--- description: Find out why Cathy Park Hong is one of the 100 most influential people of 2021. title: Cathy Park Hong: The 100 Most Influential People of 2021 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3a4c59b42bc1d081/698a1caed07533534ee6beed/cathy-park-hong-time-100-2021.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Sep 15, 2021 # Cathy Park Hong by Ali Wong  Michelle Watt for TIME When I read Cathy Park Hong’s [_Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning_](https://time.com/collection/must-read-books-2020/5904237/minor-feelings/ "undefined"), it felt like I was being shaken awake to something I had convinced myself wasn’t real. The subtle ways Asian Americans are dismissed; how Asian American women feel the need to apologize when taking up any sort of space. I was also floored by how she described the ripple effect of the [Chinese Exclusion Act](https://time.com/5956943/aapi-history-milestones/ "undefined"): how that fear of not wanting to stick out has been passed down through generations, and how this survival tactic limits us and can cause self-hate. And at the same time, Cathy shares stories that feel so personal, so fresh and so specific, nobody else could’ve written them. I had never read a depiction of three contemporary, young [Asian American women](https://time.com/5952819/history-anti-asian-racism-misogyny/ "undefined") that was so complicated, interesting or full of both love and conflict. Her writing is beautiful, funny, sharp and—most importantly to a working mother of two who has few brain cells left at the end of the day—easy to read. I annotated the hell out of _Minor Feelings_—it’s the kind of book you want to dog-ear and underline. Reading it was such a crazy feeling: I felt so seen that I couldn’t believe that this book existed. And it’s become even more painfully relevant in a year in which [anti-Asian violence](https://time.com/5938482/asian-american-attacks/ "undefined"), which has [always existed](https://time.com/5834427/violence-against-asian-americans-history/ "undefined") in America, has spiked so aggressively, putting our communities on high alert and searching for solidarity. This is the book to read when you ask me, “How can I be an ally?” This is the book to read if you want to educate yourself. This is the book to read if you want to be more in touch with your humanity. _Wong is a comedian, writer and actor_  Michelle Watt for TIME [**_Get a print of the 2021 TIME100 cover featuring Cathy Park Hong_**](https://timecoverstore.com/featured/2021-time-100-cathy-park-hong-photograph-by-ramona-rosales-for-time.html "undefined") _Set design by Jacqueline Draper; Styled by Kimberly Nguyen; Hair and make-up by Evy Drew_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2021/6096088/cathy-park-hong/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2021/6096088/cathy-park-hong/"},"headline":"Cathy Park Hong","datePublished":"2021-09-15T11:15:49.000Z","dateModified":"2026-07-21T07:22:37.168Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2021/6096088/cathy-park-hong/","keywords":["TIME 100","franchise","T100 2021"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3a4c59b42bc1d081/698a1caed07533534ee6beed/cathy-park-hong-time-100-2021.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3a4c59b42bc1d081/698a1caed07533534ee6beed/cathy-park-hong-time-100-2021.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2021/6096088/cathy-park-hong/","name":"Cathy Park Hong"}}]}] ```