American Knees
American Knees is a novel written by Shawn Wong, first published in 1995 by Simon & Schuster, and later republished by the University of Washington Press in 2005. Conceived as a cultural response to Amy Tan's novel The Joy Luck Club, Wong's book depicts the love life of an East Asian American man with three women.
| Author | Shawn Wong |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | University of Washington Press |
Publication date | 1995 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 240 pp |
| ISBN | 978-0-295-98496-4 |
| OCLC | 57342291 |
| 813/.54 22 | |
| LC Class | PS3573.O583 A8 2005 |
The novel chronicles romantic chapters in the life of Raymond Ding, a Chinese American university administrator who first marries and divorces a Chinese American woman, then dates and breaks up with a hapa (biracial) younger woman, and later gets involved with a Vietnamese American co-worker who is haunted by memories of the Vietnam War.
Publishing history
- Simon & Schuster, 1995
- Scribner, 1996
- re-issued by University of Washington Press, 2005
Movie version
A film adaptation, called Americanese (2006), was written and directed by Eric Byler, produced by Lisa Onodera, and stars Chris Tashima as Raymond Ding. The film was acquired by IFC Films.