From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry

America in 1982: Japanese car companies are on the rise and believed to be putting U.S. autoworkers out of their jobs. Anti–Asian American sentiment simmers, especially in Detroit. A bar fight turns fatal, leaving a Chinese American man, Vincent Chin, beaten to death at the hands of two white men, autoworker Ronald Ebens and his stepson, Michael Nitz.

Paula Yoo has crafted a searing examination of the killing and the trial and verdicts that followed. When Ebens and Nitz pled guilty to manslaughter and received only a $3,000 fine and three years’ probation, the lenient sentence sparked outrage. The protests that followed led to a federal civil rights trial—the first involving a crime against an Asian American—and galvanized what came to be known as the Asian American movement.

Extensively researched from court transcripts, contemporary news accounts, and in-person interviews with key participants, From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry is a suspenseful, nuanced, and authoritative portrait of a pivotal moment in civil rights history, and a man who became a symbol against hatred and racism.

Winner of Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards (Nonfiction) 2021 Commended for Yalsa Award for Excellence in Non-Fiction for Young Adults 2022 Short-listed for National Book Awards (Young People's Lit.) 2021

“"A vivid, heartbreaking account of one of the most important moments in Asian American history. I couldn't put it down."”

"A vivid, heartbreaking account of one of the most important moments in Asian American history. I couldn’t put it down." -- Gene Luen Yang
"A tremendous feat of both research and writing—and a major contribution to our inspiring and infuriating American story." -- Steve Sheinkin
"This clear and lucid account, based on in-depth research, superlatively conveys the context and significance of the events.... An accessible and compelling account of a tragedy that resonates through the decades." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Admirably objective.... Yoo discusses the resurgence of anti-Asian attitudes and rhetoric in connection to COVID-19, reinforcing the book’s through line that Chin mustn’t be forgotten." -- Booklist (starred review)
"Yoo skillfully retells the life story of Vincent Chin [and] reminds readers of Chin’s legacy 'to fight back against hate.'" -- Horn Book Magazine (starred review)
"Suspenseful.... [A] resonant, painstakingly recreated historical account." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Readers will be riveted.... Highly recommended for readers interested in social justice nonfiction such as Chris Crowe's Getting Away with Murder and Bryan Stevenson's Just Mercy." -- School Library Journal (starred review)
"[An] extensive examination.... From a Whisper is arguably the most comprehensive overview of the gruesome events and the aftermath of trials, protests, convictions, reversals and civil suits.... Yoo is determined: "not knowing" is no longer an option." -- Shelf Awareness
"A Washington Post Best Children's Book of 2021"
"A Publishers Weekly Best Young Adult Book of 2021"
"A School Library Journal Best Book of 2021"
"A New York Public Library Best Book of 2021"
"A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2021"
"An NPR Best Book of 2021"
"A Horn Book Best Book of 2021"

Paula Yoo is a prolific TV writer/producer, freelance violinist, and author of several books for children. Her young adult nonfiction debut, From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry, won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Nonfiction, was a Finalist for the YALSA Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction Award and the L.A. Times Book Prize, and was longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. Her most recent book, Rising From the Ashes, won the YALSA Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction Award. She lives in Los Angeles, California.

Winner of the 2021 Boston Globe Horn Book Award for NonfictionLonglisted for the 2021 National Book Award for Young People's LiteratureFinalist for the 2022 YALSA Award for Excellence in Young Adult NonfictionAn NPR Best Book of 2021A Washington Post Best Children's Book of 2021A Time Young Adult Best Book of 2021A Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book of 2021A Publishers Weekly Best Young Adult Book of 2021A School Library Journal Best Book of 2021A Horn Book Best Book of 2021A compelling account of the killing of Vincent Chin, the verdicts that took the Asian American community to the streets in protest, and the groundbreaking civil rights trial that followed.

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