The Rice Room: Growing Up Chinese-American: From Number Two Son to Rock 'n' Roll

As a writer and editor for Rolling Stone , Fong-Torres was both witness to and active participant in the late-'60s counterculture, whose penchant for casual sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll was epitomized by the hippie scene in his native San Francisco. As a first-generation Chinese American, Fong-Torres was torn between this alluring American lifestyle and the traditional cultural heritage his immigrant parents struggled fiercely to instill in their five children. His autobiography is peppered with colorful anecdotes about the early days at Rolling Stone and its flamboyant editor, Jann Wenner, but the memoir's chief interest is in its moving account of the author's attempt to negotiate a peaceable compromise between a son's enthusiasm for trendy culture and his parents' desire that he embrace antithetical Chinese traditions instead. Although he borders on the patronizing when discussing his romantic attachments, Fong-Torres redeems himself by demonstrating a broad knowledge of and sympathy for both Chinese and American traditions. (Apr.)