Expertise Done Right
First impressions of Big Asian Energy by John Wang
“This book is going to be all about Asians” is what you would expect when seeing the cover. At least, that’s what I thought. Boy is John Wang going to surprise you. Big Asian Energy does have a centricity of Asian Diaspora individuals as a focal point; however, John breaks down the patterns seen into definitions and viewpoints that are universal for seeing culture as a whole on a macro scale.
One example of this is when John dissects the Eastern vs Western culture into a viewpoint of individualism vs collectivism. The holistic approach moves away from the confines of one’s skin color into tendencies found in the culture itself that can be applied to other areas in life.
What makes this a masterpiece of a book is the inclusion of the viewpoint with a mix of personal stories & research studies. There are counterarguments to say for each part individually, but holistically, it’s difficult to challenge what John claims, granted the reinforcement of his arguments, such as the following:
“I found most of the advice was framed only by a white or Western lens. Regardless of whether it was career advice, leadership advice, or even relationship advice, the books were largely written by authors who couldn’t speak to the nuances of our cultural experiences. They couldn’t understand why values like humility and harmony – often referred to as collectivist cultural values, as opposed to Western individualistic cultural values — were so important to us.” – pg. 4-5
Now with all this expertise, there comes a cost of a more analytical approach: some parts are skippable. One example of this comes into play when John goes into Chapter 2, introducing the seven patterns. It’s a wonderful research viewpoint of explaining the different archetypes he’s seen, but it’s a snooze as it’s like reading off a list.
Nevertheless, there are tidbits of pictures and graphics throughout to keep the reader engaged and moving forward, where even a middle schooler could get the gist of what this section was about. One of my favorites is the following:
Put all of these pieces together, and it creates a foundation. Add on John’s conversational tone, and it invites you in for a treat. Like talking to an old friend, you are transported to a college library study room, learning about this new life vantage point.
I’ve only read three chapters thus far, but am excited to see what’s next in store.
Curious to check it out yourself? Get the book here and let me know your thoughts.
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Book Quotes
1) Asian Confidence Hits Different
“These are just behavioral patterns you’ve learned at some point in your life. We’ve all grown up with different types of condition that helps us fit in and survive in the environments we’re in.” – pg. 15
“It’s really not about how to look or seem more confident, but finding the source of who you truly are, and unapologetically owning it in the world. That’s what true confidence is.” – pg. 16
“In the study, they examined individuals in various settings and realized that, effectively, whenever we meet someone, we instinctively categorize them by two things…Competence and warmth…They discovered that Asians, Jews, and the rich are viewed similarly: we’re all viewed as being ‘high competence, low warmth.’” – pg. 25
“A common thing I’ve heard from many students and clients is that they want to strengthen their social skills. Some point to the fact that their parents, being immigrants from an entirely different culture, couldn’t teach them how to socialize in a Western environment. Others talked about how they focused their time on academics, so they didn’t have the time to learn more advanced social skills.” – pg 24
2) Meet the Seven Patterns
“Our role selves can sabotage our true selves, such as when our perfectionism can render us paralyzed, or when we feel too guilty to ask for what we want, or when we agree to something even when we feel overwhelmed.” – pg. 38
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