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Typical American

by Gish Jen (Goodreads Author)

3.4 of 5 stars 3.40 · rating details · 729 ratings · 62 reviews

From the beloved author of Mona in the Promised Land and The Love Wife comes this comic masterpiece, an insightful novel of immigrants experiencing the triumphs and trials of American life.

Gish Jen reinvents the American immigrant story through the Chang family, who first come to the United States with no intention of staying. When the Communists assume control of China i

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Paperback, 304 pages

Published May 14th 1998 by Granta Books (first published 1991)

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Mar 21, 2011 Cassy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: event-met-author, 2011, fiction-general, region-america-canada, theme-humor, physical-own

This book should be required reading at my office.*

I have long wondered how my Chinese clients pick their Americanized name. How does Xiangxin become John? And Wenxia become Sara? The book solves the mystery! They have the secretary at their college’s office of international education pick it for them. Said secretary rolls through a mental list of all her ex-boyfriends. It’s like spinning the wheel of fortune. Voila, Yifeng becomes Ralph! Even Ralph seems letdown by this process:

Walking home, t...more This book should be required reading at my office.*

I have long wondered how my Chinese clients pick their Americanized name. How does Xiangxin become John? And Wenxia become Sara? The book solves the mystery! They have the secretary at their college’s office of international education pick it for them. Said secretary rolls through a mental list of all her ex-boyfriends. It’s like spinning the wheel of fortune. Voila, Yifeng becomes Ralph! Even Ralph seems letdown by this process:

Walking home, though, “Ralph” was less sanguine. Had he been too hasty? And sure enough, when he asked around later he found that the other Chinese students had all stuck with their initials, or picked names for themselves, carefully, or else had wise people help them. [Ralph and his colleague, Old Chao look up the meaning of “Ralph”.] A kind of dog, thought Ralph. Old Chao had “Henry”, which turned out to be the names of at least eight kings.

This is a shrewd, understated read about an immigrant assimilating into American culture. There is much showing and little telling. It is a smart kind of funny. There are a few laugh-out-loud sections (comparing American breasts to Chinese burial mounds, for example), but I won’t call the book adventure-land entertaining. It is certainly readable, well-paced, and has big events, but the humor takes place on a deeper, ironic level. And the plot takes a few unexpected dark turns – I like to say it went “Taxi Driver” on me. Leo and I were actually debating if we thought the ending would be hopeful or depressing.

As you would expect, there is considerable commentary on American culture. She touches on a wide variety of topics: buying houses you cannot afford, the obsession with keeping the lawns green, chasing big dreams at the expense of reality, and so on. But the critique feels gentle as the Chinese characters are not standing on the sideline dressed in pristine white. They are embroiled in it all.

I would recommend this book. But if I had cool shelves like Ceridwen, I would put this book on a “for-me-maybe-not-for-you” shelf. The book hits on some major components of my life: immigration and academia. It gives me more compassion for my clients. And my husband is an engineering professor. We started dating when he was wrapping up his PhD program. So I can sympathize with the graduate school section and then the tenure process. I also identify too much with Ralph’s awkwardness, stormy-clouds outlook, and list-making obsession.

I went to a fancy reading series event featuring Gish Jen and Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. Gish said she became a writer through a process of elimination. (Roughly: nope, don’t want to be doctor. Engineering, no thanks. Okay, law school isn’t for me. Writing, maybe…). I was impressed by her poise and how she changed accents as she read different passages from her new book, World and Town.

Other than that, I don’t remember much of substance. I didn’t take notes. I was distracted. The interviewer’s skirt kept creeping further up her thighs the whole interview. I sat there mortified and oddly transfixed. Instead of nodding sagely and processing Gish’s thoughtful responses, I’m staring at this lady’s pale skin the whole time. (In my defense, it was at eye level.) I kept thinking “stop fidgeting, you are making it crawl up higher!”

