In this debut collection, she conjures the disturbing and often hilarious experience of adolescence through the eyes of chinese american girls growing up in new york city. Excerpt from sour heart by jenny zhang, story read by the author. Sour heart offers a fierce, fresh take on the hell of coming to. Jenny zhangs obscene, beautiful, moving story collection. She has published a collection of poetry called dear jenny, we are all find and a nonfiction chapbook called hags. Theyve made a savvy choice with their opening literary salvo. Jenny zhang s sour heart is a book full of quiet stories, the type that dont instantly garner widespread notoriety. Jul 31, 2017 jenny zhang on sour heart, her debut book with lena dunham. Whenever im home for a few days, i start to feel this despair at being back in the place where i had spent so many afternoon. The fictional narrators are all young girls who are navigating adolescence while becoming americans.
Jenny zhangs astounding shortstory collection, sour heart, combines ingenious and tightly controlled technical artistry with an unfettered emotional directness that frequently moves. Author jenny zhangs new book sour heart links seven short stories about a community of chinese immigrants living in contemporary new york city. I first picked up jenny zhang s debut short story collection sour heart because i heard that it was about daughters of chinese immigrants who lived in new york city. Like i long to come home, but now, i will always come home to my family as a visitor, and that weighs on me, reverts me back into the teenager i was, but instead of insisting that i want everyone to leave me alone, what i want now is for someone to beg me to. Fuelled by jenny zhangs singular voice and sly humour, sour heart introduces a bright new force in literary fiction. Jul 31, 2017 jenny zhang s short story collection sour heart is the first book from lenny, the new literary imprint from lena dunham. Excerpt from sour heart by jenny zhang, story read by the. Jenny zhangs short story collection sour heart is the first book from lenny, the new literary imprint from lena dunham.
Sour heart is a fitting title for jenny zhangs debut collection, whose seven stories offer sharp, unflinching but ultimately charitable portraits of chinese immigrant families in the us. Jenny zhang is a dang good writer and i had already read a few of her short stories before sour heart was released. Jenny zhang is the author of my baby first birthday tin house books, 2020, sour heart random house, 2017, and dear jenny, we are all find octopus books, 2012. Aug 01, 2017 a sly debut story collection that conjures the experience of adolescence through the eyes of chinese american girls growing up in new york cityfor readers of zadie smith, helen oyeyemi, and. Whenever im home for a few days, i start to feel this despair at being back in the place where.
She is the author of a poetry collection, dear jenny, we are all find, and a collection of poems and essays, the selected jenny zhang. Sour heart offers a fierce, fresh take on the hell of coming to america the stories in jenny zhang s powerful debut collection center on the violent, sometimes disturbing experiences of young. The first collection of short stories by poet and essayist zhang dear jenny, we are all find. Jenny zhangs sour heart, the first book published by the lenny books imprint at random house, is out the first day of august and has garnered advance praise from janet mock, tavi gevinson, and miranda july. Aug 14, 2017 jenny zhangs astounding shortstory collection, sour heart, combines ingenious and tightly controlled technical artistry with an unfettered emotional directness that frequently moves. Meet jenny zhang, author of the first title from lenny books share this story with your world. So if youre hesitant to pick up a short story collection, go read a few online by jenny zhang.
Jenny zhangs story collection sour heart begins with something you dont see often in fiction. Meet jenny zhang, author of the first title from lenny books. Its the inaugural publication from the lenny letter imprint and also the most personally impactful collection of stories ive read by someone who looks, sounds, and thinks like me. Sour heart, a collection of seven short stories from brooklyn poet jenny zhang, who, we can safely say, is a voice of a. In my days and nights of terror, mande, a chinese immigrant, is made fun of by korean classmates for her accent. A sly debut story collection that conjures the experience of adolescence through the eyes of chinese american girls growing up in new york. Booktopia sour heart by jenny zhang, 9781408892404. Praise for sour heart jenny zhang s comingofage tales are coarse and funny, sweet and sour, told in language thats roughhewn yet pulsating with energy.
