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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RISING FROM THE ASHES:
Los Angeles, 1992. Edward Jae Song Lee, Latasha Harlins, Rodney King, and a City on Fire
by Paula Yoo
RISING FROM THE ASHES: Los Angeles, 1992. Edward Jae Song Lee, Latasha Harlins, Rodney King, and a City on Fire (Norton Young Readers; hardcover & eBook, May 7, 2024; Ages 12+; 9781324030904)
Paula Yoo’s latest is a compelling, nuanced account of Los Angeles’s 1992 uprising and its impact on its Korean and Black American communities.
On April 29, 1992, following the acquittal of four police officers charged with the beating and arrest of Rodney King and the earlier killing of teenager Latasha Harlins, the city of Los Angeles erupted in violence. Many of these events were centered on the city’s Koreatown, where tensions between the Black and Korean American communities had simmered for years, fueled by economic challenges and redlining and enflamed by sensationalized and racist media. Based on more than 100 personal interviews, Rising from the Ashes follows these events through the eyes and experiences of the families of King, Harlins, shooting victim Edward Jae Song Lee, and dozens of business owners, journalists, police officers, firefighters, activists, and other community members.
Deeply researched and compulsively readable, this is a vivid, propulsive, and moving story of a pivotal moment in recent American history that continues to resonate today. (PUBLICATION DATE: May 7, 2024)
FOR ALL MEDIA INQUIRIES, PLEASE CONTACT: nortonyoungreaders@wwnorton.com
FOR ALL BOOKING ENGAGEMENTS, PLEASE CONTACT: hello@theauthorvillage.com
PRESS RELEASE CREDIT: Paula Yoo, February 25, 2024
NORTON YOUNG READERS
PRAISE FOR RISING FROM THE ASHES:
AWARDS & HONORS
STARRED* REVIEWS FOR RISING FROM THE ASHES
★ “A nuanced and necessary narrative... Using scores of interviews, direct quotes, news reports, and archival photographs to sculpt this thoroughly researched history, Yoo vividly and movingly conveys the broader historical context and the many lives that were affected, shedding light on systemic challenges that continue today.”
— Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
★ “Yoo offers a grim and well-researched account… One of the most powerful elements of this book is the exploration of how oppression can lead to competition and resentment between oppressed groups, as with the Black and Korean American communities who were vying for the same limited resources and triggered by racist media that sensationalized otherness. Dozens of interviews and quotes are seamlessly integrated to make a flowing and compelling narrative.”
— Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
FROM A WHISPER TO A RALLYING CRY:
The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement
by Paula Yoo
From award-winning author Paula Yoo, comes FROM A WHISPER TO A RALLYING CRY: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement by Paula Yoo (Norton Young Readers; on-sale April 20, 2021; Ages 12+; 9781324002871)—a groundbreaking portrait of Vincent Chin and the case that took America’s Asian American community to the streets in protest of injustice.
Extensively researched from court transcripts and interviews with key case witnesses—many speaking for the first time—Yoo has crafted a suspenseful, nuanced, and authoritative portrait of a pivotal moment in Civil Rights history, and a man who became a symbol against hatred and racism.
In this current climate of civil unrest and a country confronting a history of deeply rooted systemic racism, the story of Vincent Chin is as important now as ever. With Asian Americans being singled out and racist incidents on the rise during the COVID-19 pandemic, the story of Vincent Chin’s killing and its aftermath is incredibly timely, presenting an important learning moment for teen readers and adult audiences alike. Asian American history is often overlooked and undertaught in schools, and Vincent Chin’s name remains relatively unknown despite making national and international headlines at the time. Now, almost 40 years later, it’s time to remember Vincent Chin and the significant role his case played in American history.
FROM A WHISPER TO A RALLYING CRY (SUMMARY)
America in 1982. Japanese car companies are on the rise and believed to be putting American autoworkers out of their jobs. Anti–Asian American sentiments simmer, especially in Detroit. A bar fight turns fatal, leaving Vincent Chin—a Chinese American man—beaten to death at the hands of two white men, autoworker Ronald Ebens and his stepson Michael Nitz. This is a searing examination of the killing and the trial and verdicts that followed. When Ebens and Nitz pled guilty to manslaughter and received only a $3,000 fine and three years’ probation, the lenient sentence sparked outrage in the Asian American community. This outrage galvanized the Asian American movement and paved the way for a new federal civil rights trial of the case—the first on behalf of an Asian American.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paula Yoo is an award-winning author of children’s and young adult books, a TV writer/executive producer who has written for over a dozen TV dramas including NBC’s The West Wing and The CW’s Supergirl, and has sold multiple TV pilots and features.
Paula is also a professional freelance violinist who performs regularly with many orchestras in Southern California and has toured and recorded with such national acts as No Doubt, Fun, and Il Divo.
Her debut YA nonfiction book, FROM A WHISPER TO A RALLYING CRY: THE KILLING OF VINCENT CHIN AND THE TRIAL THAT GALVANIZED THE ASIAN AMERICAN MOVEMENT (Norton Young Readers, hardcover 2021; paperback with teacher's guide 2023), won many awards, including the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Honor, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize Honor, and was longlisted for the National Book Award.
