The Golden Screen - by Jeff Yang (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Covering more than 130 films, spanning more than 100 years--from Cecil B. DeMille's 1915 film The Cheat to Wayne Wang's The Joy Luck Club to the Danielses' Everything Everywhere All at Once in 2022--this groundbreaking book explores how these iconic films have shaped how America sees Asians and how Asian Americans see themselves"--

Book Synopsis

From a New York Times bestselling author, this groundbreaking book celebrates and examines the history of Asian Americans on the big screen, exploring how iconic films have shaped Hollywood, representation, and American culture.

In 2018, the critical and financial success of Crazy Rich Asians ignited new fires in Hollywood to create and back Asian-centric stories. Since then, the number of movies featuring Asian Americans, either in front or behind the camera, has boomed and ushered in a new era of filmmaking. But many films, like The Joy Luck Club in 1993, paved the way for Asian American-led films before Crazy Rich Asians and to today. The Golden Screen is an in-depth look at those films, and the factors that played into their success.

The Golden Screen includes commentary and conversations from Hollywood's most visible faces, such as Simu Liu, Lulu Wang, Daniel Dae Kim, Janet Yang, Ronny Chieng, Alice Wu, and Ken Jeong. See the movies that inspired today's modern stars to enter moviemaking, and how they're paying it forward to the next wave of creators.

Featuring beautiful, original artwork from nine esteemed Asian illustrators, including: Toma Nguyen, barbarian flower, Jun Cen, Cryssy Cheung, Cliff Chiang, Yu-Ming Huang, JiYeun Kang, Ashraf Omar, and Zi Xu.

A beautiful keepsake and collection of over 100 photographs and original art, The Golden Screen is perfect for movie and history fans alike, and reaffirms the importance of the Asian American film canon, and all the people involved, in an increasingly diverse Hollywood.

Review Quotes

"A beautifully executed, must-own read for anyone of any background who loves movies (and beautifully made books) and knows why they matter."--Franklin Leonard, founder of The Black List

"A beautifully crafted, thoughtfully composed reminder that we've been doing cool stuff for a very long time."

--Randall Park, actor, writer, director

"A comprehensive, incisive, and gorgeous celebration of a century's worth of Asian actors, characters, and contributors who have helped shaped American perspectives and Asian American representation...Breathtaking visuals, including both color photographs and thought-provoking illustrations by nine Asian artists, fully engage readers' senses."

--Library Journal, starred review

"Once opened, this book is hard to close. Lushly produced with a mix of screenshots and illustrations, it unwraps the history of Asian cinema in the U.S., punctuated by interviews with important figures. A fun, informative piece of work. Whether you dip into it or read it from cover to cover, this book brings a hidden history to life."

--Kirkus Review

About the Author

Jeff Yang has been observing, exploring, and writing about the Asian American community for over thirty years. He launched one of the first Asian American national magazines, A. Magazine, in the late nineties and early 2000s, and now writes frequently for CNN, New York Times, and elsewhere. He has authored three books--Jackie Chan's New York Times bestselling memoir I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action; Once Upon a Time in China, a history of the cinemas of Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Mainland; and Eastern Standard Time: A Guide to Asian Influence on American Culture, and most recently coauthored the New York Times bestselling RISE: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.