SHERIDAN PRASSO takes on a complex and amorphous topic in her fascinating, rich, and ramshackle THE ASIAN MYSTIQUE . Her main objective is to find sources of the Western stereotypes of Asians (east and southeast Asia) and debunk them with in-depth portraits of contemporary Asians from a variety of walks of life. While she includes the image and stereotypes of male Asians and Asian Americans, nearly all of her book is focused on Asian women. Indeed, the subtitle "dragon ladies, geisha girls, & our fantasies of the exotic orient" and dust jacket photographs of a partial profile of a geisha and the legs of a bar top dancer reinforce this spotlight.

In Part One, Prasso, who lived and worked in Asia as a correspondent and editor for many years, proposes our stereotypes begin with the earliest contact of Europeans traveling to Asia, deepens during the era of Western Imperialism, and is perpetuated by Hollywood and other media. What are our stereotypes? Of Asian women we generally have two: the submissively sensuous (geisha and the like) and the severely domineering (dragon ladies). Of men, we have the femininely weak and the robotic martial arts warrior.

After a review of cross-cultural historical encounters, most of Part One closely examines roles of Asians in theater, film, television, and advertising, from the original Madame Butterfly , to Shogun , to Seinfeld . The stereotypes are shown to be perpetuated through images and snippets of dialogue. In terms of psychology, cultivation theory might be used to explain how media influences our view of people. The theory posits that mass media, especially television, influences our attitudes and beliefs of the world. Heavy television viewers, for instance, believe the world is more violent than it actually is. In essence, media that reinforces cultural stereotypes perpetuates them. It works both ways: When I lived in Japan, most of the Japanese I asked believed all Americans owned a gun (and would be quick to use it) largely because of what they saw on the news and on imported television shows. Of course, human attitudes and behavior are too complex and varied to be explained by a single theory.

The Internet and World Wide Web is also shown to be used in perpetuating stereotypes. For example, Prasso excerpts some graphic chat rooms and threaded discussions of men, primarily white it is assumed, extolling the virtues of Asian prostitutes, particularly in the red-light districts of Thailand and the Philippines. Matters of what services are provided at what cost are explicitly described. The virtues and pitfalls of Asian mail order brides are heatedly discussed. This interactive technology will likely usurp television as our primary source of cultural beliefs.

Part Two is the more interesting because Prasso's strength is spending time with women, finding out who they are, why they believe what they believe, and do what they do. In some of the more enlightening chapters, she takes us bar-hopping with a woman on the make in Manila or Jakarta, talking away an entire day with a geisha in Kyoto, and spending an afternoon at the park with several Japanese housewives.

In the topic of young adult prostitutes or those searching for a Western husband, one doesn't know who to feel sorrier for, the women, or the mostly white, middle-aged men who pursue them. The women know what they want, whether it is money or a mate or simply fun, they willing exploit their mystique of sensuality and submissiveness to their advantage. The men (except for the younger military servicemen) are invariably described as paunchy, middle-aged, balding or graying—real losers is the obvious impression we get—and usually fall for the mystique, perhaps knowingly but not caring.

We are privileged to meet Mineko Iwasaki, the geisha who served as the inspiration for Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha . She sets us straight on the misconceptions of geisha that were perpetuated in the Golden book and other Western women who spent time in the geisha world and reported on it. (Indeed, she sued and settled with Golden for misrepresenting her character.) The idea that geisha are equated with high-class prostitution is still prevalent (specifically that they auction off their virginity), when in fact, they are skilled musicians, dancers, and conversationalists. They represent high culture, not low, even if that high culture is fading rapidly from Japanese life.

Between the high and low, the chapter where we meet several Japanese women who reveal their lives and hopes and dashed dreams provides the greatest insight. These women, some with foreign-born husbands, some single, most with Japanese husbands, represent the great middle ground where reality exists. Mundane at times, comedic and tragic at others, their lives are not a homogenous sameness, not a stereotype nor a mystique. When the surface is scratched, here we at last see individuals and find that their individuality is universal, not Asian, not Western, not of any culture. As the chapter title says: "Ten people, ten colors."

The book's structure overall might have been better tied together, the more academic approach in Part One with the poignant, revealing, and sometimes repellent stories of Part Two. At times the book is redundant, skims over some areas, and jumps from topic to topic, like a harried traveler trying to stuff too much into a suitcase. So while not entirely wrapping up Asian mystique as a topic, Prasso greatly succeeds in pointing us as to the origins of Asian stereotypes and giving us insight into the real lives of Asians. We can only be the better for it.

Todd Shimoda is the author of The Fourth Treasure and 365 Views of Mt. Fuji .