Review by Booklist Review
Although Buddhism was brought to America by Asian immigrants and a majority of Buddhists in the country are Asian American, the privilege of speaking about and for American Buddhism is often given to white Buddhists. Be the Refuge hands the microphone back to Asian American Buddhists, honoring their diverse histories and heritage in this generous, nuanced book. Drawing from dozens of interviews with Asian American Buddhists, Han explores the complexities of Buddhist identity and practice, highlighting people who grew up in Buddhist families as well as those raised in other religious backgrounds before coming to Buddhism as converts. Han and her subjects rebuke the racism of white Buddhist communities and the erasure of Asian Americans from positions of prominence in Buddhist magazines and conferences. However, Be the Refuge is first and foremost a celebration. Han's interviewees descend from numerous countries, followed various paths to their faith, practice in different ways, and often question the validity of their own identity; but Han argues--compellingly and joyfully--that all contribute to a diverse and thriving American Buddhism.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this impressive debut, Buddhist chaplain Han offers an illuminating analysis of the intersection of race and privilege within American Buddhist communities. Along with Han's accounts of her marginalization as a young Asian American Buddhist, she profiles 89 fellow Buddhists, providing a nuanced portrait of how those interviewed have practiced Buddhism in a way they feel is "in-between" older non-Buddhist Asian Americans, non--Asian American Buddhists, and Asian Americans of other faiths. Though Asian Americans make up most of the American Buddhist community, they are often dismissed as "superstitious" or exotic by white converts, according to Han. Han also explores the lingering mistrust many Asian Americans feel within the U.S. as a result of the many Japanese American Buddhists who were confined in WWII-era internment camps. Many subjcts express their frustrations about not seeing themselves represented on the covers of popular Buddhist magazines like Tricycle, at fashionable conferences such as "Buddhist Geeks," or in celebrated books written by white converts and Asian monastics. By presenting an intricate and intimate mosaic of experiences, Han thoughtfully and successfully confronts stereotypes of Buddhism in the U.S. (Jan.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Han's illuminating debut examines how non-Asian Americans have co-opted Buddhism. This, she notes, is clearly seen by the vast majority of prominent Buddhist American scholars and spiritual leaders who are non-Asian. She conducts interviews with dozens of Asian American Buddhists. From these interviews, Han draws several salient conclusions. One of these is that many share the same feeling that Asian Americans are often seen as being too Asian if they are Buddhists or are not Asian enough if they are not practicing Buddhists. It is an untenable position to be in, she argues. Han's work is divided into chapters that detail how Buddhism arrived in the United States while also covering people who sought to teach its core tenets, and even how Asian American Buddhists have often lacked an identity. It is ironic, Han notes, that many scholars trace American Buddhist beginnings to the Beat writers Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg when it is well documented that Asian Buddhists brought their beliefs to the United States in the 1800s. VERDICT Han's contribution to this overlooked aspect of the Asian American experience is an important one as it gives a voice to many invisible people in American society.--Brian Renvall, Mesalands Community Coll., Tucumcari, NM
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A Bay Area writer seeks to redress the seeming cultural invisibility of Asian American Buddhists. Han's debut book, which began as her master's thesis, might have languished as a sociological study for academics if not for the advice of novelist Ruth Ozeki, who told her, "Make it an account of your curiosity. Put yourself in." Han does exactly that, intertwining scholarly methodology with the story of why she was compelled to take on the subject. Han belongs to the 2% of Asian Americans who have become Buddhist after being raised outside the tradition--in the author's case, as an atheist. By contrast, 10% of Asian Americans who were raised Buddhist leave the faith. This math exists in the context of American Buddhism's public image already skewing heavily White. Han cites the popular distinction between "two Buddhisms." One is viewed as rational, focused on meditation, nonreligious, and White; the other is cultural, traditional, based on ritual, and Asian. "It's not hard," writes the author, "to guess which group is more likely to be dismissed as 'superstitious' and which group is more likely to be celebrated as 'scientific.' " Anyone who follows mainstream American Buddhism knows which group is at the cultural fore. Han demonstrates convincingly that this is a misrepresentation of the actual demographics within American Buddhism, which is more diverse in terms of both race and denominations than is usually recognized. However, the author isn't content to settle for scholarship; she wants to advocate on behalf of better representation. Is this discrepancy due to anti-Asian racism or based on an American interest in those aspects of Buddhism that can be easily extracted from their cultural contexts and incorporated into a Western worldview? This is an ongoing debate, to which this book is an important contribution, but not the final answer. An eye-opening read for anyone under the false impression that American Buddhism is primarily the province of Whites. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
