Books and Boba

On this episode we discuss our July 2023 book club pick The Imaginary Lives of James Poneke by Tina Makereti. A coming-of-age story of a Maori boy, armed with a British education and eager to see the world, who ventures to London to be a living exhibit for a British artist's exhibition. It's an epic tale written in the style of Victorian fiction, but told from the perspective of an indigenous youth growing up under colonization.*Support the podcast by supporting our new Patreon*Timecodes:01:45 - Book jacket description02:40 - First impressions and David Copperfield vibes06:50 - Hemi's upbringing08:42 - Theme of aligning yourself with white majority for survival and privileges11:00 - Hemi’s adoption into a new Maori tribe11:36 - Empire’s goal of erasing marginalized cultural identities13:28 - Hemi agrees to become a living exhibit16:09 - Being tainted by colonization education17:45 - Hemi's first impression of Victorian England18:50 - Victorian England’s class divisions19:17 - The Angus family21:42 - Hemi’s introduction to other living exhibits22:40 - Representation matters25:10 - Intro to Billy Neptune & Henrietta 27:47 - Hemi's sexuality awakening30:12-31:30 Trigger of SA31:33 - What is savage and what is civilized?32:33 - Women's limited rights in Victorian London35:00 - Hemi’s time as a sailor and camaraderie with non-white crewmen39:25-40:15 Trigger of SA40:20 - Life on the margins outside civilization’s watch43:17- What is home?47:22 - Ending50:57 - Hemi meeting a Black doctor and learning about intersectionality53:08 - Taika Waititi options book for adaptationhttps://variety.com/2020/film/asia/taika-waititi-piki-films-indigenous-film-tv-colonization-1234691066/Follow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:FacebookTwitterGoodreads GroupThe Books & Boba August 2023 pick is Bitter Medicine by Mia TsaiThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this episode, we welcome Thien Pham, the author and illustrator of Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam, his graphic memoir recounting his life growing up as a refugee in America, with each chapter centering around a specific food-related memory. Follow Thien on instagram at @thiendog and check out his graphic memoir, Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam, available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!*Support the podcast by supporting our new Patreon*Follow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:FacebookTwitterGoodreads GroupThe Books & Boba July 2023 pick is The Imaginary Lives of James Poneke by Tina Makereti

On our mid-month check in for July 2023, we review the latest Asian American book and publishing announcements, while catching up on a pretty terrible few weeks for the Asian American literature community (and the literature industry in general). Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:White Mulberry by Rosa Kwon EastonSuka's Farm written by Ginger Park and Frances Park; illust by Tiffany ChenKai Po Che: Mini's Perfect Diamond written by Suhasini Gupta; illust by Devika OzaKill Her Twice by Stacey LeeUntitled YA novel by Sahar JahaniCincinnati Lee and the Spear of Destiny by Heidi HeiligHana's Hajj written by Zainab Khan; illust by Anait SemirdzhyanYou Are Loved by Sujean RimTiny Wonders and Nightsong by Sally Soweol HanA Place in the World written by Rina Singh; illust by Christopher PoulerInfinite Sky: The Story of Tsien Hsue-Shen, the Scientist Who Took Two Countries into Space by Celeste PewterAnother Word for Neighbor written by Angela Pham Krans; illustrated by Thai PhuongThe Demon's Prince by Remy Lai; illust by Lauren DimayaAdoration by June HurEliza, from Scratch by Sophia LeeThe Clock by Pam FongEmbroidered by Farida ZamanPickling Time by Marzieh Abbas; illust by Darshika VermaNews stories covered on this episode:BTS’s book Beyond the Story becomes instant #1 NYT BestsellerYu & Me Bookstore flooded from fireHarperCollins/Harlequin shuts down Inkyard PressSmithsonian abruptly cancels 2023 Asian American Literature Festival (AALF)AALF co-organizers’ open letter to the Smithsonian*Support the podcast by supporting our new Patreon*Follow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:FacebookTwitterGoodreads GroupThe Books & Boba July 2023 pick is The Imaginary Lives of James Poneke by Tina MakeretiThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this author chat, we welcome Thao Thai to talk about her debut novel Banyan Moon, a story about three generations of Vietnamese women, and the gothic southern mansion that ties them all together. We chat with Thao about her inspirations in writing a southern gothic inspired story about a Vietnamese American family, as well as learn about her journey to becoming an author.Follow Thao on instagram at @thao_writes and check out her novel, Banyan Moon, available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!*Support the podcast by supporting our new Patreon*Follow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:FacebookTwitterGoodreads GroupThe Books & Boba July 2023 pick is The Imaginary Lives of James Poneke by Tina MakeretiThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

