“The Minority Experience”: Reflections One Year Later
One year ago, my book The Minority Experience: Navigating Emotional and Organizational Realities was published by IVP Books. I wanted to share a few resources and highlights since then:
I got to do many radio interviews and podcast shows about my book. It was interesting to hear the diversity of different interviewers’ questions. One of the highlights for me was having multiple radio hosts ask me, “What is it like for you as an Asian American in the United States?” It struck me that this question hasn’t been asked enough. I was a little surprised at how proud I felt to be able to represent the Asian American community, and other minorities to some extent, in these settings. I know I can’t speak for everyone, and I won’t do a perfect job at representing the issues at hand, but I’ll never stop being grateful for the opportunity to have a voice in this broader conversation.
Here are some links to recordings to podcasts you can still listen to, starting from the most recent. Please check out other episodes of these podcasts, as they are all run by people I admire and who do great work!
(focus: systemic and organizational change)
Asian America: The Ken Fong Podcast
(focus: Asian American leadership and societal challenges)
(focus: how minorities can internalize blame and experience psychological challenges)
(focus: overview of book and major concepts)
(focus: overview of book and major concepts, importance of history)
(focus: importance of addressing pain and negativity, team leadership)
(focus: workplace challenges for minorities, leadership learnings)
The Minority Experience has also appeared or been honored on a number of lists from 2018-19. Here are some:
Verge Network’s Top 12 Books of 2018
Outreach Magazine’s Resources of the Year
Hearts and Minds Best Books on Race (2018)
While these are an incredible honor, it’s been even more meaningful for me to receive notes from readers around the world who have shared how they’ve connected with the stories and experiences in my book. For quite a while, I was getting these notes every day, and I was constantly blown away by how much people seemed to relate to the emotions I described from my own life and leadership journey. Sometimes reading others’ experiences helps us to process our own. Plus, mentioning a book to one’s coworker is a non-confrontational way to spark important conversations about inclusion and equity in one’s own team or organization.
From all of this, I can only conclude that more stories need to be told that aren’t afraid to directly name personal and organizational minority pain. My goal was to do this in a way that was respectful and not self-serving. Time will tell if I’ve managed to thread that delicate needle, but I am always listening, learning, and seeking to improve as a person and writer.
It’s one of my lifelong dreams to author a book like this, and I still feel incredibly grateful that people choose to invest their time to read something I’ve written. No matter how successful this book is, and however many more books I may write in the future, my prayer is simple:
Lord, may I never lose gratitude for each single person who reads these words, and lets me into their life… even for a few minutes.
Thank you as always for reading.
