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dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did, being Asian and also having experienced the loss of friends. I found it to be a bit of a personal journal that was all over the place, and heavily focused on the author's personal cultural preferences, music, movies, and "zines" (I swear if I hear that word one more time...) while growing up. Ken and his friends and his family seemed tangential. While there were some passages that were nostalgic and relatable, he mostly seemed like an "I'm more intellectual and superior to you mainstream sheeple" kinda guy in college, and unfortunately, this memoir reflected that persona that I'm allergic to.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
I'M SORRY FOR NOT LOVING THIS BOOK DON'T CANCEL MEEE 🙏 it's more of a 3.5 stars if that makes you feel better... i will start with good things first! ken seems like such a lovely person through the book and the way that hsu writes him makes you fall in love w him. he reminds me a lot of my favourite people's best traits. i really like how he discussed the nuances of experience of being asian american, especially the generational differences between him and his parents. i love the fax exchanges between him and his dad, which felt intimate and familiar to me. the last 20% or so of the book was definitely the strongest, particularly when he began journalling.
unfortunately, this has three book characteristics that i generally hate. firstly, as a teen and uni student, hsu is self-absorbed and pretentious, which is something that he makes obvious. this is reflected in how he describes ken and despite how they clearly care for one another, i just don't like how he viewed ken's hobbies and way of living as inferior. hsu and i don't think we'd get along as people at least at that age an i don't like reading about people i dislike. secondly, there were quite of themes introduced but none i felt truly got fleshed out. for such a short book, i wish hsu had focussed more about delving into these themes rather than commenting so much on what he was into, which felt repetitive and sometimes insignificant to me. thirdly, i have a problem with memoirs with a lack of personal reflection. i felt a lot of "ok and?" moments with the writing bc things would happen but there's little he would say about how that affects him as a person. as a result, i always felt a disconnection with the text throughout the reading process.
hua hsu writes very beautifully about culture and the asian american experience, which is what he is known for. he did win a pulitzer for this and i don't have a single literary prize so what do i know......
unfortunately, this has three book characteristics that i generally hate. firstly, as a teen and uni student, hsu is self-absorbed and pretentious, which is something that he makes obvious. this is reflected in how he describes ken and despite how they clearly care for one another, i just don't like how he viewed ken's hobbies and way of living as inferior. hsu and i don't think we'd get along as people at least at that age an i don't like reading about people i dislike. secondly, there were quite of themes introduced but none i felt truly got fleshed out. for such a short book, i wish hsu had focussed more about delving into these themes rather than commenting so much on what he was into, which felt repetitive and sometimes insignificant to me. thirdly, i have a problem with memoirs with a lack of personal reflection. i felt a lot of "ok and?" moments with the writing bc things would happen but there's little he would say about how that affects him as a person. as a result, i always felt a disconnection with the text throughout the reading process.
hua hsu writes very beautifully about culture and the asian american experience, which is what he is known for. he did win a pulitzer for this and i don't have a single literary prize so what do i know......
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
this one hit on nearly every level. emotionally resonant, intellectually engaging, thoughtfully written, memorable.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
5 ⭐️ I’ve started to shy away from rating memoirs. It feels weird to assign a star value to someone’s vulnerability about their lived experience based on my opinion of their writing. Disclaimer aside, this is one of the most moving works I’ve read this year.
In memoriam of his college friend who was senselessly murdered, Hsu reflects on friendship, identity, and coming of age. You can feel each sentence has been marinated in time. Reflected on, mulled over and reexamined in the decades since. How does an event like this color our memory? What moments do we read into and latch onto to for the sake making meaning of the unexplainable? I love reading about friendship and Hsu is an incredible storyteller. This was a beautiful way to honor Ken.
In memoriam of his college friend who was senselessly murdered, Hsu reflects on friendship, identity, and coming of age. You can feel each sentence has been marinated in time. Reflected on, mulled over and reexamined in the decades since. How does an event like this color our memory? What moments do we read into and latch onto to for the sake making meaning of the unexplainable? I love reading about friendship and Hsu is an incredible storyteller. This was a beautiful way to honor Ken.
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
I felt so moved by this that I now have a notes app note of quotes I typed out while listening.
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced