Booklist Review
Asian Americans are a diverse and heterogeneous group in terms of religion, ethnicity, culture, and country of origin. This is not surprising, as Asia is equally as diverse (the term in antiquity simply referred to those living east of Greater Greece, possibly along the Silk Road). Asian Americans are more recent immigrants and are still considered a minority. Hence, their identities are in flux as these are redefined within the context of the American landscape. Although mainstream Americans have generally categorized Asian Americans by country of origin, this classification neglects the variations in ethnicities and religions that exist side by side in Asia. This reference has the Sisyphean task of integrating religious cultures from such a heterogeneous and diverse group in a two-volume set. A work like this one is likely to underrepresent some portions of Asian Americans, either religiously, ethnically, or culturally. Another challenge is that whatever methodology is used is unlikely to work for all of the Asian American subpopulations that call America home. Indeed, the only viable option is to present the research in encyclopedia-type entries that are essentially short essays. The distinction between the 20 essays and 200 entries seems artificial in subject matter, length, and content. Essays and entries are heavily cross-referenced, and each ends with a handful of references for further research. The writing style tends to be academic and in some cases requires effort to focus on the information presented. Given the subject-matter challenges, this work does an admirable job of being accessible to novices while not diluting the ubiquitous nuances characteristic of this topic. Recommended as a reference for advanced high-school and undergraduate students.--Hassanali, Muhammed Copyright 2016 Booklist
Choice Review
As the first encyclopedia solely devoted to Asian American religion and religious cultures, this title fills a real gap in the literature. A valuable but older, adjunct reference title is Asian Religions in America: A Documentary History, ed. by Thomas Tweed and Stephen Prothero (CH, Jul'99, 36-6232), which provides primary documents on the topic. The new encyclopedia assembled by editor Lee (San Francisco State Univ.) and colleagues presents substantive essays followed by A-Z entries, with a generous bibliography. It is interesting to note that the individuals and movements that many in the US would associate with Asian American religion, such as Swami Muktananda (Siddha Yoga) or Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (Dynamic Meditation), for example, are not included among the entries devoted to individual figures; another prominent religious figure, Reverend Sun Myung Moon, is discussed in the entry on his Unification Church, but likewise does not merit an entry of his own. The focus is on the mainstream Asian American religions, their associated leaders or founders, and adherents or practitioners. The first volume offers 19 in-depth essays covering such topics as "Arts and Cultural Production," "Islamophobia," "LGBT Asian Americans and Christianity," and "Secularization and Asian Americans." The remainder of the two-volume set is taken up with the encyclopedia entries per se, organized in a guide section that reveals the general themes of the work, including "Canonical Literature," "Ethnic Religious Communities," "Religious Concepts, Deities, Ideas, and Symbols," "Religious Denominations, Sects, and Traditions," and "Religious Festivals," among others. The signed articles offer suggestions for further reading, and some feature black-and-white photos. Asian American Religious Cultures is an important core reference work suitable for all libraries, but particularly for collections supporting programs in Asian American studies, religious studies, sociology, and anthropology. Summing Up: Essential. All libraries. All levels. --Carmen Hendershott, The New School
