Peter Bacho’s Lunch Bag Event Recap
“Bobby, a sensitive 17-year-old living in the projects of Seattle in 1968, copes with his mother’s death from cancer and his brother’s death in Vietnam, and tries to determine his own identity in the midst of many challenges” … is a short synopsis of Peter Bacho’s newest book, Leaving Yesler. Peter briefly introduced his latest titles to an intimate audience during his lunch bag talk at The Smithsonian Latino Center’s conference room on April 23, 2010. Leaving Yesler is Peter’s first foray into the young adult reader’s market; the book debuted in March 2010 from Pleasure Boat Studio.
The program began with a spirited introduction from our very own Terry Hong, who repeatedly had to remind Peter to not give away the title’s ending — ‘not good for selling the book!’ she threatened even with duct tape! Enjoying the casual atmosphere of the event, Peter shared background information as well as his thought process behind Yesler‘s characters. He then read short passages that gave a little taste of what the novel has to offer.
The interaction of the characters blended together to give a surreal feeling. The lunch bag talk transitioned to a discussion about how Peter’s book is intended for young adult readers, complete with silly jokes that only an adolescent mind could truly appreciate. The event concluded with several attendees purchasing multiple copies of Peter’s book, which was bundled with a copy of the first issue of the Asian American Literary Review. AALR co-founder and co-editor Gerald Maa was a fun member of the audience.
The event provided an interesting opportunity for the audience to talk to the author one-on-one and ask questions. Being able to understand the meaning behind the characters adds a new dimension to reading a novel. Even if you were not able to make it to the event, you should still pick up a copy.
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