An Un-Calibrated Centrifuge
Minn and Jake's Almost Terrible Summer
I enjoyed parts of this book particularly Minn and Jake’s navigation of their friendship, but the misuse of the word hapa means I cannot and would not recommend it. Wong perpetuates the myth that “Hapa = slang for half Asian, half white.” This is not true. Hapa is a word appropriated from Hawaiian by half Asians, and it is inappropriate for Jake to use it as a descriptor for himself. See “On ‘Hapa’ And Cultural Appropriation” for more information (Light, 2009).
3
2019
