What really irks me...

[livvy]

Is how the ghost writers describe Claud as Japanese-American. She was born in America and is American only. Not even her parents were born in Japan, just Mimi. Claud only looks Japanese.

Same with Jessi. She wasn't born in Africa, she was born in America so she's American. There's a huge difference.

[oldhickory]

You're missing the cultural context of growing up in America as an ethnic minority. They are both American and I don't disagree with you, but non-whites in America have a vastly different cultural experience. My race defined MANY interactions and relationships, regardless of anything I did. What you're saying is denying Claudia and Jessi their experience by saying race doesn't matter. Especially when it comes to Claudia because she grew up living with/being raised by an immigrant (so did I) - how can you deny her Japanese heritage when it was in her home her whole life?

Claudia doesn't only look Japanese. She looks Japanese because she is ethnically Japanese, and she grew up learning Japanese customs even though she never lived in Japan. And when people harass her in the streets or at school, they don't say she "looks" Japanese. They say she is Japanese so she doesn't belong, or the lunch Mimi packed for her is gross, and they make unwelcome comments about her anatomy or sexuality that I heard all the time. Kristy and Mary Anne just don't have that experience.

[booboobrewer]

Thank you, oldhickory. Claudia only looks Japanese? Come again?

I am fourth generation Texan. My ancestors were from Mexico. Am I aware I’m American because I was born here? Yes. Am I allowed to self-identify as Mexican-American because that is my background? Also yes. I grew up in and around Mexican culture. It’s beyond me why that would be an issue for anybody.