American Knees
Encyclopedia
American Knees is a novel written by Shawn Wong
, first published in 1995 by Simon & Schuster
. It is currently published by the University of Washington Press (2005). Conceived as a cultural response to Amy Tan
's novel The Joy Luck Club
, Wong's book shocked and excited readers with its groudbreaking depiction of an unapologetically sexy Asian American
man and three complex women.
The book humorously chronicles the romantic chapters in the life of Raymond Ding, a Chinese American
university administrator who first marries and divorces the perfect Chinese American wife, dates and breaks up with a Hapa
(bi-racial) younger woman, and gets involved with a Vietnamese American
co-worker haunted by memories of the war
.
and an editor of several anthologies of Asian American literature, including Aiiieeeee! An Anthology of Asian-American Writers
and The Big Aiiieeeee!. He is an English Professor and the former director of the University Honors Program at the University of Washington
.
(2006) was written and directed by Eric Byler
, produced by Lisa Onodera
, and stars Chris Tashima
as central figure Raymond Ding. The film was acquired by IFC Films
but has not been released.
Shawn Wong
Shawn Hsu Wong is an author and Professor of English and former Director of the University Honors Program , Chair of the Department of English , and Director of the Creative Writing Program at the University of Washington where he has been on the faculty since 1984...
, first published in 1995 by Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
. It is currently published by the University of Washington Press (2005). Conceived as a cultural response to Amy Tan
Amy Tan
Amy Tan is an American writer whose works explore mother-daughter relationships. Her most well-known work is The Joy Luck Club, which has been translated into 35 languages...
's novel The Joy Luck Club
The Joy Luck Club
The Joy Luck Club is a best-selling novel written by Amy Tan. It focuses on four Chinese American immigrant families in San Francisco, California who start a club known as "the Joy Luck Club," playing the Chinese game of mahjong for money while feasting on a variety of foods...
, Wong's book shocked and excited readers with its groudbreaking depiction of an unapologetically sexy Asian American
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
man and three complex women.
The book humorously chronicles the romantic chapters in the life of Raymond Ding, a Chinese American
Chinese American
Chinese Americans represent Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans...
university administrator who first marries and divorces the perfect Chinese American wife, dates and breaks up with a Hapa
Hapa
Hapa is a Hawaiian language term used to describe a person of mixed Asian or Pacific Islander racial or ethnic heritage.-Etymology:In the Hawaiian language, hapa is defined as: portion, fragment, part, fraction, installment; to be partial, less. It is a loan from the English word half...
(bi-racial) younger woman, and gets involved with a Vietnamese American
Vietnamese American
A Vietnamese American is an American of Vietnamese descent. They make up about half of all overseas Vietnamese and are the fourth-largest Asian American group....
co-worker haunted by memories of the war
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
About the author
Shawn Wong is the author of the award-winning novel HomebaseHomebase (novel)
Homebase is a novel written by Shawn Wong, first published in 1979 by Bookpeople. It is currently published by the University of Washington Press in 2008 and was also published by Plume in 1991....
and an editor of several anthologies of Asian American literature, including Aiiieeeee! An Anthology of Asian-American Writers
Aiiieeeee! An Anthology of Asian-American Writers
Aiiieeeee! An Anthology of Asian-American Writers is a 1974 anthology by Frank Chin, Jeffery Paul Chan, Lawson Fusao Inada, Shawn Wong and other members of the Combined Asian Resources Project...
and The Big Aiiieeeee!. He is an English Professor and the former director of the University Honors Program at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
.
Movie version
A film adaptation, entitled AmericaneseAmericanese
Americanese is a 2006 American independent film acquired by IFC Films but not yet released. It is a romantic drama about the break-up of a couple, about love and memory, and how race plays into the lives of contemporary Asian Americans and Hapa/mixed-race Americans.- Background :The film was...
(2006) was written and directed by Eric Byler
Eric Byler
Eric Byler is an American film director, screenwriter and political activist. He identifies as hapa biracial, born to a Chinese American mother and a white American father. He grew up in Virginia, Hawaii , and California. He graduated from Wesleyan University in 1994, majoring in film...
, produced by Lisa Onodera
Lisa Onodera
Lisa Onodera is an American independent film producer, of such noted films as Picture Bride, The Debut and Americanese. She grew up in Berkeley, California, and attended UCLA where she received a degree from the School of Motion Picture and Television.Early film credits include serving as...
, and stars Chris Tashima
Chris Tashima
Chris Tashima is a Japanese American actor and director. He is co-founder of the entertainment company Cedar Grove Productions and Artistic Director of its Asian American theatre company, Cedar Grove OnStage. He is the son of U.S. Circuit Judge A. Wallace Tashima...
as central figure Raymond Ding. The film was acquired by IFC Films
IFC Films
IFC Films is an American film distribution company based in New York, owned by AMC Networks. It distributes independent films and documentaries under the IFC Films, Sundance Selects and IFC Midnight. It operates the IFC Center....
but has not been released.
External links
- American Knees from University of Washington Press
- review by Monica Chiu on MELUS
- Shawn Wong on film adaptation on IMDiversity.com
- Shawn Wong discusses American Knees becoming a movie, at Rainbow Bookfest (minority authors) in Northwest Asian WeeklyNorthwest Asian WeeklyThe Northwest Asian Weekly is a weekly Asian American newspaper based in Seattle, Washington's International District. Distributed free, it was founded in 1982 by Assunta Ng, founder of the Seattle Chinese Post. It has a circulation of 16,000....