About the Author

Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu was born in Tokyo to a Japanese mother and Irish-American father and raised in Massachusetts. He received a doctorate in psychology from Harvard University, was professor at Tokyo University, and is consulting professor at Stanford University and Fielding Graduate University. He is the author of Multicultural Encounters and Amerasian Children.

Reviews

"One of the significant strengths of this work is its accessibility ... This timely work will serve to promote a better understanding of how human beings and cultures can transcend the boundaries and limitations placed upon them." - Gywnn Gacosta, Asian Affairs "Exploring the complex issue of identity among mixed-race Asians has been [Murphy-Shigematus's] life work. With subtleness and great empathy he guides us through what he calls 'the borderlands' where transnational and multiethnic identities are formed ... For the exploding numbers of mixed race Americans, When Half is Whole offers up a wide range of role models, characters who defy societal expectations and forge hybrid identities that empower rather than diminish them." - Nancy Matsumoto, Discover Nikkei "Murphy-Shigematsu's background and relationships have allowed him to write a book that is, on one level, a rigorous study of race that spans two continents, but that reads like a memoir. Even as it tackles complex cultural, historical, and psychological issues, it never becomes dry or academic, because it grounds its points firmly in the stories of people's lives. And while the writing is clear, engaging, and deeply personal, it is also incredibly objective and even-handed." - Ben Hamamoto, Nichi Bei Weekly "Murphy-Shigematsu explores our exponentially growing Hapa demographic with personal insight and fearless self-examination. Both rigorous and graceful, this book is smart, readable, and very needed." - Kip Fulbeck, author of Part Asian, 100% Hapa "What a moving and thought-provoking book! Brilliantly nuanced, searingly honest, and beautifully written, When Half Is Whole raises profound, often uncomfortable questions about race, identity, and the search for human connection. I couldn't put it down." - Amy Chua, Yale Law School Professor and author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother and Day of Empire: How Hyperpowers Rise to Global Dominance - and Why They Fall