On Hawaiian days, Asian American Stories, and GP
Hello from Hawaii.
It’s officially family vacation time so I’ll keep this short and sweet.
I have to admit, it’s hard for me to maintain boundaries between vacation and work, especially as a freelancer. I know. I need to put a stake int the ground and just say no. I’m working on it and have actually put away my computer for the better part of the week. Remember when that used to be the norm? Le sigh.
Finally, Asian-American stories
My head has been buried in books on vacation. I’ve burned through both Crazy Rich Asians and China Rich Girlfriend and am about to move on to the last book in the series—Rich People Problems. At first, I was skeptical about reading these books. I thought that they would just pander to Asian stereotypes but there was something different about them.
While my family is in no way on the same financial playing field as these characters (not by a long shot), I felt like these books told a story that was so familiar and so relatable. It was the first time that I felt seen, that characters in a book (and soon a movies) were tellings stories that resonated with my own experience and culture and crazy family dynamics. It’s what also drew me to the books like Emergency Contact and the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series. Here were stories centered around Asian American characters and families in a way that wasn’t just about telling the trite immigrant story. I saw and felt familiar characters and emotions that I haven't seen before.
Constance Wu, the actor who one of the leads in the film Crazy Rich Asians, wrote about why this role (and her work on the ABC series Fresh Off the Boat) means so much to her. I wish that I had these books (and movies) growing up and I’m excited to see and hear more Asian American voices.
What I’ve Been Reading
By now, you’ve probably read the New York Times Magazine feature on Gwyneth Paltrow and Goop by Taffy Brodesser-Akner. If you haven’t, go read it. It’s brilliantly written and brings up a lot of questions about the “wellness” industry.
But Taffy’s piece has also spawned several other interesting threads like this one on the behind-the-scenes of what it takes to pull off a celebrity profile like this; this one on how Gwyneth originally planned to do a Goop magazine with Conde Nast but the deal broke down because Conde insisted that all article be fact-checked and the undervalued role of fact checkers; and this one from Taffy about how people are drawn to wellness because they just want to feel better.
Other things I’ve read and enjoyed:
Battling Pain Both Physical and Mental, Missy Franklin Finds Hope (NYTimes): "Franklin, once the seemingly always exuberant girl so many predicted would be the next Michael Phelps, now finds herself trying to climb up from the deep, dark depths."
No, Running Isn’t Always the Best Therapy (Runner’s World): Nope, not always.
Delete your account (Fast Company): Should you?
The Break (The California Sunday Magazine): A look at the female big-wave surfers preparing to compete on Maverick’s 50-foot waves for the first time
Leave No Trace in the Digital Era (Just a Colorado Gal): In many ways, the social media has opened our eyes to so many amazing and beautiful places but it’s causing significant impact on wild spaces.
Here Comes the Sunscreen (NY Times): hahaha This sums up my life as a mom every single summer.
The Comedian Forcing Standup to Confront the #MeToo Era (The New Yorker): Nanette, Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby’s special on Netflix: It seems like everyone is talking about this. It has all the trappings of a stand-up comedy special but it subverts the whole genre and calls out its traditional devices like self-deprecating humor and humiliation. It’s great and uncomfortable.
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