Virtual Book Club: Interior Chinatown hosted by Charles Yu

As a book club partner, A4 has 25 registrations reserved for A4 community members! First come, first serve!

To register as an A4 community member, select ‘book club partner organization’ and write in ‘A4’ at checkout.

Join Asia Society for a virtual book club led by author Charles Yu to discuss his book Interior Chinatown. A 2020 National Book Award Winner and New York Times Bestseller, the deeply personal novel is about race, pop culture, immigration, assimilation, and escaping the roles we are forced to play.

Gather with others online to reflect, discuss, and connect after diving into Interior Chinatown. We will start with an introduction from book club host Yu, followed by discussion in smaller groups of book club participants. Finally, all are invited to join in conversation and Q&A with the host. Our book club provides a welcoming virtual space for authentic and humanizing connections, including meaningful and fun conversations, and the opportunity to meet others with shared interests. Please feel free to join even if you haven’t read the entire book.

About the book
Willis Wu doesn’t perceive himself as the protagonist in his own life: he’s merely Generic Asian Man. Sometimes he gets to be Background Oriental Making a Weird Face or even Disgraced Son, but always he is relegated to a prop. Yet every day, he leaves his tiny room in a Chinatown SRO and enters the Golden Palace restaurant, where Black and White, a procedural cop show, is in perpetual production. He’s a bit player here, too, but he dreams of being Kung Fu Guy—the most respected role that anyone who looks like him can attain. Or is it?

After stumbling into the spotlight, Willis finds himself launched into a wider world than he’s ever known, discovering not only the secret history of Chinatown but the buried legacy of his own family. Infinitely inventive and deeply personal, exploring the themes of pop culture, assimilation, and immigration—Interior Chinatown is Charles Yu’s most moving, daring, and masterful novel yet.

Full description of the book and purchase options here, including e-book and audio options for immediate access. E-book copies may also be available to borrow from your local library.

This is a members-only event. Members must register to participate.

This event is co-hosted with The Asian American Writers’ Workshop (AAWW). Our book club partners include Asian American Arts Alliance.