Welcome to Litsy!

“We‘ve been here 200 years. The first Chinese came in 1815…Why doesn‘t this face register as American? Is it because we make the story too complicated? Because we haven‘t figured out how yet. Whether it‘s a tragedy or a comedy or something in between. If we haven‘t cracked the code of what it‘s like to be inside this face, then how can we explain it to anyone else?”
Happy Chinese New Year! Loved this book. Thanks again, @alexus_sb !

Happy #JolabokaflodSwap23 and many thanks to @alexus_sb ! How did she know I‘ve been on an Asian-American reading binge lately? Happy Holidays and wishing everyone peace and joy 🕊️🕊️

book for AAPI month #readinglife #readinggoals

This was a bit strange. It is set within a television show film set of Chinatown, where all the characters seem to live full time. Willis Wu has always wanted to be the protagonist, has dreamed of becoming Kung Fu Guy, but mostly is delegated to Generic Asian Man. His story and those of his immigrant parents are told within the narrative of Hollywood tropes and Asian stereotypes. The concept was interesting but a little hard to follow at times.

#temptingtitles #withatown

Written in the visual style of a screenplay, this inventive novel explores the limited roles available to Asian Americans as presented by Hollywood, the types that mask & ignore unique individuals. Willis Wu has always aspired to the top role, Kung Fu Guy, even as his dad is in a slow decline as Old Asian Man. Could he dream of being more than just a special guest star in a black and white world? A timely, thought-provoking and entertaining read.

✨transition into Fall used book haul✨

A multi-leveled story formatted as TV script. Although it doesn‘t adequately differentiate between levels of story, it‘s a delightful depiction of the narrator‘s quest to become “Kung-Fu Guy” as it questions the Black/White racial structure in America/who gets to be American. The ending was powerful, building to a pivotal courtroom scene where the format allows the narrator to deliver a fantastic monologue that otherwise would be seen as preachy.

“MA: Don‘t be Kung Fu Guy. Be more.“

An incredible book on the nature of identity for Asian-americans, in life and in Hollywood. Written as a screenplay, with a story uncomfortably close to reality at times, it drives towards an ending act that is the highlight of the book. A great read, maybe even a must read for those who have never considered the difficult relationship America has had with Asian minority communities.

The fifth and final book I'm reading for the Asian Readathon is described as a deeply personal novel about race, pop culture, immigration, assimilation, and escaping the roles we are forced to play. This is for the challenge to read a book by an Asian author that has a high rating or is highly recommended by someone. #Asianreadathon2022

I'm glad I got to read this book, just for the conversation that it created at my book club.
Some parts are interesting, and offer food for thought, while I found other parts over the top (like the absurd trial).
Most of the book is written like a script, which is an interesting format.

Pretty harsh & honest takes, cushioned with humor & satire. ^p 233, “second-class oppression” compared to American slavery. “On the one hand you, for obvious reasons, can never be fully assimilated into the mainstream, i.e., White America…and on the other hand neither do you feel fully justified in claiming solidarity with other historically & currently oppressed groups.”
P238 “Chinatown & indeed being Chinese is & always has been…a construction.”

Willis Wu wants to tell his own story, wants an onscreen career, but is relegated to minor parts in police procedurals, cast as “Generic Asian Man.” Satire structured as screenplay. Roles Asian Americans are forced to play, stereotypes, danger of the “model minority” trope, perpetual foreigners threatened w/ violence. P166>”I‘ve got the consciousness of a contemporary American. And the face of a Chinese farmer of 5000 years ago. Asian Man.” 2020

Starting my Christmas vacation reading binge soon. I am off December 17-Jan 3rd. I plan to spend many days in my pyjamas reading. But until then, this book kept me busy. My husband is Chinese and I am French Canadian, so that is originally what got me interested in this book, but I ended up loving the writing style as well as the social commentary aspect of this novel. I think I will buy it for my husband for Christmas.

My book club found it tragic, and it is, but I mostly found this book to be hilarious. The narration style is original, told like a series of movie scripts, blurring fiction and reality, acting and being. Much of the character‘s wry commentary resonated with me due to similarities in family background.

This was fantastic. Biting satire of Hollywood's problems with representation of Asian and Asian Americans. Funny, heartfelt, surreal, thoughtful, and layered. Delves into issues of racism, stereotyping, poverty, aging, and family. All in an interesting format that never feels gimmicky. A fast and entertaining read that will also leave me thinking for a long time.

This book is kind of brilliant. The format is a bit weird, especially as an #audiobook but you get used to it. The Kafkaesque trial toward the end is amazing. I did wonder at the beginning how this won the National Book Award last year, but it didn't take long for me to get it.

Another stylistic choice that could have come off gimmicky but this novel as screenplay is executed to perfection. Hubs has been telling me for months to read this one and I see why.

Kind of trippy, definitely incredible. For this one you just have to shut up, relax, and let it take you on a ride.

Creative storytelling format. Funny, devastating in parts. I find myself thinking about it a lot.

My goal for the #20in4 Readathon is 20 half hours, totalling ten hours! At the end of Day 3 I‘m nearly there.

My time was supplemented today by listening to the audiobook of the excellent Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu. What a book!

Thanks again, @Andrew65 for organising the Readathon. I hope everyone else is enjoying it as much as I am!

