Slanted eyes

de Sam Louie

“Chink!”, “Jap!”, “Where are you from?”, “Do you eat dog?”, “Why don’t you go back to where you came from!”, “Do you know Kung-Fu?”. From the racist to the innocuous, issues of culture, ethnicity, and discrimination are prevalent themes for Asian minorities in the United States. The Asian desire to be "American" and fit into mainstream society in the U.S. can be challenging as reminders that they are "perpetual foreigners" can be seen in jokes, teasing, and at times outright racism. In addition, many Asians struggle with internal pressure to confine to cultural or family values that may be at odds with their own individual desires. In this poetry collection, Sam Louie touch on themes of feeling ostracized, different, or “not good enough” by drawing on both personal and clinical experiences. In addition, issues related to addiction, mental health, and Christianity are also explored. Sam Louie is a psychotherapist with a private practice specializing in multicultural issues and addictions. He holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology and is also an Emmy-Award Winning former television journalist who has produced and reported on stories related to culture, psychology, and mental health.