Minor Feelings Themes

The seven essays in Cathy Park Hong’s Minor Feelings ask what it means to be Asian American in the 21st century. Hong contrasts the “minor feelings” of invisibility, shame, and resentment that have defined her racial consciousness with the “model minority” story often told about Asian Americans—which suggests that they are hardworking, enterprising, and intelligent but also uninspiring, emotionless, and interchangeable. For Hong, this story is actually dehumanization disguised as…

Cathy Park Hong may be best known for Minor Feelings, but she is first and foremost a poet. This is why her struggle to understand racism and identity is so closely tied to her quest to find an authentic authorial voice. She admits that, since she went through the U.S. school system, she was “raised and educated to please white people.” She grew up expecting her audiences to be white, and she learned that…

In Minor Feelings, beyond her complex arguments about the nature of identity, racism, history, and art, Cathy Park Hong also makes a more straightforward case for the importance of human connection. The childhood memories and adulthood depression that she describes in the first half of the book contrast strongly with the intense—if often tumultuous—relationships that she emphasizes in the second half. Her college friendship with Erin and Helen helps her build confidence and develop…