For this author chat, we sit down with Susie Luo to talk about her debut novel Paper Names, a decades spanning tale of a Chinese immigrant trying to build a new life in America, his Chinese American daughter looking for her place in her parent's American dream, and a privileged white lawyer trying to rise above his family's shady past, who are brought together by an unexpected act of violence and heroism in the streets of New York City. We chat with Susie about her inspirations for her novel, as well as her journey to becoming a writer after working in law and finance.Learn more about Susie at www.susieluo.com and check out her novel, Paper Names, available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!*Support the podcast by supporting our new Patreon*Follow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:FacebookTwitterGoodreads GroupThe Books & Boba July 2023 pick is The Imaginary Lives of James Poneke by Tina MakeretiThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this episode we discuss our June 2023 book club pick, We Have Always Been Here by Lena Nguyen. A Sci-Fi psychological thriller following Dr. Grace Park, a psychologist who hates people, serving on a spaceship that has been dispatched to the planet Eos for a colonization inspection, but as the members of her crew begin to succumb to a mysterious psychological contagion, Dr. Park has to step out of her comfort zone to figure out the dark secrets of the planet in order to get out alive.*Support the podcast by supporting our new Patreon*Follow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:FacebookTwitterGoodreads GroupThe Books & Boba July 2023 pick is The Imaginary Lives of James Poneke by Tina Makereti This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On our mid-month check in for June 2023, we review the latest Asian American book and publishing announcements, while Reera catches Marvin up with the latest tea from Asian book twitter.Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:The Night Ends with Fire by K.X. SongThe Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi KashiwaiMomo by Ranran ZhouIf Lin Can by Richard Ho; illust. by Huỳnh Kim Liên and Phùng Nguyên QuanWish I Was a Baller by Amar Shah; illust. Rashad DoucetThis Is How You Fall in Love by Anika HussainThe Lotus Shoes by Jane YangLast Chance Academy series by Debbi Michiko FlorenceMy Olive Tree by Hazar ElbayyaThe Last Dragon of the East by Katrina KwanA Sky for the Birds by Rina Singh; illust. by Barkha LohiaThe Beasts Beneath the Winds edited by Hanna AlkafSimone by Viet Thanh Nguyen; illust. Minne PhanThreads by Ashley WongSophia Lee Can Fly by Marie Tang; illust. by Lenny WenNews stories covered on this episode:British Museum Removes Writer’s Translations of Chinese Poetry After Being Accused of Copyright Infringement*Support the podcast by supporting our new Patreon*Follow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:FacebookTwitterGoodreads GroupThe Books & Boba June 2023 pick is We Have Always Been Here by Lena NguyenThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

For this author chat, we talk to Uzma Jalaluddin about her latest contemporary romance Much Ado about Nada, a contemporary adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasion taking place in a Muslim convention in Toronto. We chat with Uzma about her love of Austen, her background as an English teacher, and more!Follow Uzma on IG at @uzmajalaluddin and check out her novel, Much Ado about Nada, available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!*Support the podcast by supporting our new Patreon*Follow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:FacebookTwitterGoodreads GroupThe Books & Boba June 2023 pick is We Have Always Been Here by Lena NguyenThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

For this author chat, we sit down with Rita Chang-Eppig about her debut novel Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea, a historical fiction novel painting a portrait of legendary (and real life) Chinese pirate queen Shek Yeung who ruled the South China Seas in the early 19th century. We chat with Rita about her inspirations for the story as well as her own journey as an author.Follow Rita on IG at @rche_types and check out her novel, Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea, availaible now on the Books & Boba bookshop!*Support the podcast by supporting our new Patreon*Follow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:FacebookTwitterGoodreads GroupThe Books & Boba June 2023 pick is We Have Always Been Here by Lena NguyenThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

One of the cool parts of being in podcasting is taking part in a community of like-minded creators, this is especially true for those of us in the Asian American podcasting space. That's why we're always excited to find new shows that explore the Asian American experience through new and interesting lenses. Ten Thousand Things is a podcast from KUOW Seattle about modern-day artifacts of Asian American life, hosted by award-winning poet and museologist Shin Yu Pai. We're excited to share their episode "Book" with Chinese American author and scholar Shawn Wong.Listen to more episodes of Ten Thousand Things and follow the podcast!---Shawn Wong discovered the first Japanese American novel, No-No Boy, at a used bookstore for 50 cents, after being told by his English professors that Asian American literature didn’t exist. He sought out the author, John Okada, and he fought to have the book republished and distributed far and wide, to unearth the legacy of Asian American writers. But all the mainstream publishers rejected it. So Shawn started to print, distribute, and sell the novel himself with friends,often from the trunk of his car. The Asian American community turned up, ordering books by mail, telling their friends, and sending checks with handwritten letters- a testament to a generation hungry for their own stories.Correction, 10:30 a.m., 6/6/2023: The audio version of this story misstates the name of the protagonist in No-No Boy. The character's name is Ichiro Yamada.Related Links: Shawn WongBook notes: A talk with UW English professor, author Shawn Wong about his UW Press book series for Asian American authorsRelated reading:Aiiieeeee! An Anthology of Asian-American Writers by Frank Chin, Jeffery Paul Chan, Lawson Fusao Inada, and Shawn WongToshio Mori’s Yokohama California was Ahead of its Time via International ExaminerHisaye YamamotoWakako YamauchiNisei Daughter by Monica SoneEat a Bowl of Tea by Louis ChuJanice MirikitaniFrontiers of Love by Diana ChangAmerica is in the Heart by Carlos BulosanUncle Rico’s Encore: Mostly True Stories of Filipino Seattle by Peter BachoDancer Dawkins and the California Kid by Willyce KimPremonitions: The Kaya Anthology of New Asian North American Poetry edited by Walter LewPinoy Poetics: A Collection of Autobiographical and Critical Essays on Filipino and Filipino American Poetics edited by Nick CarboThe World I Leave You: Asian American Poets on Faith & Spirit edited by Leah Silvieus and Lee HerrickWe can only make Ten Thousand Things because listeners support us. Make the show happen by making a gift to KUOW.And we want to hear from you! Leave us feedback online.Ten Thousand Things is produced by KUOW in Seattle. Our host, writer, and creator is Shin Yu Pai. Whitney Henry-Lester produced this episode. Jim Gates is our editor. Tomo Nakayama wrote our theme music. Additional music in this episode by Taika. Search for Ten Thousand Things in your podcast app!Partial funding of Ten Thousand Things was made possible by the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture Hope Corps Grant, a recovery funded program of the National Endowment for the Arts, plus support from The Windrose Fund.