In April, I got to attend my first ever book launch, for Grace Li’s Portrait of a Thief! It was so incredible being able to celebrate Grace’s book (and her). I was really moved when I saw the huge crowd that had gathered for her, many of whom were Asians. There were also lots of children, and it just reminded me again of how important it is for kids to see themselves represented in the media. Growing up, I was rarely exposed to books that featured Asian protagonists, and so I inadvertently internalized a Eurocentric standard of beauty because blonde hair and ocean-blue eyes were all I read about.
Seriously, just look at that cover–how incredible is it?!
I’m halfway through Portrait of a Thief now and I just want to give every character a big hug because their struggles with their cultural identity are so poignant and relatable. Grace does an amazing job of exploring the lived experiences and complicated emotions of being part of the Asian diaspora without making it a monolith. And her writing is beautiful. I strongly encourage everyone—not just Asian-Americans!—to check it out.
At the launch, I got to meet a bunch of writing friends in real life for the first time. Like Christina, a fellow Stanford student (to my right), and Sarah (pink dress). Sarah and I have known each other online since November 2020 (woah), but I finally got to meet her the Sunday before Grace’s book launch on Tuesday, when Grace brought us and Becca to this amazing Taiwanese porridge place.It happens to be 20 minutes from where I live, so you bet I’m gonna check it out again. 😊
Big thanks to Grace for bringing us all together!! I love that the Bay Area in California has such an awesome writing community.
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