Permission to Come Home: Reclaiming Mental Health as Asian Americans

Clinical psychologist Wang debuts with an edifying examination of how cultural expectations impact Asian Americans’ mental health. “When we are able to visualize the frameworks restricting us, we are then able to access the freedom to choose something different,” Wang writes, inviting Asian Americans to probe cultural assumptions and narratives by exploring points of tension and discomfort, and describing experiences common to diaspora. For example, Wang notes that white supremacy imposes the “fear-based framework” that Asian Americans should refrain from “taking up space” and be “quiet” and “compliant.” The author encourages readers to step outside these limitations by articulating what makes them afraid, identifying small ways to start taking up more space, attending to how others respond to their actions, and developing a support system. Other chapters urge readers to permit themselves to “rage,” “play,” and “say no,” and provide steps to achieve these goals. Wang’s jargon-free prose and psychology-backed explanations elevate her recommendations, such as when she cites research showing how emotionality improves decision-making and warns against idealizing stoicism. This is a timely and insightful reconsideration of mental health in the Asian American community. Agent: Charles Kim, Serendipity Literary. (May)