Bad Asians - by Lillian Li (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Diana, Justin, Vivian, and Errol have been friends for as long as they can remember. They worked hard and went to good schools, but rather than finding post-grad dream jobs, they've reunited while moving back into their childhood bedrooms. A year out of college, they are still job-hunting in the shadow of the early aughts recession. The four of them could not be more different, but together, away from the watchful, gossiping eyes of their parents, they can be their true selves. When their frenemy, Grace, returns to North Potomac after dropping out of Harvard Law School to pursue documentary filmmaking, the group sees little harm in allowing her to tape them hanging out for a short film. Thinking their comments would never see the light of day, the quartet openly shares their opinions, mouthing off about parental pressures and revealing intimate truths. None of them expect Grace's video to amount to anything-how many people even watch YouTube, anyways? When the video goes viral (2 million views and counting), propelling Grace into filmmaking stardom, the rest of the "Bad Asians" are forced to grapple with the not-so-flattering caricatures of themselves captured in her documentary. Overnight, they are recognized on the street, constantly asked for selfies, and worse, ripped apart in the comments. Worse still, the video's notoriety and a desperate attempt at spin control push the crew even further away from building the lives they each desire. As they grow up and grow apart, the group of friends tries again and again to figure out who they are outside of one another. In Bad Asians, Lillian Li offers a thoughtful and engrossing exploration of Asian-American identity, childhood friendship, and the early days of navigating missteps in full view of the world. Li's tale also captures how youth and ambition offer no guarantees, and while sometimes friends drift away from each other to find themselves, if you're lucky, they come back"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

From the acclaimed author of Number One Chinese Restaurant comes an affecting novel about an unforgettable group of friends trying to make their way in the world without losing themselves, or one another.

Diana, Justin, Errol, and Vivian were always told that success is guaranteed by following a simple checklist. They worked hard, got A's, and attended a good university--only to graduate into the Great Recession of 2008. Now, despite their newly minted degrees, they're unemployed and stuck again under their parents' roofs in a hypercompetitive Chinese American community. So when Grace--once the neighborhood golden child, now a Harvard Law School dropout--asks to make a documentary about the crew, they agree. It's not like her little movie will ever see the light of day.

But then the video, Bad Asians, goes viral on an up-and-coming media platform (YouTube, anyone?). Suddenly, millions of people know them as cruel caricatures, each full of pent-up frustrations with the others. And after a desperate attempt at spin control further derails their plans for the lives they'd always imagined, the friends must face harsh truths about themselves and coming of age in the new millennium.

Lillian Li's novel wryly captures a generation shaped by the rise of the internet and the end of the American dream. An epic tale of friendship and family, Bad Asians asks, Can the same people who made you who you are end up keeping you from who you're meant to be?

Review Quotes

"Imbued with humor and sharp social commentary, the novel beautifully explores Asian American identity; economic instability; relationships as both anchor and buoy; the malleability of success; and the ways that ambition manifests itself for better or worse."
--Kirkus Reviews

"The four friends at the center of Bad Asians are bonded by the brutal pressures of their immigrant parents, racist schoolyard bullies, their crushing expectations of themselves, and their jealousy of local 'it girl' and parent dream-come-true Grace, who seems incapable of doing any wrong. But when a film Grace makes of them goes viral, their collective fame as "bad Asians" threatens to destroy their bonds forever. The ugly underbelly of internet notoriety--and whether or not it's survivable--is the riveting question Bad Asians explores. Lillian Li is an unsparing observer of our unsparing times."
--Susan Choi, National Book Award-winning author of Trust Exercise and Flashlight

"Bad Asians is a richly drawn and emotionally honest novel that explores the complex entanglements between friendship and family, ambition and happiness, and childhood and adulthood. Lillian Li's writing is poignant, funny, and filled with keen observations--in short, a perfect read for anyone trying to make sense of our unsettled times. A beautiful novel that made me think, gasp, and laugh."
--Angie Kim, New York Times bestselling author of Miracle Creek and Happiness Falls

"With richly drawn characters and fantastic insights into class, upward mobility, parental expectations, and the false promise of the American dream and the toll it takes on those who pursue it, this is an engaging, darkly comic and thoroughly contemporary page-turner--a remarkable novel!"
--J. Ryan Stradal, author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest and Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club

"Bad Asians is a sharp, propulsive novel about ambition, identity, and the bonds that shape us--whether we choose them or not. Lillian Li's masterful prose crackles with humor and insight, exploring the language of belonging--between cultures, generations, and the people we call friends. Bad Asians is a novel about the stories we tell ourselves and the ones we can never quite escape."
--Weike Wang, award-winning author of Chemistry and Rental House

"A smart, engrossing, beautifully observed examination of millennial friendship, social media and generational differences -- I loved it."
--Francesca Hornack, author of So Good to See You

"Li captures the tenderness and mess of youth. A book that reminds us how little we know about the people we treasure most. It made me want to call my oldest friends!"
--Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of Starling Days

"This is a story for all the formerly 'gifted and talented' kids, the ones who believed that careers, love, and success in adulthood were supposed to look a certain way . . . Bad Asians offers a delightful dose of nostalgia-and an affecting interrogation of the personas we put on, both online and in real life. Lillian Li asks: What slivers of yourself are you willing to share on the Internet, at a new job, to your family and closest friends? The beating heart of this book is a core group of friends who have known each other forever--who have the choreography of their collective meet-cute story down. Li beautifully captures the ebb and flow of friendship. These characters are messy in the best way; reading this novel was like catching up on the gossip of old classmates. You'll turn the pages with intrigue, and you'll find yourself rooting for them. Li excels at pinning down the habits of long companionship: the rhythm of the dialogue, the little barbs, the big disappointments, the enduring love. Bad Asians is a moving story about growing up and loosening your grip on the narratives you've held onto-but not necessarily the people who were there."
--Katie Yee, author of Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar

"A wild, propulsive ride of a novel that explores the damaging spiral of social media fame with razor sharp observations and dialogue. Bad Asians is also a touching coming of age story about old friends who are trying to find their place in the world as they navigate the pressures of parental expectations, changing values in a close-knit multi-generation Asian immigrant community, identity and trying to hold onto their bonds as they are tested in every way. A raw and uncompromisingly honest portrayal of belonging and chosen family."
--Emma Nanami Strenner, author of The Other Heart

About the Author

Lillian Li is the author of Number One Chinese Restaurant, which was long-listed for the Women's Prize for Fiction and the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Granta, and Travel + Leisure. She is from the DC metro area and lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.