CHENXING HAN
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  • one long listening
  • EVENTS
  • Be the Refuge
  • ARTICLES
  • INTERVIEWS
  • PRESS
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
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 BOOK REVIEWS

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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
​Read on LA Times
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August 2021 | Institute of Buddhist Studies

Meet Chenxing Han, Our New Chaplaincy Program Coordinator

Gesshin 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 Like

Nina 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-Orientation

An 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 & 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
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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 Community

Justin 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 Member

News 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 Refuge

Tim 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 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 
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January 2021 | ​Tricycle

Buddha Buzz Weekly

Emily 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 West

Ken 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 Lives

Calvin 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 Life

John 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
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​© 2023 Chenxing Han 
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