August Resources and Recommendations
Pssst. Just five more days to apply for the Boldly Bicultural program! If you are a paid subscriber you get $100 off the program!
We have 5 spots left and applications close on September 3! I am so thrilled by the diversity of experiences, backgrounds and ages. I am so excited! (And participants are getting merch!) Check out who’s in the first cohort:
I also want you all to be the first to know about the WEST COAST book tour for BUT WHAT WILL PEOPLE SAY? I’ll be hitting Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Stanford in one week! I hope to see you there. You can learn more or get tickets for ticketed events here:
What I’ve read this past month
Can’t We Be Friends — I loved this historical novel about Marilyn Monroe and Ella Fitzgerald’s real friendship.
It’s Elementary — I love cozy mysteries but this one that had racial undertones about a Black mom in the PTA was incredible! I loved it.
Black Cake — I loved this intergenerational novel about a family in the Caribbean. Two estranged siblings delve into their mother's hidden past--and how it all connects to her traditional Caribbean black cake.
The Manicurist’s Daughter — This was a great memoir but a slow read as it felt heavy to me. It’s brave and raw and is about Lieu’s story of finding out what happened to her mom, reconnecting to her family, and rooting into her own identity over many years.
What I’ve watched this past month
Kevin Can F* Himself— I just started this series on Netflix and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It switches between a sitcom and a drama series and is based on a sitcom wife’s life (and all the tropes involved in that) and how she is clawing her way out of that life.
Black Cake — I ended up watching the series after reading the book and have to say, the book is so much better.
Wellmania — I loved this quick and witty series on an Australian woman’s journey to “wellness” — and all the drama and humor that comes with it — after being stuck in Australia because her visa got taken away due to a “health crisis.” Super binge-worthy and anxiety free!
I also am watching Didi tonight and can’t wait! Here’s the synopsis: In 2008, during the last month of summer before high school begins, an impressionable 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy learns what his family can't teach him: how to skate, how to flirt, and how to love his mom.
It’s very much a love letter to Asian American kids growing up in America and figuring it all out.
Other things I found fascinating or interesting:
ChatGPT is taking over immigrant kids’ least favorite chore. Also, I hear from a lot of you on the burden of financially supporting your family and I thought this was a good read: How to financially support your family and not go broke. I loved this podcast episode
recorded on Dinky about being a South Asian woman who is child-free by choice. This raw, honest, poignant piece about the ever-evolving state of friendships really spoke to me. So many of us can relate to carrying family secrets and I loved this Ask a therapist column by Lori Gottlieb on the topic.I’m really digging this new TED series on intersectionality and identity. Here’s the first episode:
See you in September where we are going to explore anger and resentment in our family dynamics!