What is race for? That bracing question animates every page of The Accidental Asian, a powerful work from one of the nation's leading young voices. In these personal and poignant reflections on assimilation, Eric Liu articulates a vision of American identity that will provoke and inspire. Weaving narrative and analysis into a series of elegant essays, Liu addresses a broad range of questions: Is whiteness America's fundamental race problem? Are Asian Americans really the New Jews? Should we fear the rising might of China? What does a journey through Chinatown reveal about our own lives? What might intermarriage mean for Asian Americans - and for the future of race itself?