Review of Scholarly Article on Asian American Literature

Chiu, Simon S. Reorienting the English Classroom: Asian American Writers in the Canon. The English Journal, Vol. 86, No. 8, New Voices: The Canon of the Future (Dec., 1997), pp. 30-33

This article briefly references the novel Dragonwings which I also read for our final project. Simon Chui states this novel as one of a few creditable resources for young readers on Asian American literature found in classrooms today. However, the majority of the scholarly article was devoted to emphasizing the need for more Asian-American literature in America’s classrooms. The author criticized other educators who have not yet taken the time to explore and address the issue of missing Asian-American books in schools today. Chiu explains that Asian American literature needs to be present because “for far too long, English classrooms have ignored the existence and the contributions that Asian Americans have made to the United States” (Chui 1997 p33). With this statement, Chui stresses the true necessity for a selection of examples of positive Asian American literature for students in the present day. Chui further emphasizes the importance of ALL students having literature about this culture available in teacher’s personal classroom libraries and curriculum. Asian American students especially need these books that promote accurate and positive images of their own culture in America. I certainly agree with the author that their needs to be more demand for the creation and publishing of accurate Asian American literature for both children and young adults.

Chui also states in his article “I have come to realize that there are numerous works written by Asian American authors which deserve our attention as English teachers and merit consideration on all of our reading lists” (Chui 1997 p30). I could not agree more with this statement. When I looked around my 2nd grade classroom earlier this semester, I could not find one picture or chapter book that represented the Asian American culture. Yet, this does not mean there are not excellent examples of this literature offered in our libraries and bookstores. There are certainly great examples of Asian American literature available to teachers in today’s society. It is the responsibility of language arts teachers to do their own research on Asian American literature, find solid examples, and finally bring these into their classrooms for all their students to read and comprehend. Simon Chui has certain wrote a convincing and grounded argument for the establishment of Asian American literature in schools today.