FROM A WHISPER TO A RALLYING CRY

"Extensive examination." "An unexpected new voice." "The most comprehensive overview."

"On June 19, 1982, 27-year-old Chinese American Vincent Chin was bludgeoned with a baseball bat by Ronald Ebens and stepson Michael Nitz. The two white men, like too many others, were driven by anti-Asian resentment over Detroit's declining auto industry due to Japanese competition. "It's not fair," Chin said before losing consciousness. His final words inspired Paula Yoo's impressively thorough From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement.

Chin died four days after the vicious assault, just five days before his wedding. Ebens and Nitz pleaded guilty to manslaughter and each received a $3,000 fine and three years' probation without imprisonment. That egregious lack of justice emboldened a pivotal moment in Asian Pacific American activism and civil rights history. Yoo opens her extensive examination with an unexpected new voice: Jarod Lew, who, 30 years after Vincent's murder, learns his mother was Vincent's fiancée, Vikki Wong. Jarod's personal discovery is Yoo's framing narrative for the book; his journey becomes an ingenious reminder to all readers--just as Jarod must understand his history so, too, does each new generation.

As a former Detroit News reporter and TV writer/producer, Yoo initially considered making a film about Vincent Chin. But the spikes in anti-Asian violence after Trump became president convinced her to transform her celluloid intentions onto the page. From a Whisper is arguably the most comprehensive overview of the gruesome events and the aftermath of trials, protests, convictions, reversals and civil suits, and is enhanced with photos, newspaper clippings and significant backmatter, including a timeline, endnotes and sources. Yoo is determined: "not knowing" is no longer an option. --Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon

Discover: Paula Yoo impressively educates a new generation as to why Vincent Chin's 1982 murder and its civil rights-changing aftermath matters now more than ever."

- SHELF AWARENESS

"A vivid, heartbreaking account of one of the most important moments in Asian American history. I couldn't put it down"

- Gene Luen Yang, Author of Michael L. Printz Award Winner and National Book Award Finalist AMERICAN BORN CHINESE

"A tremendous feat of both research and writing — and a major contribution to our inspiring and infuriating American story."

- Steve Sheinkin, Author of Newbery Honor and National Book Award Finalist BOMB

“Clear and lucid.” “In-depth research.” “Accessible and compelling.” “Resonant.”

This clear and lucid account, based on in-depth research, superlatively conveys the context and significance of the events. The conflicting accounts and explanations are presented evenhandedly, offering readers the opportunity to weigh the evidence and draw their own conclusions. A timely afterword discusses anti-Asian racist rhetoric and violence during the Covid-19 pandemic. An accessible and compelling account of a tragedy that resonates through the decades.”

- Kirkus Reviews*
(Starred Review)

"Admirably objective.” “Compelling.” “Important historical context.”

Yoo dives into this story, giving important historical context to the anti-Asian sentiments of the time while anchoring it in the experiences of those closest to Chin. Yet, for all the personal touches, Yoo remains admirably objective in how she relays the various court cases that arose from Chin’s murder, as well as their outcomes. She does not sanitize nor play up the story’s more salacious details—a strip club, drinking, swearing, violence—and these things never overshadow the real issue on trial: Was Victor Chin’s murder a hate crime? Chin’s death united the Asian American community to stand against racism and fight for civil rights in unprecedented ways. In a compelling afterword, 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. Supported by robust source notes, news clippings, and photos."

- - Booklist (American Library Association)*
(Starred Review)

“Extensively researched.” “Meticulous source notes.” “Yoo skillfully retells the life story of Vincent Chin.”

"In this extensively researched account — based on news articles (many reproduced here), court records, documentary films, and her own interviews — Yoo skillfully retells the life story of Vincent Chin. Yoo reconstructs the night of June 19th when Chin and his friends went to a strip club for his bachelor party and got into a fight with autoworker Ronald Ebens and his stepson, Michael Nitz, ending with Chin’s fatal beating outside a McDonald’s restaurant. The narrative follows the aftermath, from the federal trial up to the present day, with updates on the lives of Ebens and others. An afterword observes how anti-Asian discrimination and violence in America continue today with COVID-19–related attacks and racial profiling, but Yoo reminds readers of Chin’s legacy “to fight back against hate.” Back matter includes a detailed timeline, meticulous source notes, and an index.”

- THE HORN BOOK*
(Starred Review)

“Resonant.” “Painstakingly recreated.” “Timely.” “Suspenseful.” “Hard-hitting real-time feel.” “Haunting.”

"Through in-person interviews, court transcripts, and present-day accounts, Yoo’s YA nonfiction debut exhaustively details Chin’s murder and carefully considers its resulting impact. Eyewitness accounts provide clarity, and detailed chronicling of the trials elicits justified frustration on the final verdict. In six well-structured parts, suspenseful narration illuminates Chin’s personal life, his gruesome death, the trials’ obstacles, and Chin’s legacy; well-integrated news clippings and emotive photographs imbue events with a hard-hitting real-time feel. This resonant, painstakingly recreated historical account features a timely afterword spotlighting the rise in anti-AAPI violence amid the Covid-19 pandemic, drawing parallels between this haunting account of a 40-year-old crime to present-day atrocities.”

- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY*
(Starred Review)

“Readers will be riveted.” “Reads… like a TV crime drama.” “Highly recommended.”

"Readers will be riveted by the first-person accounts from multiple points of view, including Chin’s family and friends, lawyers, defendants, and eyewitnesses. In fact, the book reads almost like a TV crime drama, utilizing flashbacks and culminating in a series of chapters depicting each key witness’s testimony. The book includes black-and-white primary photos and newspaper articles as well as a time line, extensive endnotes, and a list of archive sources. As the author reflects in her afterward, Chin’s story is an important parallel to today’s societal strife mirrored in the rise in racism and violence against Asian Americans who have been unfairly blamed for the COVID-19 pandemic. VERDICT Highly recommended for readers interested in social justice nonfiction.”

- SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL*
(Starred Review)

“Comprehensive.” “Sheds new light.”

"In 1982, Vincent Chin was celebrating his bachelor party at a bar when an argument with two white men turned fatal. Chin’s death and the light criminal sentences his killers received incited national protests and a federal trial. Yoo’s comprehensive account sheds new light on the tragedy and its legacy.”

- THE NEW YORK TIMES

“A bruising account.”

"Blending together court transcripts, interviews and more, Paula Yoo revisits this horrific killing and the trial that followed. From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry, written for young readers, is a bruising account of the aftermath of Chin’s death, from the outrage it sparked over hate crimes and racism to the protests that shaped the Asian American movement."

- TIME MAGAZINE

“A bruising recount of painful history.” “An uplifting reminder of the Asian American community.” “Deeply necessary medicine."

"When Paula Yoo set out to write a book about Vincent Chin years ago, she had no idea just how timely his story would become, nor could she predict that her book would be published amid a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes around the country… This is history that is rarely taught or talked about. It’s a form of historical erasure that’s contributed to ongoing stereotypes… as well as perceptions that anti-Asian racism doesn’t exist. There has never been a book solely dedicated to exploring Chin’s life and legacy until now. Written for a young adult audience, Yoo’s book blends court records, interviews, devastating photographs and newspaper clippings to revisit the years of shockwaves Chin’s death made and how he became an enduring symbol of AAPI resistance. Some of the interviews in Yoo’s book are with the trial’s key case witnesses, who spoke publicly for the first time. It’s a bruising recount of painful history… but it’s also an uplifting reminder of the Asian American community’s power... For that, this book is deeply necessary medicine.”

- SACRAMENTO BEE

“Excellent pacing.” “Stunning detail.” “Compelling nonfiction.”

"Yoo's narrative introduces several seemingly unconnected individuals and brilliantly interweaves their life stories. Vincent Chin's life and death is the common factor that connects these people. It is a real life drama: a heinous hate crime and the resulting mobilization of the Asian American community. With excellent pacing and stunning detail, Yoo uses newspaper reports, court documents, and in depth interviews to recount events leading up to this tragedy and its long-term affects. The work is well supported with extensive back matter: a detailed timeline, 311 source citations, numerous photos, and a bibliography. The author’s Afterward personalizes this defining moment in history and brings current events, especially the world wide pandemic into the equation. … A pivotal moment in the ongoing struggle for civil rights. Compelling nonfiction."

- READING STYLE GUIDE

"Extensive examination." "An unexpected new voice." "The most comprehensive overview."

"On June 19, 1982, 27-year-old Chinese American Vincent Chin was bludgeoned with a baseball bat by Ronald Ebens and stepson Michael Nitz. The two white men, like too many others, were driven by anti-Asian resentment over Detroit's declining auto industry due to Japanese competition. "It's not fair," Chin said before losing consciousness. His final words inspired Paula Yoo's impressively thorough From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement.

Chin died four days after the vicious assault, just five days before his wedding. Ebens and Nitz pleaded guilty to manslaughter and each received a $3,000 fine and three years' probation without imprisonment. That egregious lack of justice emboldened a pivotal moment in Asian Pacific American activism and civil rights history. Yoo opens her extensive examination with an unexpected new voice: Jarod Lew, who, 30 years after Vincent's murder, learns his mother was Vincent's fiancée, Vikki Wong. Jarod's personal discovery is Yoo's framing narrative for the book; his journey becomes an ingenious reminder to all readers--just as Jarod must understand his history so, too, does each new generation.

As a former Detroit News reporter and TV writer/producer, Yoo initially considered making a film about Vincent Chin. But the spikes in anti-Asian violence after Trump became president convinced her to transform her celluloid intentions onto the page. From a Whisper is arguably the most comprehensive overview of the gruesome events and the aftermath of trials, protests, convictions, reversals and civil suits, and is enhanced with photos, newspaper clippings and significant backmatter, including a timeline, endnotes and sources. Yoo is determined: "not knowing" is no longer an option. --Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon

Discover: Paula Yoo impressively educates a new generation as to why Vincent Chin's 1982 murder and its civil rights-changing aftermath matters now more than ever."

- SHELF AWARENESS