Regular Blend: Trials, triumph and trivia about growing up in a multicultural community

See here: Regular Blend: Trials, triumph and trivia about growing up in a multicultural community.

This is a story from Cupertino, Calif., a slice of school life. I worked on it for my master’s thesis when I was studying journalism at Stanford and held on to it and didn’t really share it outside of school — I’m not totally sure why. Because I’m embarking on a journey to share more tales from Asian America, I’ll kick it out the door now.

The students featured in here have likely advanced, graduated from middle school or high school or college. Their parents may have retired, switched jobs, something else. I wonder what the community is like now?

In any case, the stories here were recorded in the spring of 2014. The Atlantic published an article called “The Silicon Valley Suicides” by Hanna Rosin last month, and because Cupertino is next door to Palo Alto, where her article is centered, I think it’s relevant to take another look at the various experiences of students in an area exceptional for its multicultural makeup and academic experience.

Sara Hayden

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My friend wrote a book!

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Who’s that? Student Barney Scollan taking on Bruce Lee in San Francisco. Image courtesy: University of Nebraska Press

Brag moment: I’ve had the great fortune to help my rockstar friend with his rockstar book and it’s featured in the latest issue of the University of Nebraska Press catalog (see page 5).

Charlie and I met working at the Half Moon Bay Review. A talented photographer, he provided pictures as I provided words and together we made hundreds of stories.

Since then he’s been writing one of his own. A big one — a biography on one of the most influential players in media and martial arts, not to mention Asian America. If you haven’t met him already, meet him now. It’s Bruce Lee!

Striking Distance: Bruce Lee and the Dawn of Martial Arts in America” is Charles Russo’s first book. Yes, I’m biased because I’m so very proud of him, but even if I weren’t I’d still be swept up in it because it tells a colorful, ambitiously researched tale that touches on so many fascinating topics. If you’re interested in…

– Martial arts
– Bruce Lee
– The San Francisco Bay Area
– American history
– The Asian American experience
– Really cool pop culture

… Give it a gander!

Sara Hayden