BOOK REVIEWS – one long listening
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Lion’s Roar“Chenxing Han, author of widely acclaimed Be the Refuge: Raising the Voices of Asian American Buddhists, gives us a gorgeous, deeply sensory, and multilingual memoir of life and loss in one long listening: a memoir of grief, friendship, and spiritual care (North Atlantic Books)… The work is a playful and solemn experiment in form, yet Han’s sincerity and searching spirit remain totally vulnerable and genuine.”
Read the full review by Bonnie Nadzam on Lion’s Roar |
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Klingbrief | Of Note: Through the Unknown and Unknowable“one long listening is full of complexity, possibility, and care – an ethical listening that may accompany us through rupture towards repair.”
Read the full review by Nicole Furlonge on Klingbrief |
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San Francisco Book Review“Han writes empathically, with quiet and raw emotion, as she offers a window into the lives of the patients and families she encountered as a chaplain”
Read the full review by Maileen Hamto on SFBR |
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Tricycle | Each Other’s Bodhisattvas“Her honest and tender vignettes of bedside visits illustrate the intimacy that can emerge from holding space for another without rushing to offer a solution. Her patients trust her with their despair and heartache—and with their hidden joys. (“No one told me this work would be full of love stories,” she muses.) Through listening openheartedly, Han bears witness to the fears, delights, shames, and regrets that make up a life.”
Read the full review by Sarah Fleming on Tricycle |
BOOK REVIEWS – Be the Refuge
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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 |
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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) |
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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 |
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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 LJ (subscribers only) |
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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 SFBR |
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Journal of Global Buddhism“Han’s narrative is refreshing and gripping as she organizes her data in such a way you feel you are just following along on her deeply emotional journey of struggling to find peers, gradually feeling less lonely and less angry, and eventually losing a dear friend”
Read the full review by Dr. Hsiao-Lan Hu on Journal of Global Buddhism |
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Pacific World“In ‘raising the voices of young adult Asian American Buddhists,’ Han has created a new American sutra that is at once memoir, ethnography, history, and cultural critique”
Read the full review by Dr. Adeana McNicholl on Pacific World |
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Reading Religion“Han’s vivid storytelling shatters the racialized stereotype of ‘the superstitious Asian Buddhist’”
Read the full review by Dr. Jessica Zu on Reading Religion |
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The Existential Buddhist“Readily accessible to all readers... personal, intimate, and urgent”
Read the full review by Seth Zuihō Segall on The Existential Buddhist |
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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 |
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Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association“A celebration of Asian American Buddhist practice that seeks to boost their exposure and call for a collective Asian American Buddhist identity”
Read the full review by Tim Chu on APALA |
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STANFORD Magazine“A young, diverse generation on who they are, where they’re going and how they build community”
Read the full review in STANFORD Magazine |
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Sumeru Books“A celebration of Asian American Buddhist practice that seeks to boost their exposure and call for a collective Asian American Buddhist identity”
Read the full review by John Negru on Sumeru |
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Buddhadharma“[T]his book burns with openheartedness, genuine curiosity, and the empathetic love that could only be the result of deep listening”
Read the full review by Joie Szu-Chiao on Buddhadharma |
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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 |
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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 |
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Buddhistdoor Global“A must-read for anyone who is interested in learning about the roots of Buddhism in the US, and who is invested in the future of Buddhism in this country”
Read the full review by Nina Müller on Buddhistdoor Global |
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ARISE (Awakening through Race, Intersectionality, and Social Equity)
“As a multiracial, convert Buddhist with Asian heritage, Be the Refuge offered me a new narrative and context for my experiences in American Buddhist communities”
Read the full reflection by Albert Karcher on ARISE |
MENTIONS
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March 2022 | Los Angeles Times
Buddhists Confront Anti-Asian Violence with Peaceful Perseverance
Deborah Netburn on the 2021 May We Gather memorial
Read on LA Times |
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August 2021 | Institute of Buddhist Studies
Meet Chenxing Han, Our New Chaplaincy Program CoordinatorGesshin Claire Greenwood on the Buddhist chaplaincy program at IBS in Berkeley
Read on Institute of Buddhist Studies |
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September 2021 | Buddhistdoor Global
US Based Research Finds that Gen Z Are Changing What Faith Looks LikeNina Müller on a new generation of spiritual seekers
Read on Buddhistdoor Global |
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July 2021 | Lion’s Roar
Harvard’s Buddhism and Race Conference Experiences a Radical Re-OrientationAn interview with the co-organizers of Harvard University’s 2021 Buddhism and Race speak series, introduced by Pamela Ayo Yetunde
Read on Lion’s Roar |
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May 2021 | San Diego Public Library
Read More! with Trevor: Asian American & Pacific Islander Month“Buddhist layperson Chenxing Han writes a necessary correction to many American ideas about Buddhists and Buddhism.”
Watch the 2-minute video on SDPL’s YouTube channel |
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March 2021 | North Atlantic Books
NAB Stands Against Anti-Asian Racism & HateNorth 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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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February 2021 | Buddhistdoor Global
Young Asian American Buddhists Celebrate a Year of Support and Connection through YBE CommunityJustin Whitaker on the one-year anniversary of the Young Buddhist Editorial
Read on Buddhistdoor Global |
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February 2021 | Aunt Lute Books
New Book Out Now by Former Aunt Lute Staff MemberNews and notes from the intersectional feminist publisher Aunt Lute Books
Read on Aunt Lute Books |
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February 2021 | North Atlantic Books
Letter from the Publisher: Be the RefugeTim McKee on the collective efforts that brought Be the Refuge into being
Read on the North Atlantic Books blog |
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January 2021 | Washington Post via Religion News Service
Millennial and Gen Z Buddhists Created an Online Forum to Explore Their IdentityCaitlin 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 |
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January 2021 | Tricycle
Buddha Buzz WeeklyEmily DeMaioNewton and Karen Jensen on Tashi Wangchuk’s release, the Young Buddhist Editorial, and other uplifting news
Read on Tricycle |
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November 2020 | Religion News Service
Dying “the Buddhist Way” Gains in Hospice Centers in the WestKen Chitwood on the emergence of Buddhist-oriented hospices in the United States and elsewhere
Read on Religion News Service |
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2018 | Wheel of Dharma
TechnoBuddha Conference 2018: Incorporating Buddhism into Our Daily LivesCalvin Tamano and Kiyumi Nishida on Jodo Shinshu Center’s eleventh annual gathering of young adult Buddhists
Read on Wheel of Dharma |
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2017 | Runner’s World
Running for Her LifeJohn Brant on the extraordinary life of Amy Frohnmayer Winn
Read on Runner's World |
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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 |