Jen Gish Knihy

Timely and extremely important . . . In this book Gish Jen has once again taken the universal and made it personal, and vice versa . . . She is uniquely suited to explore this topic. -Lisa See, The Washington Post Wise, impeccably researched, beautifully written, and vitally important . . . Gish Jen brings a novelist's understanding heart and a scholar's appreciation to her new book on the cultural differences between East and West, and a sympathetic perspective of someone who has been both an insider and an outsider in both. -Nell Minow, The Huffington Post I loved the book! A deep psychological examination of how place, habits, and identity mix in our world. Tremendous! -Yo-Yo Ma Fascinating . . . Rich with examples of the contrast between Asian Society and our own. . . . She is onto something that the typical American may become aware of as we bump into people unlike ourselves-from other cultures, not limited to Asians. -Repps Hudson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch A fascinating, brilliant book that gripped me from page one. Subtle, erudite, and daring, The Girl at the Baggage Claim is a tour de force by one of the most insightful writers of our time. -Amy Chua, the John M. Duff Jr. Professor of Law at Yale Law School, and author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother [Turns] a study of culture and psychology into an engaging narrative. Whether in commerce, diplomacy, or travel, readers can take away memorable insights into how identity and context shape worldviews. -Linda Levitt, Popmatters Jen holds up a comprehensive and scholarly mirror to both worldviews-and be warned: Her mirror is honest, and at times provocative. -Deborah Mason, BookPage I honestly can't overstate how fascinating I found this book. It's shaken (in the best possible way) some of my basic assumptions about being a Self. -Jason Gots, producer of Big Think An excellent and engaging read, certain to appeal to readers interested in cross-cultural communication, cognitive science, and the experience of Asian Americans in the United States. -Rebecca Brody, Library Journal (starred review) [Jen] articulates the complexities of culture with a novelist's command of language in this rich exploration of the East- West culture gap. - Publishers Weekly Insightful, far-reaching and a joy to read, Gish Jen takes on the mystery of cultural difference, and succeeds in cracking the code. The Girl at the Baggage Claim answered questions I've been asking my whole life. -David Henry Hwang, playwright of M. Butterfly I honestly can't overstate how fascinating I found this book. It's shaken (in the best possible way) some of my basic assumptions about being a Self. -Jason Gots, producer of Big Think This book gives special proof to the belief that our best novelists are also our best psychologists. With characteristic wit and unfailing insight, Gish Jen creates a genre all her own-uniquely universal, deeply serious, and unselfconsciously joyous. -Maryanne Wolf, the John DiBiaggio Professor of Citizenship and Public Service at Tufts University, and author of Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain What a delightful exploration of ideas about how culture affects notions of the self. In her trademark lively and witty prose, Gish Jen not only limns non-Western views of the self but questions whether the Western self is really a natural way to be. A powerful, provocative work. -Michael Puett, the Walter C. Klein Professor of Chinese History at Harvard University, and author of The Path: What Chinese Philosophers Can Teach Us About the Good Life. Gish Jen draws on personal experience, interviews with experts, and her astute reading of both literature and social science to illuminate the crucial question of self in culture. Misunderstanding East-West differences can cost us in every way we know how to measure: in money, friendship, education, in the balance of power, and the fate of the planet. Th

In her first collection of stories since the acclaimed Who's Irish?, the beloved author of The Resisters refracts the fifty years since the opening of China through the lives of ordinary people. Beginning with a cheery, kindly letter penned by a Chinese girl in heaven to "poor Mr. Nixon" in hell, Gish Jen embarks on an eleven-story journey through U.S.-Chinese relations, capturing not only the excitement of a world on the brink of tectonic change, but the all-too-human encounters that ensue as East meets West.Opal Chen reunites with her sisters in China after a hiatus of almost forty years; American Arnie Hsu clashes with his Chinese girlfriend Lulu Koo, who wonders why Americans "like to walk around in the woods with the mosquitoes"; Tina and Johnson Koo take wholly surprising measures to reestablish contact when their "number one daughter," Bobby, stops answering her phone in New York; and Betty Koo, brought up on "no politics, just make money," finds she must square her mother's philosophy with the repression in Hong Kong.With their profound compassion, equally profound humor, and unexpected connections, these masterful stories reflect history's shifting shadow over our boldest decisions and most intimate moments. Gradually accruing the power of a novel as it proceeds, Thank You, Mr. Nixon furnishes yet more proof of Gish Jen's enduring place among the most eminent of American storytellers.

Exploring the intricate relationship between Eastern and Western philosophies, the book delves into the tension between self-sacrifice and self-definition. It raises profound questions about individual identity versus collective obligations, examining whether we are guided by larger entities such as family or religion, or if personal authenticity should reign supreme. Through these themes, it challenges readers to reflect on their values and the complexities of human connections in a globalized world.

The award-winning author of Thank You, Mr. Nixon and The Resisters delivers “[a] triumph of a novel.... Jen reflects America, at its best, its worst, its most vulnerable” (The Miami Herald), and asks deep questions about religion, love, home, and meaning. Hattie Kong, a retired teacher and a descendant of Confucius, has decided that it’s time to start over. She moves to the peaceful New England town of Riverlake, a place that once represented the rock-solid base of American life. Instead of quietude, Hattie discovers a town challenged by cell-phone towers, chain stores, and struggling farms. Soon Hattie is joined by an immigrant Cambodian family on the run, and—quite unexpectedly—Carter Hatch, a love from her past.

In the eight stories in this collection, the author looks at Chines-Maericans - old and young, parents and children, husbands and wives - making their way in 90s society. Life is not what it was a generation age, but has it got any easier?

The moving story of one family struggling to maintain their humanity in circumstances that threaten their every value—from the highly acclaimed, award-winning author of Thank You, Mr. Nixon. • “Intricately imagined … [It] grows directly out of the soil of our current political moment.” —The New York Times Book Review The time: not so long from now. The place: AutoAmerica, a country surveilled by one “Aunt Nettie,” a Big Brother that is part artificial intelligence, part internet, and oddly human—even funny. The people: divided. The “angelfair” Netted have jobs and, what with the country half under water, literally occupy the high ground. The Surplus live on swampland if they’re lucky, on water if they’re not. The story: To a Surplus couple—he once a professor, she still a lawyer—is born a girl, Gwen, with a golden arm. Her teens find her happily playing in an underground baseball league, but when AutoAmerica faces ChinRussia in the Olympics, Gwen finds herself in dangerous territory, playing ball with the Netted even as her mother battles this apartheid-like society in court.

In 1968, as ethnicity rises, teenaged Mona Chan surprises her parents by embracing Judaism, while other Chinese girls are becoming more culturally Chinese.

Focusing on the immigrant experience, this comic masterpiece explores the triumphs and challenges faced by newcomers in America. Through humor and keen insight, the author delves into the complexities of cultural adaptation and the pursuit of the American dream, showcasing the resilience and determination of those navigating their new lives.

Exploring the complexities of kinship, the narrative revolves around the Wong family, who navigate their diverse backgrounds, including Chinese and WASP heritages. The arrival of Lanlan, a resilient relative from Mainland China shaped by the Cultural Revolution, adds tension and intrigue. As she integrates into the family, her true intentions—whether as a caring nanny or a manipulative presence—are questioned, revealing deeper themes of identity and familial expectations. The novel combines humor with profound insights, offering a compelling examination of modern family dynamics.