I first picked up jenny zhangs debut short story collection sour heart because i heard that it was about daughters of chinese immigrants who lived in new york. Jenny zhangs sour heart, her debut story collection, was published on august 1 and is the first book released by lenny, the new random house imprint launched in partnership with lena dunham and jenni konner writer jessica mizzi posted a conversation with zhang on signature, a penguin random house online vertical that provides readers with unique points of view built atop a literary. Sour heart offers a fierce, fresh take on the hell of coming to america the stories in jenny zhangs powerful debut collection center on the violent, sometimes disturbing experiences of. Praise for sour heart jenny zhangs comingofage tales are coarse and funny, sweet and sour, told in language thats roughhewn yet pulsating with energy. How jenny zhang discovered her literary fairy godmother in. Jul 23, 2017 sour heart by jenny zhang is published by bloomsbury. I had admired zhangs writing ever since her scathing takedown of michael derrick hudsons unforgivable act of literary yellowface in 2015, and i was excited because i sensed in sour heart a new frontier for zhang, a victory. Excerpt reading by author jenny zhang from her debut book. A darkly funny and intimate rendering of girlhood, sour heart examines what it means to belong to a family, to find your home, leave it, reject it, and return again. This first collection of short stories by zhang, a poet dear jenny, we are all find, 2012, focuses on immigration and the interiority of the teenage experience. Jenny zhangs obscene, beautiful, moving story collection, sour.
Meet jenny zhang, author of the first title from lenny. Jenny zhangs astounding shortstory collection, sour heart, combines ingenious and tightly controlled technical artistry with an unfettered emotional directness that frequently moves, within single sentences, from overwhelming beauty to abject pain. Jul 26, 2017 writer and poet jenny zhang on sour heart, a visceral portrait of chineseamerican girls in new york in the 90s. Writer and poet jenny zhang on sour heart, a visceral portrait of chineseamerican girls in new york in the 90s. Aug 18, 2017 sour heart offers a fierce, fresh take on the hell of coming to america the stories in jenny zhangs powerful debut collection center on the violent, sometimes disturbing experiences of young. How jenny zhang discovered her literary fairy godmother in lena dunham the poet and essayists debut shortstory collection, sour heart, hits shelves. About the author jenny zhang was born in shanghai and raised in new york. Jenny zhang born 1983 is an american writer, poet, and prolific essayist based in brooklyn, new york. A fresh new voice emerges with the arrival of sour heart, establishing jenny zhang as a frank and subversive interpreter of the. From 2011 to 2014, zhang wrote extensively for rookie. In a move i will go ahead and describe as audacious, zhang employs just a.
Jenny zhang on sour heart, her debut book with lena dunhams. Jenny zhangs story collection sour heart the minnesota. One focus of her work is on the chinese american immigrant identity and experience in the united states. Aug 26, 2017 theyve made a savvy choice with their opening literary salvo. This book is the first from the random house imprint, lenny, which is curated by lena dunham. Jenny zhangs raw sour heart is an unforgettable debut. The collections organizing theme is familial love that warps a person beyond all. Sour heart offers a fierce, fresh take on the hell of coming to america fresh air.
