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Charlie Chan: An American Original

51dsUKc3DUL._SL160_English professor Yunte Huang unravels the true story behind the creation of Charlie Chan, the Chinese detective of books and film who has alternately entertained and offended the American public. Charlie Chan: The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective and His Rendezvous with American History (W.W. Norton & Co., 354pgs) follows four main story threads, the first being Chang Apana, the real man on which author E.D. Biggers based the fictional Chan. Apana was a Chinese detective who worked in Honolulu during the late 19th and early 20h centuries, catching criminals with his signature bullwhip. The second thread focuses on Biggers’ story, a small town boy from Ohio who graduated from Harvard and went on to create one of detective noir’s most prominent characters. The third thread centers around Chan’s incarnation on film and the insidious racial stereotypes that Hollywood propagated. Lastly, the author discusses “Chan’s haunting presence during the era of postmodern politics and ethnic pride in contemporary America.”

Through Huang’s research, Chan is revealed as a wholly American creation. And, as “America’s most identifiable Chinaman, [he] epitomizes both the racist heritage and the creative genius of this nation’s culture.” In an excerpt published on NPR.org, the author writes: “For me, a real Chinaman, who didn’t grow up in this country but hasn’t been shielded from the arrows of American racism, it is fascinating that Charlie Chan is an American original, ‘made in the U.S.A.’ Make no mistake: Charlie Chan is an American stereotype of the Chinaman. Anyone who believes that Chan is Chinese would probably also believe that the fortune cookie is a Chinese invention…Simply put, Charlie Chan’s Chinatown beat, like jazz, is a distinctly American brand, not a Chinese import.”

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