Yellow: Stories by Don Lee
Incredibly Gifted Writer
As the Los Angeles Times noted in its profile of the author, few writers
have mined the [genre of ethnic literature] as shrewdly or transcended its
limits quite so stunningly as Don Lee. Harking back to the timeless
concerns of Chekhov: fate, chance, the mystery of the human heart (Stuart
Dybek), these interconnected stories are utterly contemporary,...but
grounded in the depth of beautiful prose and intriguing storylines (Asian
Week). They paint a novelistic portrait of the fictional town of Rosarita Bay,
California, and a diverse cast of complex and moving characters. Nothing
short of wonderful...surprising and wild with life (Robert Boswell), Yellow
proves that wondering about whether youre a real American is as
American as a big bowl of kimchi (New York Times Book Review).
Personal Review: Yellow: Stories by Don Lee
In an interview, Lee mentions Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio and Joyce's
Dubliners as literary influences for his seminal work of short stories, Yellow
(2001), which focuses on the lives of Asian-Americans living or connected
to Rosarita Bay, modeled after Half Moon Bay, California.

Lee's book avoids immigrant narratives focusing instead on the lives of
Asian-Americans who experience themselves as "American" without the
carrying the complex weight of moving from one country to another. While
one may encounter shadows of post-diasporic experience in the stories,
"Casual Water" and "Yellow", Lee does not preoccupy readers with plot
lines most often associated with the work of more commonly known Asian-
American writers.
Instead, he illustrates well the various issues assimilated Asian-Americans
face as they live in a country where occasionally, they are reminded of
their immigration status, regardless of whether they have been born in the
United States. For Lee, race politics includes a Chinese thug who
questions his Korean-American attorney about his white girlfriend in "Voir
Dire", presuming that a white girlfriend automatically indicates a form of
race treachery. Annie Yung, in the delightful, "Lone Night Cantina",
assumes a cowgirl identity only to find herself facing the problems with
assuming an identity that is not authentic to her person.
Some Asian-American students will react to Yellow by arguing that they do
not find Lee's characters "Asian" enough which begs the question: What
does it mean to be Asian/Asian-American and what are the risks of
narrowly-defining characteristics that ultimately lead to essentialism.
Feminists have been right to point out how essentialism damages women
and similarly, readers can bring their assumptions to the book so long as
they understand that reading Lee's work may cast new light and perhaps,
widen the spectrum of race representation. Readers who presume to know
what "Asian" is may find themselves struggling with Lee's honest portrayal
which avoids reinforcing images of Asian-Americans as perpetually
struggling, self-hating, or striking nationalistic attitudes. Marked with a
fluidity of language and expression, Lee's affection for his characters
allows them genuine epiphanies without sentimentalism.
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