Book Review: Demystifying Diversity

Editor's Note: Recently, I signed up as a book reviewer for City Books Review. As an avid reader, this experience has been such a gift, especially during these challenging times. I pick the books I'm interested in, and I get to write about them. Writing a book is no small feat: I harbor a lot of respect for authors who pour their expertise and life's work onto the page. Every book teaches a different lesson, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to learn. As I get reviews done, I'll share them here. I encourage you to support authors of color, leaders in their fields.

This review was originally posted in San Francisco Review of Books

Daralyse Lyons

The power of personal stories in contentious culturally diverse interactions is paramount in Daralyse Lyons’ Demystifying Diversity: Embracing Our Shared Humanity, as she invites readers to do the hard work of enhancing self-awareness and countering long- and firmly held biases. Throughout the book, Lyons models the self-scrutiny required in advancing antiracism and social justice beyond polite platitudes. As a biracial woman raised by a White mother, Lyons delves into the complexity of racial identity in the U.S. to interrogate the supremacy of the Black-White binary in racial discourse.

During a time when the call for racial reckoning highlights the experiences of Black Americans amid widespread systemic racism, Lyons reminds readers about the many fronts in the perpetual battle against institutional discrimination and disenfranchisement. Lyons confronts the divisive rhetoric encouraged by the Trump administration, giving rise to White Nationalism and its grievances against Black Americans, LGBTQIA+, Muslims, people with disabilities, undocumented immigrants, among others. Lyons shares powerful narratives telling heartfelt and painful stories of hate and oppression. She offers actionable templates for how people should interrupt everyday microaggressions and exclusionary attitudes. In her call-to-action, Lyons encourages more of us to develop “upstander” skills, as people empowered to actively use our privilege to take a stand against oppression, toward justice and equity.

Medicine Wheel for the Planet

Jennifer Grenz, PhD Working toward ecological healing requires awareness of how Indigenous ancestral knowledge and living ways can complement Western scientific approaches to environmental restoration and protection practices. Dr. Jennifer Grenz (Nlaxa’pamux mixed ancestry) worked for more than two decades as a field researcher and practitioner for environmental nonprofit organizations, where she worked with different levels of government, including First Nations in Canada. "Medicine Wheel for the Planet" compiles Grenz’s most potent realizations about the lack of forward movement in addressing an impending ecological catastrophe. A warming climate impacts not only human lives but also the natural balance that relies on reciprocal relationships rooted in deep connections to the land. She uses the metaphor of the four directions of the Indigenous “medicine wheel” to invite openness to Indigenous teachings, letting go of colonial narratives, merging lessons f...

Memento - Embracing the Darkness

Dennis "Dizzy" Doan Stories about overcoming and persevering through family dysfunction, poverty, and mental health challenges offer hope and the promise of better days. Dennis “Dizzy” Doan’s memoir Memento: Embracing the Darkness is one such story, with the added complexity of being raised in an immigrant Vietnamese family. Doan’s parents dealt with the mental and emotional aftermath of war, which forcibly uprooted them from their homeland. In the United States, they struggled to create a safe and stable life for their two sons. Doan shares his journey of finding himself, his craft, and eventually a successful tattoo business in Southern California despite personal strife and run-ins with the law. Doan is best known for developing the aesthetic language to combat anti-Asian hate that erupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. His art series titled “Model Minority” went viral, sparking conversation about Asian American identities and harmful stereotypes. In Memento, Doan showcase...

Enlighten Me

Editor's Note: This review was originally published in Los Angeles Book Review . Author Minh Lê Standing up for oneself seems like doing the right thing. Binh did just that in the face of a racist school bully who was poking fun at his Asian heritage. But physically assaulting another student goes against school policy, and it was Binh who got in trouble. Binh shares a silent retreat with his family and younger siblings. Along with other children, he learns about stories from the previous lives of the Buddha. The stories are interesting, but for Binh, it is difficult to sit still and clear his mind when he misses his Gameboy. While he struggles with silence, he learns important lessons about friendship, community, and being present. In the graphic novel "Enlighten Me," award-winning author Minh Lê and bestselling illustrator Chan Chau tell the story of a boy who gains a better understanding of himself as he works on quieting the mind and reflecting on dharma. Lê and Ch...

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