Book Talk: Charles Yu

Enjoyed a talk last night with Charles Yu, author of Interior Chinatown.

Yu was incredibly eloquent and had a sharp sense of humor, and I deeply appreciated so much of what he had to say about writing and identity. He talked about how reading, particularly when reading the POV of a marginalized person, is like slipping into an envelope where you experience the feeling of risk associated with that identity without being physically in danger. (I’m badly paraphrasing here; like I said, he was very eloquent.)

He also spoke about always being labeled “the Asian guy”—not “the guy with white shoes” or “the 5’8” guy”—but always having your Asianness define you, no matter what other characteristics you have, especially when you’re the only Asian person in the room. He talked about the fact that Americanness post-2016 has become conditional for non-white Americans, who have suddenly found their claim to Americanness questioned and endangered. He also spoke about being a father, of navigating the point when his children discover that they’re considered “other” by many people.

He also had fascinating insights into the craft of writing, and offered a look at what it’s like to be a TV writer, and how the two parts of his writing career inform each other.