*I work at a large law firm. My team handles corporate immigration cases. If a company wants to transfer a manager from their subsidiary in Europe to their headquarters in the U.S., they call me. Therefore, I spend 8+ hours a day talking to less eccentric versions of the main character, Ralph, who is a Chinese foreign national coming to the U.S. to study engineering. (less)

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May 29, 2011 Megan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: summer-reads

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 25, 2010 emi Bevacqua rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: asian-american

This was not a joy to read. Up until the last 12 pages it all just kept plodding along heavily, the characters didn't make me laugh and I usually find Asian immigrants HILARIOUS.

Yifeng (Ralph) Chang comes to the US from China to study engineering. He starts out proud of his virtuous ethical ideals and then they disappear. Same thing happens to his sister Theresa and eventual wife Helen. Ralph befriends a Chinese-American named Grover Ding, a millionaire with questionable morals of his own, and...more

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Aug 23, 2009 Gail Jeidy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Jen's book follows the story of Yifend who becomes Ralph upon entering America. Ralph strives to distinguish himself from the contentious relationship he left behind in China with his father and other family members. But political events in China change everything and Ralph's plan falls apart and only comes together again when his sister shows up in America. This story is about the connection and disconnections of Ralph with his Chinese family and heritage. I wanted to read one of Gish Jen's nov...more

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Sep 02, 2012 Marvin rated it 2 of 5 stars

There's no accounting for taste. I recommended Gish Jen's World & Town to a reading friend for whom it seemed just right, and she wondered why in the world I thought she'd like it. She, in turn, gave me a copy of Typical American, which she thought was much better. Well, not so much. It has some of the wit & style of World & Town, but mostly seems like a pretty typical tale of an immigrant couple in post-WWII America chasing (not very successfully) the American dream. Perhaps if I'd...more

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Aug 03, 2010 Demisty Bellinger rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-a-long-time-ago

I really enjoyed this book! Obviously, it makes you consider what a typical American is, but it does so much more. It's one of those American dream books that explores aspirations of wealth and power and what those dreams can do to you and make you do. This is told from Ralph Chang's point-of-view mostly, but we also get his sister and wife's perspectives at times. All three characters are immigrants from Chinese and all three strive to create some respectable grounding--both from their heritage...more

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Dec 31, 2009 Zhuoshi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, school, china

Jen's every word is action packed, leading you from sentence to sentence. Every description is necessary; nothing is superfluous. For me, that's a huge change from the "flowery language" that I'm used to and came with the 19th century writing like Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorn or Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

But not only does the writing flower just the right amount, being succinct and to-the-point, Jen knows what she's talking about, too. Unlike certain other Chinese-related books...more

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Jan 28, 2009 Helen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Despite setbacks of his own making, Ralph Chang is ultimately successful in achieving his goal of a PhD in engineering. He marries Helen, a woman his family would have approved of, and despite some odd ideas about love and marriage, starts a family. He, Helen, and his sister Theresa all live quite happily, surrounded by "typical Americans". Until American-born Chinese Grover enters the picture. With Grover comes prosperity and happy times, but also imbalance and confusion. As the lives of Ralph...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Kat rated it 4 of 5 stars

A poignant "coming to America" story, that didn't follow the expected arc. People with flaws that are due to their upbringing in China, but also their own quirks. No-one is perfect. Their lives are complicated. A lot of foreshadowing suggesting that they end up as a happy family, but maybe not. I liked the theme of "typical American" comments, the negative judgment that they pass on the locals whom they see as inferior to their correct Chinese way of being. But gradually realize that, that is wh...more

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Dec 23, 2012 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Gish Jen's Typical American surveys a broad range of immigrant Chinese American experience, and is populated by round, psychologically complex characters interacting in believable and striking ways. Jen's flaw as an author might only be a flaw of the Chinese American community itself, a tendency to presume "too much democracy" and too much equality in a country that has a bit more complex melding of Western tradition, class division and attachment to its roots than appears at first sight. Variou...more

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Jun 26, 2009 Allie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: american-experience, the-iowa-connection, asian-american, family

Wow. Gish Jen certainly does not give the Chinese immigrant experience a typical treatment. Her story just gets more and more outrageous as it goes on; I was like, "WTFrankfurters" the whole time. Ralph, who at the beginning is naive and endearing, towards the end becomes such a comical character that we become very distanced from him (or at least, that was how I felt). It was amusing and apalling (mostly appalling), especially the antagonist Grover. I knew he was coming back. Booo.

