Paving the way

It is precisely because of Julie Shigekuni being told at her University of New Mexico teaching position interview that “Amy Tan has already written the American experience” that young writers ought to show more respect for others who paved the way for them (“That Was ‘Joy Luck,’ This Is Now,” by Susan Salter Reynolds, June 29). Race continues to matter in this world. Whether Tan’s books were smarmy or another narrative of the “model minority,” they were also a reflection of the cultural times and social constraints in which she wrote. Yes, I hope that our society is now ready for the diversity of Asian/ethnic, multigenerational experiences in all their perfect and imperfect glory. And that it stops perceiving us through the stereotypes that work so well in preventing a full vision of who we are: human beings with a rich spectrum of emotions and experiences.

Victoria Lee-Jerrems

Van Nuys