Book Description

“A strident critique of critical race theory” that examines how policies of diversity and inclusion have ill-served Asian Americans (Kirkus Reviews). From a journalist on the frontlines of the Students for Fair Admission (SFFA) v. Harvard case comes a probing examination of affirmative action, the false narrative of American meritocracy, and the attack on Asian American excellence with its far-reaching implications—from seedy test-prep centers to gleaming gifted-and-talented magnet schools, to top colleges and elite business, media, and political positions across America. Even in the midst of a nationwide surge of bias and incidents against them, Asians from coast to coast have quietly assumed mastery of the nation’s technical and intellectual machinery and become essential American workers. Yet, they’ve been forced to do so in the face of policy proposals—written in the name of diversity—excluding them from the upper ranks of the elite. In An Inconvenient Minority, journalist Kenny Xu traces elite America’s longstanding unease about a minority potentially upending them. Leftist agendas, such as eliminating standardized testing, doling out racial advantages to “preferred” minorities, and lumping Asians into “privileged” categories despite their deprived historical experiences have spurred Asian Americans to act. Going beyond the Students for Fair Admission (SFFA) v. Harvard case, Xu unearths the skewed logic rippling countrywide, from Mayor Bill de Blasio’s attempted makeover of New York City’s Specialized School programs to the battle over “diversity” quotas in Google’s and Facebook’s progressive epicenters, to the rise of Asian American activism in response to unfair perceptions and admission practices. Asian Americans’ time is now, as they increase their direct action and amplify their voices in the face of mounting anti-Asian attacks. An Inconvenient Minority chronicles the political and economic repression and renaissance of a long ignored racial identity group—and how they are central to reversing America’s cultural decline and preserving the dynamism of the free world. Praise for An Inconvenient Minority “Contending that the social advancement of ‘the Asian American community’ in spite of historic discrimination ‘directly challenge[s] the Leftist narrative of minority victimhood,’ Xu claims that Asian Americans have been left out of conversations about ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ because they suffer from persistent stereotypes and lack the kind of ‘cultural capital’ necessary to make their struggles visible to the mainstream. . . . Xu raises intriguing questions about the place of Asian Americans in U.S. society.” —Publishers Weekly