations in an Urban Neighborhood and Lake Street USA.

Photographer Wing Young Huie and his wife, Tara, traveled through nearly 40 states to explore and document the intersection of Asian-American and American cultures, which they’ve commemorated in Looking for Asian America. Nearly 100 photos are accompanied by the couple’s personal reflections.

St. Paul Pioneer Press

Stumbles upon surprising pieces of Americana.

City Pages

Looking for Asian America is a beautifully constructed book with thought-provoking photography and commentary. It takes the great tradition of American travel writing—from Toqueville to Beauvoir and more—and explores the never-ending question of America from a fresh and critical direction.

Sampan

Quietly poignant in their seemingly mundane representations of life in America, Huie’s photos speak volumes about how we see ourselves in the American cultural tapestry.

Audrey Magazine

Beautifully illustrated by Huie’s captivating photography. The reader is presented with humorous, moving, and strange images of Asian America.

The Asian Reporter

Looking for Asian America is an honest portrait of the modern Asian Americans in the ordinary, but sometimes humorous and touching moments.

Rafu Shimpo