Joan Is Okay

Much of Joan is Okay’s thematic structure is built on Wang’s examination of a set of issues related to immigration and the experiences of Chinese American immigrants in particular. Chinese American immigrants are not a monolith; individuals forge new identities and join new communities after immigrating in myriad, varied ways. However, common themes do run through many narratives of Chinese immigration to the United States, and Wang’s work sits within the larger framework of Chinese American literature. Joan is Okay shares an interest in the intersection of race and gender in Chinese American communities with second-wave feminist author Maxine Hong Kingston, who is best known for her memoir Woman Warrior (1976). It also shares an interest in the difficulties of mother-daughter bonds in Chinese American families with best-selling author Amy Tan, whose novel The Joy Luck Club (1989) was a finalist for the National Book Award and turned into a popular, award-winning film in 1993. Wang’s work is best read, though, alongside more contemporary authors. In addition to examining the impact that immigration has on familial bonds, these authors tend to depict Chinese American immigration through the lenses of race, class, and gender in a contemporary context. Joan is Okay shares with authors Jean Kwok, Lisa Ko, Celeste Ng, and R.F. Kuang an interest in anti-Asian prejudice. Although gender roles and the impact that prejudice has on immigrants are not new themes within the tradition of Chinese American literature, there has been a shift in the way that such experiences are talked about within contemporary public discourse. These authors are more aligned with current attitudes toward discrimination, equity, and race-based violence.

Chinese Americans make up the third-largest group of immigrants in the United States, and emigration from China happened (loosely) in two main waves. The first group of Chinese immigrants began to arrive on the west coast in the mid-1800s. Most of these arrivals were men who immigrated in order to work in the American mining industry as well as on the construction of the American railway system. Because these men came to obtain jobs in burgeoning, bustling industries, they were often perceived as a threat to American workers, and anti-Chinese sentiment became rampant. The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, which was lobbied for primarily by American labor unions, sought to limit future emigration from China and barred Chinese nationals from obtaining American citizenship. By the time the law was repealed in 1943, other limitations had been placed on Chinese immigration, and many Chinese workers struggled to obtain permits to live and work in the United States.

The second group of immigrants began arriving during the 1970s. This wave began as policy changes took place in both the United States and China during the 1960s and continued with the normalization of American relations with China in 1979. Unlike the first wave of Chinese immigrants, most of the arrivals during this wave were skilled workers who moved into jobs in white-collar and advanced fields. Although the situation had markedly improved for Chinese Americans, anti-immigrant sentiment has always existed in the United States, especially for immigrants from countries outside of Europe. Fang, in Joan is Okay, highlights this history for Joan and points out the many ways in which Chinese Americans in particular have been subject to prejudice and discrimination. Fang’s response to this anti-Chinese climate is to dedicate his life to financial success so that he can pass on generational wealth to his children. Joan’s response, in contrast to her brother’s, is to try to bypass race entirely and succeed in the meritocracy that is the medical field. Still, race and racism do creep into Joan’s life, and she notes the stereotypes with which she is associated by even the most educated people she knows. She also bears witness to an increasing number of instances of anti-Asian prejudice and hate crimes, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic begins to spread. This representation of the problematic, false, and deeply damaging anti-Chinese rhetoric that emerged in the media and popular culture in the early days of the pandemic grounds the novel in what is perhaps the most recent set of shared difficulties of the Chinese American community in the United States. The novel thereby demonstrates that for those with Chinese heritage, even when educated and American-born, racism continues to be a part of life in the United States.