What does it mean to be an Asian-American in the United States today? Are Asian-Americans considered" honorary whites" or forever thought of as" foreigners?" Mia Tuan examines the salience and meaning of ethnicity for later generation Chinese-and Japanese-Americans, and asks how their concepts of ethnicity differ from that of white ethnic Americans. She interviewed 95 middle-class Chinese and Japanese Californians and analyzes the importance of ethnic identities and the concept of becoming a" real" American for both Asian and white ethnics. She asks her subjects about their early memories and experiences with Chinese/Japanese culture; current lifestyle and emerging cultural practices; experiences with racism and discrimination; and attitudes toward current Asian immigration.