Author Archives: Lily

About Lily

East Coast Chinese American. I like thick-skinned dumplings and hard-covered books.

8Books Review: “Flying Lessons & Other Stories”

Flying Lessons & Other Stories, edited by Ellen Oh, is a delightful and engaging collection of short stories from such luminaries as Grace Lin, Kwame Alexander, and Walter Dean Myers. The book emerged out of the ever-important We Need Diverse Books … Continue reading

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8Books Review: “Chow Chop Suey” by Anne Mendelson

Chow Chop Suey: Food and the Chinese American Journey joins the circle of books traversing the history of Chinese food in the United States, specifically the peculiar beast that is chop suey. Mendelson takes a historical journey into its origins, … Continue reading

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8Books Review: “The Loved Ones” by Sonya Chung

Sonya Chung’s newest novel The Loved Ones is an intense look into love, loss, guilt, and reconciliation. Two families who share a last name find their lives intersecting. Charles Lee is the African American father in a biracial family. Hannah Lee is the … Continue reading

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8Books: “Absolutely on Music” by Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murakami’s latest book, Absolutely on Music: Conversations is a deep dive into the world of classical music with his friend, famed classical music conductor Seiji Ozawa. As the title implies, rather than a traditional prose book, this one is a … Continue reading

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8Books Review: “The Boat Rocker” by Ha Jin

The Boat Rocker, the latest novel from author Ha Jin, follows a journalist Feng Danlin as he becomes immersed in one particularly outrageous story. Danlin, the book’s narrator, works for a Chinese newspaper located in New York, and is assigned … Continue reading

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8Books Review: “The Art of Confidence” by Wendy Lee

Wendy Lee’s latest novel, The Art of Confidence, takes readers through the tale of a single forgery, its making and unmaking. Liu Qingwu is a poor artist hawking goods outside the Met in New York City, when he’s approached by a … Continue reading

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8Books Review: “Bad Girls Throughout History” by Ann Shen

Bad Girls Throughout History by Ann Shen is the book you need right now, a walk through a diverse array of bad ass women across time and across continents. Subtitled “100 Remarkable Women Who Changed the World,” this beautifully illustrated … Continue reading

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8Books Review: “The Story of a Brief Marriage” by Anuk Arudpragasam

The Story of a Brief Marriage by Anuk Arudpragasam is a moving and intimate portrait of a man caught up in Sri Lanka’s civil war. Set in and around a refugee camp, this debut novel offers a peek into just a few … Continue reading

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8Books Review: “The Cambodian Dancer,” by Daryn Reicherter

The Cambodian Dancer: Sophany’s Gift of Hope is a beautiful children’s picture book about a young Cambodian girl forced to leave her country who finds strength in traditional dance steps. The illustrations are well-done and in a style that matches the … Continue reading

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8Books Review: “The Wangs vs. The World” by Jade Chang

Jade Chang’s novel The Wangs vs. The World  follows one crazy Chinese American family as they try to piece their lives back together after the economic recession of 2008. Mr. Charles Wang  is a self-made man who immigrated from Taiwan and … Continue reading

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8Books Review: “The Fortunes” by Peter Ho Davies

Peter Ho Davies’ latest novel The Fortunes traverses 150 years of Chinese American history through the stories of four characters. Beginning with Ah Ling, biracial servant to railroad baron Charles Crocker in the late nineteenth century, the book moves on to … Continue reading

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8Books Review: “We Gon’ Be Alright” by Jeff Chang

Author of Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop and Who We Be, Jeff Chang’s latest book We Gon’ Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation is an incisive series of essays looking at race in America. Drawing on recent events, including Donald Trump, Black Lives … Continue reading

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