The Sum of Our Parts is an excellent, absorbing collection of scholarly articles written by contemporary social scientists. This collaborative effort is a watershed contribution to the still-emerging field of "multiracial studies" as it exemplifies a growing trend in which academics of mixed heritage are presenting their research as participant-observers rather than being presented as objects of study by others.

By examining the long neglected topics of both the individual and group experience of those of partial (and various) "Asian" ancestry, the authors also inform the total range of the "mixed experience". Considered as a whole, their research illustrates the strong parallels and commonalities that all mixed people experience within American society and contrasts these experiences with those of other societies. Theirs is a much-needed, long overdue approach to multiracial identity that moves firmly away from a psychological model of "adjustment" to parent/dominant groups to one in which the role of community and the effects of social context are emphasized. The unifying theme of the anthology is the wide variety of experience of what it means to be mixed-Asian and how that experience and meaning are affected by family, community, country, and the historically recent development of the political concept of "pan Asian identity."

It is understood that social groups are neither culturally nor "racially" discrete and that there is a largely ignored history of physically and culturally blended groups in the U.S. as well as in other countries. Certain mixed-Asian groups are discussed and the negative or positive attitudes toward them are related to the history of imperialism, colonialism, occupation, nationalism, economics, power, and politics.

In conclusion, The Sum of Our Parts (Temple University Press) provides the reader with a new, thought-provoking perspective on such current issues as how, in a racialized country, to preserve individual and cultural identity yet be able to negotiate, navigate, and participate in the larger society; the problem of replacing old stereotypes of multiracial people with new ones; and the negative impact that the continued use of the racial classification system has on individuals and communities.