Her latest YA nonfiction book, RISING FROM THE ASHES: LOS ANGELES, 1992. EDWARD JAE SONG LEE, LATASHA HARLINS, RODNEY KING, AND A CITY ON FIRE, will be published May 7, 2024 by Norton Young Readers. RISING FROM THE ASHES features exclusive new information and includes Yoo's in-depth and in-person interviews with over 100 sources, including those who experienced the uprising firsthand, including activists, protestors, law enforcement, journalists, storeowners, and the families of Edward Lee, Latasha Harlins, and Rodney King. It has been selected as a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard and has received two stars from Kirkus Reviews and the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books.
(Author photo credit: Jarod Lew)
ABOUT NORTON YOUNG READERS
Norton Young Readers publishes a full range of books for young readers: picture books, narrative fiction and nonfiction, and graphic works, for all ages from preschool to teen. Its parent, W. W. Norton & Company, is the largest independent, employee-owned publishing house in the United States. It was founded in 1923 and publishes around 450 books per year in trade nonfiction, fiction, and poetry, as well as in college textbooks.
FOR ALL MEDIA INQUIRIES, PLEASE CONTACT: nortonyoungreaders@wwnorton.com
FOR ALL BOOKING ENGAGEMENTS, PLEASE CONTACT: hello@theauthorvillage.com
PRESS RELEASE CREDIT: Paula Yoo, February 25, 2024
NORTON YOUNG READERS
PRAISE FOR FROM A WHISPER TO A RALLYING CRY:
AWARDS
2021 BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK AWARD FOR NONFICTION WINNER
2021 JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD GOLD STANDARD
2022 LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE: YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE FINALIST
2022 YALSA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION FOR YOUNG ADULTS HONOR BOOK
2022 MICHIGAN NOTABLE BOOKS WINNER
2022 CHINESE AMERICAN LIBRARIANS ASSOCIATION: BEST BOOK AWARD WINNER
2022 NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION (NEA): “READ ACROSS AMERICA” YA BOOK
2022 CHILDREN’S LITERATURE COUNCIL OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA:
PEGGY MILLER AWARD FOR YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE
2021 TIME MAGAZINE: TEN BEST YA & CHILDREN'S BOOKS OF THE YEAR
2021 THE WASHINGTON POST: BEST CHILDREN’S BOOKS OF THE YEAR
2021 NPR: BOOKS WE LOVE - BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
2021 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
2021 KIRKUS REVIEWS: BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
2021 HORN BOOK: FANFARE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
2021 SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
2021 BOOKLIST: BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
2021 BOOKLIST EDITORS' CHOICE: TOP OF THE LIST WINNER IN YOUTH NONFICTION
2021 AMAZON EDITORS’ PICK FOR BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOKS
2021 NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY: BEST BOOKS FOR TEENS
2021 CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY: BEST TEEN NONFICTION
NATIONAL COVERAGE
CNN
NPR
NBC NEWS
FOX NEWS
THE TODAY SHOW
GOOD MORNING AMERICA
PBS
TIME MAGAZINE
THE NEW YORK TIMES
THE WASHINGTON POST
BOSTON GLOBE
DETROIT NEWS
SACRAMENTO BEE
JADE MAGAZINE
ASIAN AMERICAN NEWS
MEDIUM
FIVE STARRED* REVIEWS FOR FROM A WHISPER TO A RALLYING CRY
*KIRKUS *PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *HORN BOOK *BOOKLIST *SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
“Yoo’s comprehensive account sheds new light on the tragedy and its legacy.”
— The New York Times
“A bruising account.”
— TIME Magazine
“Paula Yoo’s detailed and compassionate account reveals a frustrating search for justice from many perspectives, including Chin’s mother, his friends, as well as a lawyer and a judge who admit to mistakes.”
— The Washington Post
“Paula Yoo's nonfiction masterpiece…is the most significant book I've read in a long, long while. ...She tells a profoundly human story. She helps us understand all the actors in that 40-year-old tragedy, even those who may not deserve understanding. If you want to make sense of today's Asian America, you must read Paula Yoo's book.”
— Gene Luen Yang, acclaimed author of American Born Chinese, for GMA.com
“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
“This must-read is a masterwork of narrative nonfiction as Yoo marshals her prodigious journalistic and storytelling chops to bring Vincent Chin's tragic story and the community activism it inspired back to life. In doing so, she traces well-worn patterns of racism and injustice that place today's disturbing rise in anti-AAPI violence within an important historical context.”
— Bestselling author Minh Lê for TODAY.com
★ “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
★ “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. 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.”
— Booklist, Starred Review
★ “Superlatively conveys the context and significance of the events. . . . An accessible and compelling account of a tragedy that resonates through the decades.”
— Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
★ “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...”
— The Horn Book, Starred Review
★ “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.”
— School Library Journal, Starred Review
FOR ALL MEDIA INQUIRIES, PLEASE CONTACT: nortonyoungreaders@wwnorton.com
FOR ALL BOOKING ENGAGEMENTS, PLEASE CONTACT: hello@theauthorvillage.com
PRESS RELEASE CREDIT: Paula Yoo, February 25, 2024