ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
In an effort to help us have adventures within our own four walls, we're asking lots of writers to share what they are reading right now. Our first guest is Jade Chang. She is a Chinese American writer whose debut novel "The Wangs vs. The World" was published in 2016. She says she's been craving classical literature, but...
JADE CHANG: Despite that, that is not what I've been reading. I actually am about to read a couple of books that have just come out. And also, I've been thinking a lot about people who are trying to launch books right now. It's so hard in any climate, but it's especially hard right now. The first one that I'll probably dig into is "Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning" by Cathy Park Hong. It's kind of - it's part memoir, part cultural criticism. And at a time when we have a president who is introducing a term like, quote, unquote, "Chinese virus," it feels like really essential reading. And I can't wait to dig into it. The other book that is also on my nightstand is called "New Waves" by Kevin Nguyen. It is kind of a heist story in the tech world, so I think it should be pretty fun. And it also just came out.
And if someone is really looking for a true comfort read that still won't feel completely frivolous right now, "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" is really one of my true loves as a book. It really is about this girl kind of figuring out how to be a person in the world, how to make her way in the world, how to love the world. And I think it's really important. I mean, I think it's important for us in any time but especially in a time like this.
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
That is writer Jade Chang on what to read right now. Another great story is Chang's own book, "The Wangs vs. The World." It's an intense and fun novel about family dynamics pushed to the brink. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.