Become a member of the Now Read This book club by joining our Facebook group, or by signing up to our newsletter. Learn more about the book club here.
Our February 2021 pick for Now Read This, the PBS NewsHour's book club with The New York Times, is Charles Yu's "Interior Chinatown," which won the 2020 National Book Award for fiction.
This satirical novel centers around Willis Wu, an Asian actor who is typecast to fill Hollywood stereotypes in television such as "Generic Asian Man" or "Background Oriental Making a Weird Face." He has a small part on a cop show called "Black and White," but dreams of one day playing "Kung Fu Guy," which he sees as the "pinnacle" role he could be offered.
"Ever since you were a boy, you've dreamt of being Kung Fu Guy," Yu writes. "You're not Kung Fu Guy. But maybe, just maybe, tomorrow will be the day."
Written as a teleplay, the novel offers a darkly humorous commentary on racism and representation in the entertainment industry.
Yu, who has written for television shows including "Westworld," has "showcased his ability to revitalize familiar tropes like time travel" in previous works such as his 2010 novel, "How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe," wrote Jeff VanderMeer in a New York Times book review. In "Interior Chinatown," he "expands upon this approach in brilliant and unexpected ways."
Yu will join the PBS NewsHour to answer your questions at the end of the month. We hope you'll read along.
READ MORE: National Book Awards honor Charles Yu's 'Interior Chinatown,' Malcolm X biography
Sustain our coverage of culture, arts and literature.
Canvas supported by
Knight Foundation
Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
On August 12, 2022, Salman Rushdie, one of the world's best-known writers, was attacked and nearly killed by a young…
Creative Growth is an art center in Oakland that supports artists with disabilities. The center has artworks in museums across…
A scholar highlights some of the most interesting versions of the Passover text, from sumptuous engravings to stick-figure sketches, and…
The 1920s silent film star who appears on Taylor Swift's new album "The Tortured Poets Department" abruptly left Hollywood at…
The NBA has banned Toronto two-way player Jontay Porter after a league probe found he disclosed confidential information to sports…
The new film "Civil War" is stirring debate and provoking conversation about where a divided nation could lead. It topped…
A movie weapons supervisor has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by…
PEN's response to Israel's invasion of Gaza has been widely criticized by writers who believe the organization has failed to…
Faith Ringgold, an award-winning author and artist who broke down barriers for Black female artists and became famous for her…
Entrepreneur and author Derrick Fennell has been a flight attendant for more than 14 years. Many of his passengers know…
The Italian-born designer became renowned in the early 1970s for his animal prints and a sexy Italian style that remained…
More than 4,000 library book bans were attempted in public and school libraries in 2023, according to the American Library…
The decorated football star who was acquitted of charges he killed his former wife and her friend but wound up…
In the summer of 2022, historic flooding in eastern Kentucky washed away homes and entire communities, claiming more than 40…
Her latest album, the epic "Act ll: Cowboy Carter," hit No. 1 on the Billboard country albums chart, making her…