This quote kills me

A definite pick but I‘m wavering on my star rating. I found the narrative device clever but also wanted a more straightforward narrative. Book club discussion is tonight so perhaps I‘ll have more clarity afterwards.

I liked this book for its unusual structure. I thought it had a lot of good things to say about the stereotypes that Asian-Americans face, and the fake script format made the presentation more interesting and more straightforward. Made me think. #ToB2021

Going in I had no clue what to expect from this book but to say that I was blown away by it would be an understatement. 😍

Interior Chinatown is one of my favorite reads this year. The characters, the setup and writing style, and the message were all equally excellent.

I understand now why I've seen so many great things about this book. 💚

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

I thought this was cleverly written and brought up some important points.

If I have to ask myself "pick" or "so-so," that means it's a so-so.

I really like this book. Original, tongue-in-cheek, funny, and sad. A novel reflecting on the Asian American identity, immigrants, family. Part social commentary, part satire, it‘s brilliant! 👍💫

This is just insanely creative. Yu frames his story in a screenplay format, highlighting the stereotypes that Asian Americans are so often expected to play. He takes us through these many “roles,” tackling assimilation, immigration history, identity, and racism, with a sharp eye for humor and startling honesty. Such an utterly unique and affecting way to explore this topic.

Experimental novels generally do not sit well with me. This is written partly as a script, with the protagonist as an actor both in the drama and in his life. Yu does an excellent job of portraying the intricacies of systematic racism. I see how the protagonist‘s inability to achieve a role as a fully developed main character mirrors the one dimensional role that racism reduces people to, but would have preferred a format that allowed more depth.

This book is so, so good.

Everyone gets the feels when singing Country Roads…

Since I‘m in the midst of reading the #CampToB books, I realized I had never read the most recent winner of the Tournament of Books (and NBA winner). Yu has employed such a creative way to tell an important story of the Asian American experience. I appreciate his shout out to Erving Goffman who explores the way people perform/play roles in their relationship to others. Gave me lots to think about.

If you‘re older and your children are grown and off being adults, this passage might just resonate. It sure did for me.

Interesting with an incredibly creative structure. About an Asian man coming to terms with his Asian heritage in America. Entertaining but also disturbing in an odd way.

Describing raising a child, there‘s a flurry of firsts, then “the first times start turning into last times...”

“There are a few years when you make almost all of your important memories. And then you spend the next few decades reliving them.”

Wow! This one is off to a great start. A touching entry into the family including descriptions of what it‘s like to see your parents age.

This was great. Fast read, but tough. Sometimes I had to take breaks and think. A very worthwhile read in addition to being entertaining and funny!

Everyone who told me to read this (I‘m looking at you @BarbaraBB ) were so right - it is great! The different screen play format took a bit to get used to, but once I got going it worked! This is the kind of book I would have loved to read in one go, to really disappear into the story and writing.

#Pop21 - A Genre Hybrid
#BookSpin

I finally got my second vaccine dose today! I got my first dose of AstraZeneca in February, and a week later Denmark stopped using vaccines from AstraZeneca. So I have been stuck in vaccine limbo - until now! 🙌

I took an early day, and hope to get a bit farther into this stylistically (is that a word??) weird, but engaging book!

#CurrentlyReading

Truly and honestly this is my most favorite book I have read in recent memory. #StopAAPIHate #KaraBrownBookClub

And now for something completely different

On Audio for MBH bookclub - I think I would have tuned in better reading with my eyes. Great ending.

5🌟Charles Yu has written a uniquely powerful novel confronting Asian stereotypes and discrimination, especially in Hollywood. Told with dark humor and honesty, I was in awe of what Yu achieves here. I get why it won the Booker Prize! Interior Chinatown was a deeply personal and original way to look at race, immigration, Chinese American History, and pop culture, highly reccomend this one! #bookreview

April 2021 Book Wrap-up:

5 🌟
Interior Chinatown: Charles Yu 🎧
Swimming Home: Deborah Levy 📖
Black Sun: Rebecca Roanhorse 🎧
4.5 🌟
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant: Anne Tyler 📖
3.5 🌟
A Children's Bible:Lydia Millet 📖
An Offer from a Gentleman: 2nd Epilogue: Julia Quinn 🎧
3 🌟
Viscount Who Loved Me: Julia Quinn 🎧
The Viscount Who Loved Me Epilogue: Julia Quinn 🎧
An Offer from a Gentleman: Julia Quinn 🎧

I listened to the #audiobook of this novel written in the format of a screenplay. The main character is “generic Asian guy” who develops into other characters along the way. A perfect way to begin to understand the experiences of Asian American men, in a totally dramatized way, but at the same time so on-the-money. This accomplished so much in a 4 hour audiobook and I‘m impressed!

I cannot say enough good things about this book. All of the stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is so accurate it hurts.

I haven't read many books from the AAPI community -- the exceptions all seem to actually be British or Canadian (not American): Salman Rushdie, Hanif Kureishi, Joy Kogawa and one playwright (David Henry Hwang).

But I have been accumulating some surprisingly color-coordinated books to read!
#integrateyourshelf @Emilymdxn @ChasingOm

Four star read for me. Loved the inventive satire skewering American Asian stereotypes taking place on a perpetual American crime procedural TV show. Funny and heartbreaking. And you can tell Charles Yu was a writer for the HBO show Westworld. A few similarities. Want to read more by this author.