Revenge of the Asian Woman by Dorothy Chan

Dorothy Chan’s Revenge of the Asian Woman is quirky, quick, and energetic. These poems are obsessed with food, family expectations, and sex. They delve into the expectations put upon us by our family and history, vs the reality of who we turn out to be. This book is a fun read. Buy here.

From "Triple Sonnet for My Aggressive Forehead"

Dad thinks my forehead is too Godzilla, too Tarzan,
too Wonder Woman, tells me not to tie my hair back,
exposing it, like it’s the Frankenstein Monster
from beneath my childhood bed,
or the mollusk that challenged the world,
and Dad, I love you, but you should know
that I’m a nightmare as a woman
who can make the earth stand still, . . 

From “Ode to Baby Pandas, Hong Kong Mornings, and My Grandmother”

what a beautiful morning, and oh, my grandmother’s
so beautiful, and it’s beautiful how beautiful is the only word
she knows in the English language

From “America the Delicious”

. . . and America, you’re delicious,
but stop tainting my Hong Kong street food—
stop tainting that legendary mile-long line waiting
for their gai daan jai and fish ...