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The first collection by award-winning performance artist/poet Justin Chin. In Bite Hard, Chin explores his identity as an Asian, a gay man, an artist, and a lover. He rails against both his own life experiences and society's limitations and stereotypes with scathing humor, bare-bones honesty, and unblinking detail. Whether addressing "what really goes on in the kitchen of Chinese restaurants" or a series of ex-boyfriends, all named Michael, Chin displays his remarkable emotional range and voice as a poet. His raw, incantatory, stream-of-consciousness poems confront issues of race, desire, and loss with a compelling urgency that reflects his work as in performance, speaking directly to an audience. Throughout this collection, Chin demonstrates his uncanny ability to convey thought-provoking viewpoints on a variety of controversial subjects.
Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Manic D Press, Inc.; First Edition edition (April 1, 1997)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0916397475
ISBN-13: 978-0916397470
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.4 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #780,812 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #25 in Books > Gay & Lesbian > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Gay #329 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Regional & Cultural > Asian #358 in Books > Gay & Lesbian > History
Reading this collection as a first generation immigrant from Malaysia (as is Chin), I was pleasantly surprised by the synergy of our experiences as I paged through the pieces.Chin's style is raw yet sincere; a titillation of all the senses. From the sterile scent of Dettol, the taste of spicy and MCG-saturated Chinese restaurant food, to familiar alliterations of "Manglish/Singlish", Chin at times teases us with love/hate sentimentalities, and at others, unapologetically shoves the practices and nuances of his desires down our throats. The book's cover and binding fail to stem issues of sexuality, home, memory, colonialism, betrayal, obsession, race, nationality, envy, and beauty from flooding out from the pages. All this is rolled compactly like a layered piece of candy, demanding that you not suck on it, but to BITE HARD! Take it all or spit him out. He demands no compromise.
I was introduced to Justin Chin's work through an Asian American literature course in college. A year later I found myself still thinking about his shocking poems because in class we had only read "Lick My Butt". I wanted to know more so I bought this book. What I found is a collection of beautiful poetry.Some poems are hilarious and in your face and some are really lovely to read. I went ahead and bought some more of his poetry books. I'd suggest this for anyone with an open mind. I think anyone under that condition could appreciate his work.
Wow - I loved it...I'd first seen Chin perform in San Francisco and this book is just as dangerous - it challenged my own comfort levels and at the same time left me in hysterics. These are real experiences I could relate to. Thanks!
I just wanted to comment on the book. I thought it was very good. Justin Chin writes very well and his images are so brilliant. "Bitterness comes as revolution, cyclic, a snake biting its tail scales, a dog nipping its tatil hairs, bitter, continuity avhieved by subtlety, perceptions played out, questions followed by answers, ask, answer, some days you will know..."
You kept me awake and happy
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