Yellow Is Yellow

Yellow. Race in America Beyond Black and White. By Frank H. Wu.1 New York: Basic Books, 2002. Pp.

399. $26.00. I am an American. I was born in New York City and raised in America's heartland. I grew up playing with G.I. Joe, camped in front of Saturday morning cartoons, and eating Thin Mints.

I was in little league and park district soccer. I said the pledge of allegiance every day in elementary school; I watched the fireworks every Fourth of July; and when Lee Greenwood declared that he was "proud to be an American," I sang along. I am an American and a patriot. Yet, almost half of all Americans believe that I am a traitor-in-waiting.

Because I am Chinese American -because I look Chinese-nearly one out of every two Americans I meet thinks that, if I had state secrets, I would pass them to mainland China. My yellow face leads one of every three Americans to conclude that, on the whole, I am more loyal to China than I am to the United States.