Sour heart by jenny zhang overdrive rakuten overdrive. In her book sour heart, jenny zhang arrives as a chinese. Sour heart examines bittersweet challenges of growing up. Jenny zhangs astounding short story collection, sour heart, combines ingenious and tightly controlled technical artistry with an unfettered emotional directness that frequently moves, within single sentences, from overwhelming beauty to abject pain new yorker the writing is vibrant, the smells of the city vivid. Dec 17, 2018 heres an excerpt from her awardwinning book, sour heart. I first picked up jenny zhangs debut short story collection sour heart because i heard that it was about daughters of chinese immigrants who lived in new york city. Her stories cut across generations and continents, moving from the fraught halls of a public school in flushing, queens, to the tumultuous streets of shanghai, china, during the. A fresh new voice emerges with the arrival of sour heart, establishing jenny zhang as a frank and subversive interpreter of the immigrant experience in america. Sour heart offers a fierce, fresh take on the hell of. Sour heart by jenny zhang, read by various audiobook excerpt duration. Sour heart by jenny zhang, read by various audiobook excerpt. Jenny zhang on sour heart, her debut book with lena dunham. Stories, a book that illuminates the lives of six young chinese immigrant girls wrestling with what defines their history, family, womanhood, friendships, and themselves. I had admired zhang s writing ever since her scathing takedown of michael derrick hudsons unforgivable act of literary yellowface in 2015, and i was excited because i sensed in sour heart a new frontier for zhang, a victory.
August 18, 2017 the stories in jenny zhangs powerful debut collection center on the violent, sometimes. Like i long to come home, but now, i will always come home to my family as a. I will never forget the first time i read jenny zhang i was stunned, moved and quite frankly a little jealous this book takes jennys voice to a new level i hope you love sour heart as much as i do lena dunhamcentred on a community of immigrants who have traded their endangered lives as artists in china and taiwan for the constant struggle of life at the poverty line in. Writer and poet jenny zhangs debut short story collection about the experiences.
But by the time jenny leaves for college, her bro, emotionally naturalised in the us of a, will only speak to her if her mother pays him a few bucks. Oct 19, 2017 but by the time jenny leaves for college, her bro, emotionally naturalised in the us of a, will only speak to her if her mother pays him a few bucks. The first book published by lena dunham and jenni konners lenny imprint in the. From the big sister who wants to be free of her closeknit family life to the young girl who fears speaking english in public, these small. A sly debut story collection that conjures the experience of adolescence through the eyes of chinese american girls growing up in new york cityfor readers of zadie smith, helen oyeyemi, and. Jenny zhangs raw sour heart is an unforgettable debut collection. Jul 31, 2017 how jenny zhang discovered her literary fairy godmother in lena dunham the poet and essayists debut shortstory collection, sour heart, hits shelves tomorrow via the newly launched lenny book. Sep, 2017 jenny zhangs story collection sour heart begins with something you dont see often in fiction.
Each story is woven together with brief past encounters or relationships, giving way to individual journeys. Heres an excerpt from her awardwinning book, sour heart. Sour heart maps various roads to agency, some of which depend on the stabilizing rock of family. The stories in jenny zhangs powerful debut collection center on the violent, sometimes disturbing experiences of young chineseamerican. The millions jenny zhang s sour heart is a revelation. The selfhatred is both ironic and hypocritical, evident in mandes fellow immigrants and herself. Jenny zhangs sour heart, her debut story collection, was published on august 1 and is the first book released by lenny, the new random house imprint launched in partnership with lena dunham and jenni konner. A frank depiction of poverty and budding sexuality told through interconnected stories narrated by the daughters of chinese immigrants.
Jenny zhangs sour heart is a book full of quiet stories, the type that dont instantly garner widespread notoriety. Greta jung a sly debut story collection that conjures the experience of adolescence through the eyes of chinese american girls growing up in new york cityfor readers of zadie smith, helen oyeyemi, and junot. Zhang is a powerful fiction writer who offers an intimate look at girlhood. Jenny zhangs characters and scenic precision stand out in her debut collection of short stories, sour heart. Stephanie newman talks with jenny zhang about her new short story collection, sour heart. Its the inaugural publication from the lenny letter imprint and also the most personally impactful collection of stories. Zhang, the poet and writer, has written a stunning, undulating collection of stories about girlhood in new york. Fuelled by jenny zhang s singular voice and sly humour, sour heart introduces a bright new force in literary fiction. The millions jenny zhangs sour heart is a revelation. Then come back and read her debut collection because youll now adore her.
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