Do you know what Satya Nadella, Tiger Woods, Erika Lee, and Lucy Liu have in common? They are Gen X Asian Americans. If you find it difficult to characterize Gen X Asian Americans, you are not alone. This is a rarely discussed population in recent American history.

This book is based on 60 one-on-one interviews with Gen X Asian Americans. Participants shared their heritage, life journeys, achievements, and opinions about the future. Please see Appendix I for methodology, Appendix II for respondent information and Appendix III for interview questions.

Gen Xers in this book refer to those born between 1965 and 1980. Asian Americans refers to Asians by race with American citizenship either through birth or naturalization. Those with permanent residence status (Green Card holders), with visitors or work visas, or illegal immigrants were excluded from this research.  

Gen X is a cohort that has received little public attention and business interest, even though it is not as small of a group as many think. There are 66 million Gen Xers in the US, compared to 72 million Millennials and 70 million Baby Boomers. As a consumer researcher, I studied Baby Boomers in graduate school, then worked for various companies to understand behaviors of Millennials and later Gen Z. In my early 40s, it became clear to me that our generation has never been the center of attention, and probably never will be. I felt it was my duty to use my professional experience to document this cohort. This book is just the start of the Gen X series. I hope to expand my research to other Gen Xers in the US and other parts of the world.

If you are as curious as I am to learn about this “neglected” generation, I am sure you will not leave empty-handed. On a personal note, this journey has been particularly fulfilling beyond deepening my understanding of my own generation. It gave me the courage to pursue my dream, researching important social subjects that have “little” business value, and inspired me to consider my personal actions in the context of social causes. Some participants interviewed contribute their time and money to disadvantaged communities, while others have started nonprofits to improve overall quality of life.

My most rewarding takeaway was gratitude towards life. All my participants are everyday Americans. The ability to focus on the positives and to navigate through difficulties made them my heroes, guiding me through the pandemic, my divorce, economic uncertainties, and political turbulence.  Many have moved to another chapter of their lives, and I wish them well and am sure they will find exorbitant joy in their pursuits.