Having said t...more

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Feb 25, 2008 Nian rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: deep fans of chinese american stories

Shelves: 2008

So I didn’t technically finish the book, but I did get up to page 90. And although I had break time to finish it—or at least get halfway through, as that’s how I’ve always judged books—I didn’t feel like it at all.

Usually, I love stories about Chinese Americans—because that’s me. I can totally relate to that. Anyway, that’s what this book is about: a boy called Ralph Chang who makes his way to America to study and get a degree. He later marries Helen and his sister Theresa comes to live with hi...more So I didn’t technically finish the book, but I did get up to page 90. And although I had break time to finish it—or at least get halfway through, as that’s how I’ve always judged books—I didn’t feel like it at all.

Usually, I love stories about Chinese Americans—because that’s me. I can totally relate to that. Anyway, that’s what this book is about: a boy called Ralph Chang who makes his way to America to study and get a degree. He later marries Helen and his sister Theresa comes to live with him. And that’s all I know as I haven’t read so far.

I probably shouldn’t even do a review for this, or keep it in the “Read” shelf, but I’d already added it to my list so might as well write something. The thing about this book is that it’s all very confusing to me. From what I’ve read so far, it has never dug deeply into Ralph and Helen’s relationship, how they met, how they got married, and whatever else that happened between those two periods of time. I’m just not sure how they became lovers or whether they had chemistry with each other in the first place. It’s like the characters pop in so suddenly—as if from thin air—without an explanation, a brief one, or one that’s way too unnecessary. So Reason Number One: lack of character development or depth in relationships. It’s not supposed to be a cliché or a stereotypical world and I failed to see that between Ralph and Helen and Theresa.

As well, the writing is kind of weird. I won’t say it is bad writing but the sentences and words don’t make me understand how this book can be described as an “engrossing story that resonates with wit and wisdom”. Really, I don’t. Part of the reason might be because I left the book unfinished but 90 pages is nearly halfway into the book and should’ve developed into some sort of importance. But all I got was a struggle as I tried to let the words sink into my brain and keep an open-mind. I want to like the story, because obviously, praises must count for something, but I ended up being completely bored. So Reason Number Two: lack of engaging and easy to follow storyline.

And I really didn’t like Ralph. Especially the way he treated Helen, and that particular part that really made me want to punch the dude—when he said he wished he could solve his marriage problems by just taking a concubine. I’m just like, what the heck? How can I feel sympathy for a protagonist like that? Granted, he might have changed towards the second half of the story, but clearly, the character developments of the novel weren’t compelling enough for me to want to read any further. So Reason Number Three: uninteresting characters that were written to represent something “good” on paper but actually turned out to be selfish and utterly annoying to even like.
(less)

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Jan 29, 2008 Tina Dalton rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Tina by: Prof. Dong

Shelves: read-for-school

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. My discussion post for class:
In Gish Jen's "Typical American", we are presented with characters that are easily relatable to. We read about them, and we can see similar experiences in our own lives. I believe it is through this technique that Gish Jen hopes to show readers that although Ralph, Theresa and Helen are Chinese American, their lives, hopes and aspirations are similar to any other "typical american."

Ralph wanted to finish school, his wife patiently tried to help him succeed as she did...more My discussion post for class:
In Gish Jen's "Typical American", we are presented with characters that are easily relatable to. We read about them, and we can see similar experiences in our own lives. I believe it is through this technique that Gish Jen hopes to show readers that although Ralph, Theresa and Helen are Chinese American, their lives, hopes and aspirations are similar to any other "typical american."

