Anna May Wong defined the term movie star. Her good looks and elegance made her popular amongst the smart set, the Hollywood elite, and film audiences. Anna May Wong saw Hollywood from the silents to the talkies and beyond. Gail Tsukiyama's novel The Brightest Star highlights life of Anna May Wong from daughter of a laundry owner to a movie star never afraid of the anti-miscegenation laws bent on holding back Asians from attaining the American Dream.
Anna May Wong's first part in a film was a girl in a crowd scene. She ended her career as the first Asian woman with her own television show. Her career consisted of mostly stereotypical "Asian" parts - she portrayed "butterflies" - soft, gentle Asian girls who may fall in love with the white man but could never end up with him. As she aged she was given "dragon lady" rolls - the inscrutable tough woman with an edge crime boss type parts. Despite being pigeonholed in this way, Anna May Wong rose above the material, making each part uniquely her own.
Once parts in Hollywood began becoming fewer and fewer due to the advent of the talkies, Anna May Wong performed in Berlin, London, Paris, New York and collected a cadre of friends: Bennett Cerf, Josephine Baker, Paul Robeson, Sessue Hayakawa (the latter two being excluded from Hollywood mainstream stardom due to race.) When the novel The Good Earth became a film Anna May Wong saw the opportunity for Hollywood to cast actual Asian actors in a uniquely Asian story. The female lead went to a German actress Louise Reiner, who won an Oscar. Wong found this a crushing blow, but despite the setback Anna May kept performing until the 1960s when she had to resign from a role in Flower Drum Song due to her ailing health. Anna May Wong spent her time off screen traveling, taking care of her family, and doing her best to positively promote the Asian race.
The novel is written as a conversation between Anna May Wong and the reader. The writing can be expository, explaining names long forgotten to modern movie fans. Tsukiyama mentions a lesbian affair with Marlene Dietrich but does not mention Wong's other lesbian affairs. Overall the novel feels like a friendly chat with a kind person who just happens to encapsulate cinematic history. Anna May Wong was a trailblazer for Asians and women alike. This novel tells a story that more people should know.