Cathy Park Hong writes about being Asian American in a country that cannot see her clearly, where she is either invisible or hypervisible, never simply present. Minor Feelings combines memoir with cultural criticism to explore the dissonance that comes from occupying this position. The title names a concept: the everyday slights, the sense that your reality does not match the narrative, the shame that attaches to experiences that should not be shameful. Hong, a poet before she was an essayist, brings a poet's attention to language and form. The essays move between her Korean American upbringing, her artistic education, and her analysis of Asian American representation in art and media. She writes about Richard Pryor and Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, about her mother and her friendships, about the model minority myth and its costs. The book is angry in productive ways, refusing the politeness that has been demanded of Asian Americans in exchange for conditional acceptance. Hong names what has been unnamed, describing feelings that readers may recognize but never had words for. The writing is dense and allusive, rewarding close attention. Readers interested in race, identity, or contemporary American culture will find Minor Feelings essential and challenging.