From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry
The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement
1 of 1 copy available
Paula Yoo has crafted a searing examination of the killing and the trial and verdicts that followed. When Ebens and Nitz pled guilty to manslaughter and received only a $3,000 fine and three years' probation, the lenient sentence sparked outrage. The protests that followed led to a federal civil rights trial—the first involving a crime against an Asian American—and galvanized what came to be known as the Asian American movement.
Extensively researched from court transcripts, contemporary news accounts, and in-person interviews with key participants, From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry is a suspenseful, nuanced, and authoritative portrait of a pivotal moment in civil rights history, and a man who became a symbol against hatred and racism.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
April 20, 2021 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781705028346
- File size: 219182 KB
- Duration: 07:36:37
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Narrator Catherine Ho deftly guides listeners through the complex web of events and legal actions surrounding the 1982 death of Vincent Chin. The young Chinese-American man was beaten with a baseball bat following an argument at a bar. After the defendants received probation and a fine, the case was taken up as a potential hate crime by a wide coalition of Asian-American justice advocates. Ho excels at re-creating the emotional testimony and firsthand recollections of those involved in the case. She also maintains the author's commitment to listening to all sides and getting to the bottom of what happened. The narrative sags a little near the end, and the production doesn't provide access to photos or citations, but otherwise this audiobook is excellent. N.M. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine -
Starred review from April 26, 2021
In 1982 Detroit, anti–Asian American sentiment is on the rise as Japanese car companies are purported to threaten the livelihoods of U.S. autoworkers. After autoworker Ronald Ebens and his stepson Michael Nitz, both white, kill Chinese American Vincent Chin, they plead guilty to his manslaughter but are let off with a lenient sentence. Serving “as a wake-up call for Asian America,” the incident spurs outrage—and action—in the Asian American community. Through in-person interviews, court transcripts, and present-day accounts, Yoo’s YA nonfiction debut exhaustively details Chin’s murder and carefully considers its resulting impact. Eyewitness accounts provide clarity, and detailed chronicling of the trials elicits justified frustration on the final verdict. In six well-structured parts, suspenseful narration illuminates Chin’s personal life, his gruesome death, the trials’ obstacles, and Chin’s legacy; well-integrated news clippings and emotive photographs imbue events with a hard-hitting real-time feel. This resonant, painstakingly recreated historical account features a timely afterword spotlighting the rise in anti-AAPI violence amid the Covid-19 pandemic, drawing parallels between this haunting account of a 40-year-old crime to present-day atrocities. Back matter includes a timeline, notes, list of sources, and suggestions for further reading. Ages 14–up. Agent: Tricia Lawrence, Erin Murphy Literary.
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