A Conversation with XiXi Tian, Lawyer and Acclaimed Author of All the Way Around the Sun
Asian American History 101
Welcome to Season 6, Episode 5! Our guest today is who is both a lawyer and acclaimed author. Her latest work is the novel , a YA Romance that focuses on themes of belonging, identity, and overcoming trauma. In it, the main character Stella, a Chinese-American protagonist who’s forced into a college roadtrip with her childhood friend turned rival. Their complicated history is made even more difficult as Stella navigates how to overcome the grief of a recent family tragedy. We love how it’s a complex story with some familiar themes, and really showcases the difficulties of...
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The History of The Patel Motel Phenomenon Part 1
Asian American History 101
Welcome to Season 6, Episode 04! When it comes to immigrant groups in the U.S., especially Asian Pacific immigrant groups, it’s not unusual to see certain industries become almost synonymous with specific communities of people. We saw it with Chinese laundromats, Thai restaurants, Vietnamese nail salons, Cambodian donut shops, and more. For Indian Americans, one of those industries was the motel business. So in this episode, we’re here to share the origin and history of the Patel Motels as well as how families got into the business in the first place. We also share some of the...
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A Conversation with V.T. Bidania, Author of A Year Without Home
Asian American History 101
Welcome to Season 6, Episode 3! Our guest today is the amazing author . She is of Hmong descent and was born in Laos and grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota. A prolific author with over 20 titles published already, her latest work is the very personal fictionalized memoir which details her family’s escape from Laos after the end of the Secret War in Laos and the Vietnam War. A Year Without Home was released on January 13, 2026 and published by Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers. It’s her debut middle grade novel and written in a unique style with lyrical verse. Told...
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The History of Ube
Asian American History 101
Welcome to Season 6, Episode 2 ! Have you been caught up in the ube craze? For many people, especially in Southeast Asia, it’s not a trend, it’s a beloved food staple. This is most true in the Philippines where Ube is ubiquitous with many of their sweets. So in this episode, we talk ube… What is it? How is it used? What contributed to its rise in popularity, and more. We also take time to explain the differences between ube, Okinawan sweet potato, and taro, and we wax poetic about our ube memories. Finally, we take time to talk about some specific restaurants (like in...
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A Conversation with Peter Jae, Actor, Writer, and the Star of The Workout
Asian American History 101
Welcome to Season 6, Episode 01! Happy New Year! Our guest today is Peter Jae, a multi-hyphenate performer in Hollywood. Peter Jae is an actor, stunt performer, producer, and multidisciplinary creative with over two decades of experience working across film, television, and independent projects. Born in Brooklyn and raised primarily in the Bronx—with time spent in Queens as well—Peter grew up navigating identity as a Korean American in predominantly Black and Latinx neighborhoods. Those early experiences deeply shaped his worldview and continue to inform the stories he chooses to...
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Season 5 Review
Asian American History 101
Welcome to Season 5, Episode 52! This is it, the final episode of Season 5! As we close out 2025, we take a moment to reflect on the guests we’ve had on the show as well as the different topics we’ve talked about. We’d link them all here, but it would take a LOT of space to honor everyone. So let’s just say that we’ve had a great year, highlighted by some very special guests. Our guests this season included well-known academics like Gordon H. Chang, Ann Ishimaru, and Beth Lew-Williams; entertainers from the stage and screen like Olivia Cheng, Troy Iwata, and Nancy Wang;...
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A Conversation with Andrea Wang, Award-Winning Author of the Picture Book Worthy The Brave and Capable Life of Joseph Pierce
Asian American History 101
Welcome to Season 5, Episode 51! Our guest today is the award-winning children’s book author, . She’s written several books and been recognized with many awards including The Newbery Honor and Caldecott Medal. Andrea’s latest picture book is , a notable Chinese American who fought during the Civil War and, beyond all odds, earned naturalized citizenship. We love how she’s unafraid of tackling some heavy topics that include racism, discrimination, and belonging. The beautiful picture book is illustrated by Youa Vang, If you’re looking for some of Andrea’s...
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A Conversation with Professor Ann M Ishimaru, Co-Editor and Author of Doing the Work of Equity Leadership for Justice and Systems Change
Asian American History 101
Welcome to Season 5, Episode 50! Our guest today is doing important work in researching educational change. is an award-winning scholar, writer, educator and the Killinger Endowed Chair and Professor of Educational Foundations, Leadership and Policy at the University of Washington College of Education. Her latest book is , it was published this September by Teachers College Press. This collection of research and writing that she contributed to as both an author and co-editor is created with Dr. Decoteau Irby, and it takes a deep examination of DEI initiatives and the process of change...
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The History of API in Formula 1 Racing
Asian American History 101
Welcome to Season 5, Episode 49! Vroooommmm!!! We’re exploring the story of Asian Pacific Islanders in Formula 1… and this is something we actually know a bit about. This is a sport long dominated by Europeans and a handful of South Americans, but there has been a small group of drivers of Asian Pacific descent who have made an impact in recent years. We’ll share a little about F1 racing in general as well as when API began making their mark in the sport. In addition to recent drivers like (our favorite), , , and now Arvid Lindblad, we’ll also talk about a few engineers,...
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A Conversation with Karin K Jensen, Award-Winning Writer and Author of the Memoir The Strength of Water
Asian American History 101
Welcome to Season 5, Episode 48! Our guest is Karin K. Jensen. She’s a local news writer for the Alameda Post and the author of the moving memoir The Strength of Water: An Asian American Coming of Age Memoir. It’s an award-winning memoir that was recently re-released on November 7th by Sibylline Press. The memoir follows her mother, King Ying, and her Asian American journey… from her childhood in 1920s Detroit to moving back to the village Tai Ting Pong in Guangdong, China, and then back to the US again. Along the way, she faced heaps of hardship while strengthening her resolve to...
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Welcome to Season 5, Episode 26! With the fall of Saigon happening about 50 years ago, it’s important to recognize related additional moments in the history of Asians and Asian Americans. We’re talking about the Secret War in Laos which was closely tied to the Vietnam War. This will be Part 1 of 2 on the topic.
Laos is in Southeast Asia, a key region that the U.S. worried about during the Cold War. The Secret War in Laos was led by the CIA and fought predominantly by the Hmong, an ethnic minority in the country, and it’s a major reason so many Hmong and Laotian people became refugees after the Fall of Saigon and retreat of U.S. forces. So in this episode, we dig into the geopolitical situation that was present in Southeast Asia, the U.S. role in battling the spread of communism there, the key local soldiers recruited by the CIA, and the amount of damage the U.S. did to the area.
We begin the episode by catching up on current events, including celebrating newly elected mayor of San Antonio Gina Ortiz Jones as well as all the Tony winners of Asian Pacific descent. We also give our thoughts on the push for Asian American History in Arizona. We end the episode with the recurring segment What are We Watching? In this installment, we talk about the streaming show Deli Boys and the feature film Sinners.
If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or our links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com.
Segments
- 00:25 Introduction and Current Events
- 04:59 The History of the Secret War in Laos
- 14:40 What are We Watching? Deli Boys and Sinners