Ralph wanted to finish school, his wife patiently tried to help him succeed as she did what she could from the sidelines (I feel a special kinship to this, as my own husband has been in school for all ten years of our marriage!) They had children, they enjoyed baseball games, they shopped for houses together and daydreamed about moving into the perfect neighborhood. Don't misunderstand me, the Chinese characteristics and traditions do run strongly through their lives. However, I feel Jen seeks to show that despite these differences, their hopes and aspirations are basically the same as most all human beings. They want a nice home, healthy and happy children, a decent job, etc. Also, just like all typical Americans, the characters in this book have their own short comings. These character flaws are not inherently Chinese. Ralph's paranoia and somewhat faltering motivation are unique to him, they don't define every Chinese person in the novel.

***

Callie first day of Kindergarten is an example that comes to mind when thinking of the similarities between the Chinese American family and "typical Americans." Helen provides Callie with a beautiful new outfit for her first day of Kindergarten: " a navy blue jumper with a duck for a pocket, a light blue blouse with a Peter Pan collar, matching light blue stretch ankle socks with lace trim, and a pair of marine blue tie-up Buster Browns" (161). Callie's new outfit represents her entrance to a new phase in her life, the embarkment into school. Most American children also get a brand new outfit for the first day of Kindergarten, almost like a right of passage.

Another similarity is Helen's concern and care in grooming the lawn for their new home. She wants a beautiful lawn just like the rest of her neighbors. However, as I write these examples, the thought comes to my mind: were they really just like typical Americans, or were they going through the motions outwardly in order to feel more a part of the community?

It is Ralph's musings and tumultuous emotions that make me thing Gish Jen hopes to show that Chinese and American thoughts, dreams, and aspirations do not differ from each other. Indeed, perhaps all humans share the same emotional reactions to a certain degree. I specifically like his thoughts as he stands in the waves at the beach. Speaking of Ralph, she writes "He felt a secret kinship with the ocean. Mornings, he would stand mid-thigh in the surf and feel he understood its power, that he understood greatness -- that he was neither fooled by its easy majesty nor afraid of its violence" (180). Jen's description of Ralph's feelings upon viewing the beach and feeling its power is quite apt. I know I've felt similar emotions when I stand in the surf and try to comprehend the enormity of the ocean. I'd like to think that this experience is common to most humankind when standing on the shore of the ocean. It isn't unique to Chinese American men alone.(less)

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Sep 16, 2010 Anthony rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: modern-american-lit

Funny, sad, true, and incredibly entertaining, Typical American has remained near the top of my list of all-time favorite books ever since I first read it several years ago. There's a clear-eyed, generous, tough-minded heart at the center of this novel about a Chinese immigrant's experience of trying to make a life and a family for himself in our wonderful but profoundly complicated country.

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Jun 09, 2009 Catherine rated it 3 of 5 stars

For whatever reason, I didn't enjoy this one as much as The Love Wife or Mona in the Promised Land. It's well written and funny and engaging.

But maybe I think the other novels better explore the themes of identity, race, and family. Or maybe after reading the other novels the questions don't seem as fresh and thought-provoking to me now. I don't know. Regardless, this is a very good novel, definitely worth reading, although Ralph Chang is absolutely maddening.

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Sep 10, 2012 Betsy McTiernan rated it 4 of 5 stars

The best immigrant story I've read. Gen's characters are real people--the good, the bad and the ugly. We follow the characters of one family--a brother, sister and the woman who becomes the brother's wife from China to the USA. Jen's writing and sense of humor bring us right into the emotional roller coaster ride of finding a place in this dog-eat-dog world of American capitalism with all its promises and betrayals. Good read.

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Jun 21, 2010 Borax rated it 3 of 5 stars

I liked this book...Gish Jen's atypical American Dream story is full of humor and dread...but my 10 pre IB students hated it this year. They didn't get it...or they didn't want to try. Hard to say. I am still sold on it...the scene where Ralph and Grover eat at the diner is ripe for a multi page commentary. It may not appeal to all, but is perfect as a small group offering, which I am planning for 2011.

