Synopses & Reviews
When you come from a mixed race background as Paisley Rekdal does — her mother is Chinese American and her father is Norwegian- thorny issues of identity politics, and interracial desire are never far from the surface. Here in this hypnotic blend of personal essay and travelogue, Rekdal journeys throughout Asia to explore her place in a world where ones “appearance is the deciding factor of ones ethnicity.”
In her soul-searching voyage, she teaches English in South Korea where her native colleagues call her a “hermaphrodite,” and is dismissed by her host family in Japan as an American despite her assertion of being half-Chinese. A visit to Taipei with her mother, who doesnt know the dialect, leads to the bitter realization that they are only tourists, which makes her further question her identity. Written with remarkable insight and clarity, Rekdal a poet whose fierce lyricism is apparent on every page, demonstrates that the shifting frames of identity can be as tricky as they are exhilarating.
Synopsis
In The Night My Mother Met Bruce Lee, a timely meditation on mixed race politics, identity, and interracial desire, poet Paisley Rekdal -- daughter of a Chinese American mother and a Norwegian father -- chronicles a soul-searching journey that takes her throughout Asia.
Rekdal teaches English in South Korea where her native colleagues call her a "hermaphrodite." A visit to Taipei with her mother, who doesn't know the dialect, leads to the bitter realization that they are only tourists, which makes her further question her identity. Written with remarkable insight and clarity, The Night My Mother Met Bruce Lee lyrically demonstrates that the shifting frames of identity can be as tricky as they are exhilarating.
About the Author
Paisley Rekdal was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. She has received Fulbright and Hopwood awards and has published poems and essays in Poetry Northwest and The Sonora Review, among other periodicals. A book of her poetry, A Crash of Rhinos, will be published this year. Rekdal lives in Laramie, Wyoming, and teaches poetry at the University of Wyoming.