A Gesture Life by Chang-rae Lee + Author Interview [in aOnline]
15 Nov, by in Absolute Favorites, Adult Readers, Author Interview/Profile, Fiction, Japanese American, Korean American, Repost
The Easiest Thing to Do Is Stop Writing
Having just returned from Italy where he got a little R&R and did some research on his next novel, Chang-rae Lee didn’t even have time to recover...
Kyoko Mori’s Stone Field, True Arrow is a love story – or sorts. An exasperating one, at that, filled with characters emotionally paralyzed to the point of utter immobility. Maya...
A Japanese American man recounts his grandfather’s journey from Japan to America, and back to Japan. He comes to understand his grandfather’s feelings of being torn by a sense of being home in two...
Sam wakes up one day with the face of his elderly grandfather. He has a frustrating time trying to convince his family and friends that he really is still Sam...
A lovely story about a young Japanese boy who learns about Christmas for the first time from his California-born Japanese American mother as she prepares a special pine tree, decorated with paper...
Mark is in bed with a high fever. His Uncle Scott sends him a metal box for trout flies, which brings back memories of Mark’s first fishing trip. He’s transported to a sparkling river,...
Luke and his father embark on a camping trip to "the Lost Lake," where the father used to go with his own father. When they arrive they find that too many others have discovered...
Taro is known throughout the village as its laziest citizen. When a rich merchant moves into town, he hatches a plan to ensure an easy life by convincing...
"Shorty," a young Japanese American boy, and his family are forcibly relocated to an American concentration camp during World War II. There, in order to help the children survive the barbed wire...
Donnie’s friends always force him to play the enemy because, as a Japanese American, he looks like "them." But Donnie’s valiantly father served in World War II and his uncle fought in Korea. His friends want...
Tiffany and Kevin, two Japanese American children, move to Japan because of their father’s job. While they might look like "chopsticks among other chopsticks," they are American, which proves to be very...
A beautiful collection of stories, poetry, remembrances, and art focusing on the tragedies caused by war, and the hopes for a lasting peace for today’s children. A book...
After learning about Sadako Sasaki, a young Hiroshima bomb victim who folded thousands of paper cranes in hopes of prolonging her life, a young American girl folds a crane of her own and wishes...
Despite outward differences in skin color or diversity in facial characteristics, all children on the inside are basically the same, and each deserves to be loved...
A young Japanese American girl loves to visit her grandmother’s house for Thanksgiving, where the meal is a combination of traditional American and Japanese fare. Although the girl does not speak Japanese...
Shy Chibi does not fit in with the rest of his schoolmates. During the last school year, the new teacher takes an interest in Chibi, who amazes the teacher with his knowledge about the...
Ashok, a young Indian American boy, wishes he had a more "American" name. So each day, Ashok tries a new moniker, from Tom to Walter to Frances, until...
Young Takashi hears wonderful stories about a joyous holiday called Christmas from his sister Kaya. As the day approaches, the two create beautiful decorations. On Christmas Eve, they decorate their mean, reclusive...
While her mother goes to run an errand, Anna is left in charge of her younger sister, Katy. Katy wanders off while Anna is not looking and Anna quickly goes about searching....
Mariko wakes up every morning to her mother’s cheerful call. She shares breakfast with her family, then watches the hustle-bustle as her two older sisters and parents prepare to leave,...