CCBC Booklists

CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.

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From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement

by Paula Yoo

CCBC Review:

This riveting account of the murder of Chinese American Vincent Chin in Detroit in 1982 and the ripple effects of its impact provides an in-depth look at events surrounding the brutal attack on Chin and the subsequent response of police, the justice system, and, above all, members of the Chinese American and broader Asian American community in Detroit. Their anger and grief spearheaded the start of a national pan-Asian activist movement that defied stereotypes, demanded justice, and expanded a sense of identity and solidarity. Chin died a few days after he was beaten with a baseball bat by two white men after they all argued in a club. It was a time when anti-Japanese/Asian sentiment in the city was high because of the struggling U.S. auto industry. His attackers later pled guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter and were given probation. By then, business leaders, lawyers, and others in Detroit’s Chinese American community had been joined by other Asian Americans in and beyond Detroit seeking justice for Vincent. They continued to do so through federal Civil Rights legislation, seeing both victory and defeat in subsequent years. This thoroughly researched and documented work allows individual stories and personalities, including Vincent Chin’s, to emerge. It also lets the facts, including conflicting accounts that were disputed, speak for themselves. An afterword places this story within the context of the pandemic and surging hate crimes against Asian Americans in a work that invites readers to think critically about racism, then and now. ©2022 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 12 and older
Age Range: Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13) Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format: Substantial Narrative Non-Fiction
Subjects: 20th Century 21st Century Activism and Resistance Asian Americans Chinese and Chinese Americans Civil Rights Judicial System Racism U.S. History Violence
Diversity subject: Asian
On CCBC Booklists: Asian in America: Selected Books for PreK-Grade 12 to Support Hmong and Asian American Studies in Wisconsin Race and Racism: Selected Books for Pre-K to Grade 12

Publisher: Norton
Publish Year: 2021
Pages: 374
ISBN: 9781324002871
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 305 Yoo

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