From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement (Hardcover)
Staff Reviews
The way Paula Yoo unfolds this story is an amazing work of storytelling, and considering how little known the Chin case is, this book has as much potential with adult readers as with the YA audience.
— Marika
A deep dive into the 1982 murder of Vincent Chin, and its impact almost 40 years later. It's an important story, but better than that, it's an incredibly well-written book, with great storytelling pulling together the research and context.
Sarah
— From From a Whisper to a Rallying CryDescription
Winner of the 2021 Boston Globe Horn Book Award for Nonfiction
Longlisted for the 2021 National Book Award for Young People's Literature
Finalist for the 2022 YALSA Award for Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction
An NPR Best Book of 2021
A Washington Post Best Children's Book of 2021
A Time Young Adult Best Book of 2021
A Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book of 2021
A Publishers Weekly Best Young Adult Book of 2021
A School Library Journal Best Book of 2021
A Horn Book Best Book of 2021
A compelling account of the killing of Vincent Chin, the verdicts that took the Asian American community to the streets in protest, and the groundbreaking civil rights trial that followed.
America in 1982: Japanese car companies are on the rise and believed to be putting U.S. autoworkers out of their jobs. Anti–Asian American sentiment simmers, especially in Detroit. A bar fight turns fatal, leaving a Chinese American man, Vincent Chin, beaten to death at the hands of two white men, autoworker Ronald Ebens and his stepson, Michael Nitz.
Paula Yoo has crafted a searing examination of the killing and the trial and verdicts that followed. When Ebens and Nitz pled guilty to manslaughter and received only a $3,000 fine and three years’ probation, the lenient sentence sparked outrage. The protests that followed led to a federal civil rights trial—the first involving a crime against an Asian American—and galvanized what came to be known as the Asian American movement.
Extensively researched from court transcripts, contemporary news accounts, and in-person interviews with key participants, From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry is a suspenseful, nuanced, and authoritative portrait of a pivotal moment in civil rights history, and a man who became a symbol against hatred and racism.
About the Author
A graduate of Yale and Columbia Universities, Paula Yoo is a former journalist who has worked for the Detroit News, Seattle Times, and People magazine; a screenwriter whose credits include Supergirl, Mozart in the Jungle, and The West Wing; and a professional violinist who has played with both classical orchestras and contemporary rock bands. Her many books for children and young adults include the novel Good Enough, an Asian/Pacific American Award Honor book, and From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry, which won the 2021 Boston Globe Horn Book Award for Nonfiction and was longlisted for the 2021 National Book Award for Young People's Literature. She lives in Los Angeles, California.
Praise For…
A vivid, heartbreaking account of one of the most important moments in Asian American history. I couldn’t put it down.
— Gene Luen Yang
A tremendous feat of both research and writing—and a major contribution to our inspiring and infuriating American story.
— Steve Sheinkin
This clear and lucid account, based on in-depth research, superlatively conveys the context and significance of the events.... An accessible and compelling account of a tragedy that resonates through the decades.
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Admirably objective.... Yoo discusses the resurgence of anti-Asian attitudes and rhetoric in connection to COVID-19, reinforcing the book’s through line that Chin mustn’t be forgotten.
— Booklist (starred review)
Yoo skillfully retells the life story of Vincent Chin [and] reminds readers of Chin’s legacy 'to fight back against hate.'
— Horn Book Magazine (starred review)
Suspenseful.... [A] resonant, painstakingly recreated historical account.
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Readers will be riveted.... Highly recommended for readers interested in social justice nonfiction such as Chris Crowe's Getting Away with Murder and Bryan Stevenson's Just Mercy.
— School Library Journal (starred review)
[An] extensive examination.... From a Whisper is arguably the most comprehensive overview of the gruesome events and the aftermath of trials, protests, convictions, reversals and civil suits.... Yoo is determined: "not knowing" is no longer an option.
— Shelf Awareness
A Washington Post Best Children's Book of 2021
A Publishers Weekly Best Young Adult Book of 2021
A School Library Journal Best Book of 2021
A New York Public Library Best Book of 2021
A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2021
An NPR Best Book of 2021
A Horn Book Best Book of 2021