"Secret Identities" on The Brian Lehrer Show

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Today "SI" EIC, Jeff Yang was on the NY-Based radio talk show.

It was a great segment for the book but in particular, there was a lot of great discourse and input from the listeners, here's a sampling:


"As '70's kids desperately hungry for Asian faces in U.S. media, we always suspected/hoped that Marcie, Peppermint Patty's more cautious friend from "Peanuts", was actually Asian.

Check the classically Chinese bobbed/banged haircut, the glasses, and the stereotypical academic overachievement and ineptitude at sports. Also, she's curiously familiar with classical music (probably not by choice, if you met her mother.) Plus, like us, she showed un-American elder respect, with the constant "Sir" bit." - EVA

"I've always been surprised at the paucity of Asian superheroes in comics. There's lots of Asian comic book fans, and many of the most popular artists (such as Jae Lee, Jim Lee) are Asian. And there's a lot of influence of Asian arts and culture.

There seem to be far fewer African-American and Latino creators, but more of a demand for that representation." - CBrown

"It's not just comic books here. Asians to the best of my knowledge are not represented in any major way in the American media spectrum. " - Betty Anne from UES

"I'm not sure there is a need to force more Asian superheroes because they already permeate American culture. The best selling graphic novels at any given Barnes & Noble store are Japanese Mangas which all feature Asian heroes. Maybe your complaint is is that DC/Marvel need more asian heroes, but it doesn't matter because children and teenagers overwhelming prefer reading Japanese mangas that feature Asian heroes." - Favian from NJ

"Favian, you're mixing up two very different things between Asian comics and characters versus Asian American ones. There is a huge difference of life experiences between the two."
- Jason from Midtown