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Oct 29, 2012 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-this-year-07-24-2012

I really wanted to rate this book four stars, at points it was extremely well written, and very engrossing, but the first few chapters were difficult and boring, and the plot and characters profoundly frustrating. I found the character of Ralph to be impossible to sympathize with, his refusal to work with the people around him, and his absurd insistence on his own preeminence to the point of abusive and nasty behavior, while being the source of almost all the family's problems made him thoroughl...more

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Nov 11, 2010 Sonja rated it 4 of 5 stars

The first half of this book was a lesson in Chinese culture - very interesting. It must be very difficult coming to America from China and fitting in - takes years. Then it seems like, once acclimated, people are just people - making mistakes, learning from experience, etc. Ms. Gish is a good writer - one wants to urge her characters on. It was a good read.

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Nov 08, 2007 Elyssa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

This is an excellent novel about the immigration and assimilation of a Chinese family. It has some very dark elements and unusual characters, but this is effective in telling the story. Without summarizing or giving away the plot, I think the best part of this novel is the family's attempt to aspire to their perception of "The Amercian Dream" and finding that it ultimately doesn't provide the meaning and satisfaction they had expected. Also, that in trying to attain success they take short cuts,...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Carolyn S rated it 1 of 5 stars

Maybe you need to be from China to appreciate the book. I found it to be boring, and not the way to climb to the top. You get what you get, or as they say " It is what it is".
For an Engineer Ralph is not the smartest. His sister seems to have her head on even tho she dips a bit to far for me.
Would have stopped reading it, except for the library book club. Can't wait to see what others think of it.

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Jun 08, 2009 Michael rated it 2 of 5 stars

I saw Gish Jen read a couple of years ago and I always meant to read something by her; she was a great, engaging, funny reader. This book is okay, but I did not come to care much about the characters. There's a lot of Great Gatsby here, and I liked the persistence of references to the stability of buildings, walls, houses.

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Apr 06, 2012 Wendy Chard rated it 3 of 5 stars

It was good but not beautiful, if you know what I mean. I gave it three stars. It was probably more like 3.9, but on the cover it said something about being the greatest work of immigrant literature to date. Well, remember Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior? That was a similar story, about a Chinese immigrant making it in the US, but that story was much more folkloric and very beautiful. So the cover statement unfortunately caused me to round down rather than up. Haha, I put way too much t...more

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Nov 21, 2010 Rosemary rated it 2 of 5 stars

I didn't really like this book. It was a fast read, but you didn't really like any of the characters that much. It was hard to feel involved or sympathetic I guess. Other immigrants stories I have read have been much better.

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Jul 27, 2009 Pmcdnld2 rated it 3 of 5 stars

A young man comes to the US from China to study engineering; The communist takeover means he can't go back to China. The novel follows his attempts to live in this country; sad tale of immigrants trying to assimilate.

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Aug 18, 2011 Molly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 21, 2012 Paul rated it 3 of 5 stars

good writer, often quite funny, but eventually a sad and troubling story. only cost me one dollar at the half price store, so I can't complain.

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May 24, 2009 Steven Salaita rated it 3 of 5 stars

Pretty good, but could have been so much better. The multiple ironies of the title are hard to live up to, I suppose.

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Jul 21, 2012 Fred Daly rated it 4 of 5 stars

The writing is clever, and the characters are vivid. The plot meanders a bit, though.

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Feb 02, 2012 Helen Mallon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Got this book out of the library then lost it. Wrote a check to the library. It's all good, though, because if I find the book under a sofa or something I'll get to keep it.

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About Gish Jen

Gish Jen grew up in New York, where she spoke more Yiddish than Chinese. She has been featured in a PBS American Masters program on the American novel. Her distinctions also include a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, a Guggenheim fellowship, a Fulbright fellowship, and a Radcliffe Institute fellowship. She was awarded a Lannan Literary Prize in 1999 and received a Harold and Mildred Str...more

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