Matcha & Motifs Book Review 4/5

This was a thought provoking read. Going into it, I thought I knew what Youn was going to say, and although I resonated and felt a lot of what was written, there was so much art and depth to her writing style and poetry. 

I especially loved the deep dive into current events, the internalization of wanting to be different from even your parents. To push away and categorize your parents into a box to show differentiation of being less foreign. To prove that you belong, you had to point out what it is about others that made them more foreign. This definitely struck a chord within me. 

Not only that, but the complexities of Asians being racist to Blacks and other races, despite struggling with prejudice and racism themselves. I never understood why someone would put others through the same pain that they had experienced. It flabbergasts me that my own parents and grandparents can be racist, knowing how much they struggle with racism. That there seems to be no logic behind these prejudice thoughts and hatred. That our own family and those in our communities face anti-Asian hate crimes, yet still project that same hatred with anecdotal, barely logical racism onto Black Americans. I appreciate Youn for talking about this subject. Most Asian communities have a collectivist mindset, which can be great in some ways, but can quickly spread ideals like fire and makes space for ignorance. In a way, hating Blacks and idealizing Whites, Asians can allow them to feel like an honorary member of white people, which is so stupid, but something that I actively see in my own life. I appreciate Youn for talking about the Asian American experience as a whole, the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

The way that the government keeps minorities pitted against each other so they don’t have to get involved and we can just self-destruct is so real. This is such a real problem. 

I particularly enjoyed the section about the Magpies. I didn’t know that magpies are symbolic to Koreans. I also loved that she had a reference section at the end of the book, it is definitely helpful to know some background to some of the poems in which she mentions different characters. I felt like it encapsulated that feeling of coming to a new land, trying to make a life, and undergoing the different experiences of how people treated you. At first, like the magpies, they enjoyed them because they cleaned the carcasses, like how Asian immigrants took on labor and helped businesses thrive. Eventually, this narrative was reversed and it was the immigrants that were taking all their jobs and became the target of blame. 

I do have to say that through the first read, I enjoyed the poetry, however, I feel that I cannot truly appreciate it without dissecting each poem. I love the recurring themes in each chapter. The way she writes is art and intelligence combined. Nothing about anything she writes feels accidental or there just to add some prettiness to the poem. Everything is intertwined and comes back full circle to make a point and I love the embellished personal stories as well as the references to Greek mythology. It truly feels like a scholar project of the Asian American projected through poetry. 

I haven’t read any other works by Youn, but her writing style has such range that it makes it so enjoyable to read. Let me know if you have any thoughts on this topic or her book. What are some books that highlight the Asian American experience that you enjoy?