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Do you know a Grace Lee? Turns out, lots of people do. And one Grace Lee (not that Grace Lee) decided to see what, if anything, they might have in common. Hence, the Grace Lee Project, an indie film opening today. Here's a NYTimes review, and selections from other reviews.
She explains:
Yes, a couple of Grace Lees here make an appearance -- a dental hygenist, and the former KGMB reporter. Grace Lee was actually here to screen the film for HIFF (and she blogs about it here). Here's a Star-Bulletin write-up.
She explains:
When I was growing up in Missouri in the '70s and '80s, I was the only Grace Lee I knew; in fact, I was usually the only Asian girl around. All this changed when I left for New York, and later California, where I would meet people who would insist on telling me about "another Grace Lee" they once knew.
Most of the time these other Grace Lees were only faintly remembered. They were "good girls" who listened to their parents, violin prodigies, 16-year-old Harvard freshmen, devout Christians. The more I heard about these other Grace Lees, the more I became convinced that "Grace Lee" signified an unmemorable, conservative hyper-achiever, confirming already existing stereotypes of Asian Americans. I secretly feared that my name alone lumped me together with people I felt I had nothing in common with, or worse, with people who made me look bad! Was I just as bland and unmemorable as those other Grace Lees? And who was I to judge these complete strangers? After years of hearing about my alter egos, I had to find out if my fears were founded in reality.
Most of the time these other Grace Lees were only faintly remembered. They were "good girls" who listened to their parents, violin prodigies, 16-year-old Harvard freshmen, devout Christians. The more I heard about these other Grace Lees, the more I became convinced that "Grace Lee" signified an unmemorable, conservative hyper-achiever, confirming already existing stereotypes of Asian Americans. I secretly feared that my name alone lumped me together with people I felt I had nothing in common with, or worse, with people who made me look bad! Was I just as bland and unmemorable as those other Grace Lees? And who was I to judge these complete strangers? After years of hearing about my alter egos, I had to find out if my fears were founded in reality.
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