CHENXING HAN
  • BE THE REFUGE
  • TEAM BTR
  • ARTICLES
  • EVENTS
  • PRESS
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • BE THE REFUGE
  • TEAM BTR
  • ARTICLES
  • EVENTS
  • PRESS
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
Search

 BOOK REVIEWS

Picture

Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)

“In this impressive debut, [former] Buddhist chaplain Han offers an illuminating analysis of the intersection of race and privilege within American Buddhist communities”
​Read the full review on PW
Picture

Booklist

“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.”
​Read the full review on Booklist (subscribers only)
Picture

Kirkus Reviews

“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’”
​​Read the full review on Kirkus
Picture

Library Journal

“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’”
​​Read the full review on Library Journal (subscribers only)
Picture

San Francisco Book Review (5/5 stars)

“In Be The Refuge, Buddhists from all backgrounds will find truth in the words of like-minded people from various Asian streams, dealing squarely with the complexity of ‘betwixt-and-between’ racial identities and life experiences”
​Read the full review by Maileen Hamto on San Francisco Book Review
Picture

The Existential Buddhist

“Readily accessible to all readers... personal, intimate, and urgent” 
​Read the full review by Seth Zuihō Segall on The Existential Buddhist
Picture

Chaplaincy Innovation Lab

“Han brings a chaplain’s skills of deep listening and storytelling​, moving from dialogue and narrative to meaning-making and analysis”​
Read the full review by Elaine Yuen on Chaplaincy Innovation Lab
Picture

Buddhadharma

“Each section of Han’s groundbreaking volume traces the history of important Asian American Buddhists’ contributions in the West—from the initial trailblazers, to the bridge-builders, to the integrators, to the refuge-makers” 
​Read the full review by Joie Szu-Chiao on Buddhadharma
Picture

Tricycle

“Be the Refuge opens the door for deep and difficult conversations about race, religion, and representation”
​Read the full review by Wendy Biddlecombe Agsar on Tricycle
Picture

Lion’s Roar

“Each section of Han’s groundbreaking volume traces the history of important Asian American Buddhists’ contributions in the West—from the initial trailblazers, to the bridge-builders, to the integrators, to the refuge-makers” 
​Read the full review by Tracy Franz on Lion’s Roar

INTERVIEWS

Picture
March 2021 | ​Tricycle

Young. Asian. American. Buddhist: What These Words Cannot Say

Memoir, anger, intersectionality, refuge-making: based on a conversation with Dr. Ann Gleig, hosted by Books & Books
​​Read the full interview on Tricycle 
Picture
January 2021 | ​Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association

APALA Author Interview: Chenxing Han

Identity and diversity, publishing challenges, reading recommendations, and beloved libraries: an interview with Jaena Rae Cabrera 
​​Read the full interview on APALA 
Picture
January 2021 | ​Dharma Realm Buddhist University

Dharma Coming to Life: An Interview with Author Chenxing Han

On the intersection of chaplaincy, writing, and Buddhism: an interview with DRBU
​​Read the full interview on DRBU 
Picture
Summer 2020 | ​Buddhadharma

Forum: How Millennials are Reframing the Buddhist Path​

A conversation with Gesshin Greenwood, Matthew Hepburn, and Lama Bryn Dawson, moderated by Ray Buckner
​Read on the full dialogue on Buddhadharma 
Picture
July 2020 | ​Medium

Interview with a Writer: Chenxing Han

Writing process, future projects, advice for aspiring writers: an interview with Vincent Lim
​Read the full interview on Medium

PODCASTS

Picture
Published February 2, 2021

The Road Home Podcast

A conversation with Ethan Nichtern, who writes, “This episode is dedicated to Chenxing’s friend and inspiring fellow crusader in Buddhism and race relations; the late, great, Angry Asian Buddhist, Aaron J. Lee”​
​​Listen on The Road Home
Picture
Published February 6, 2021

The Road Home Podcast

A conversation with Koun Franz, who notes, “Your book opens with this beautiful invocation, and it really invites the reader into a Buddhist space... it’s a stance that I would love to see more of” 
​​Listen on The Lion’s Roar podcast
Picture
Published January 18, 2021

The Imperfect Buddha Podcast

A conversation with Matthew O’Connell, who writes that Be the Refuge “fills a gap in our collective understanding​”​
​​Listen on IBP

MENTIONS

Picture
March 2021 | ​North Atlantic Books

NAB Stands Against Anti-Asian Racism & Hate

North Atlantic Books stands against the violence and racism perpetrated against Asian Americans and in solidarity with Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.
​Read on the North Atlantic Books blog
Picture
March 2021 | ​Tricycle

Addressing Violence Against Asian Americans

“Asian American Buddhists have made invaluable contributions to the development of American Buddhism. We should all recognize that and be grateful for it.”
​Read on Tricycle
Picture
January 2021 | ​Washington Post  via ​Religion News Service

Millennial and Gen Z Buddhists Created an Online Forum to Explore Their Identity

Caitlin Yoshiko Kandil on how the Young Buddhist Editorial, founded by millennial and Gen Z Asian Americans
​Read on Washington Post (subscribers only) or ​Religion News Service 
Picture
February 2021 | ​Buddhistdoor Global

Millennial and Gen Z Buddhists Created an Online Forum to Explore Their Identity

Justin Whitaker on the one-year anniversary of the Young Buddhist Editorial
​Read on Buddhistdoor Global
Picture
March 2021 | ​Young Buddhist Editorial

“Be the Refuge” Shines Light on Asian American Buddhism

Derek Tahara on the themes within, and writing process behind, Be the Refuge 
​Read on Young Buddhist Editorial
Picture
February 2021 | ​Aunt Lute Books

New Book Out Now by Former Aunt Lute Staff Member

News and notes from the intersectional feminist publisher Aunt Lute Books
​Read on Aunt Lute Books
Picture
February 2021 | ​North Atlantic Books

Letter from the Publisher: Be the Refuge

Tim McKee on the collective efforts that brought Be the Refuge ​into being
​Read on the North Atlantic Books blog
Picture
January 2021 | ​Tricycle

Buddha Buzz Weekly: Tashi Wangchuk Released from Prison

Emily DeMaioNewton and Karen Jensen on Tashi Wangchuk’s release, the Young Buddhist Editorial, and other uplifting news
​Read on Tricycle
Picture
November 2020 | ​Religion News Service

Dying “the Buddhist Way”​ Gains in Hospice Centers in the West

Ken Chitwood on the emergence of Buddhist-oriented hospices in the United States and elsewhere
​Read on Religion News Service
Picture
2018 | ​Wheel of Dharma

TechnoBuddha Conference 2018: Incorporating Buddhism into Our Daily Lives

Calvin Tamano and Kiyumi Nishida on Jodo Shinshu Center’s eleventh annual gathering of young adult Buddhists
​Read on Wheel of Dharma
Picture
2017 | ​Runner’s World

Running for Her Life

John Brant on the extraordinary life of Amy Frohnmayer Winn
​Read on Runner's World
Picture
2016 | ​The Atlantic

How Can South Africa Kickstart Its Tech Industry?

Rebecca Gibian and Diana Crandall on the rise of coding and programming organizations in Cape Town
​Read on The Atlantic
Join my mailing list
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
​© 2021 Chenxing Han 
  • BE THE REFUGE
  • TEAM BTR
  • ARTICLES
  • EVENTS
  • PRESS
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT