Description
"You're not allowed to have a girlfriend until college, my mother warned. And you'd better get into an Ivy League school!
David Tung Can't Get a Girlfriend Unless He Gets into an Ivy League College is the first official young adult novel from Ed Lin, author of the acclaimed novels Waylaid and This Is a Bust. Humorous and socially complex, the book tells the story of an Asian American New Jersey high-school student as he navigates multiple social circles as well as parental pressures to get As and conform to cultural norms and expectations. Amid these pressures from outside is the fear he will die alone, whether he gets into Harvard or not.
Exploring class tensions (for example, regular school in an upscale, Asian-majority suburb versus weekend Chinese school in working-class Chinatown) and contemporary social neuroses, David Tung Can't Get a Girlfriend is an already hotly anticipated book from an author whose debut novel, Waylaid, established him as a pioneering, provocative, welcome new voice in young adult fiction.
Ed Lin (born 1969), a journalist by training, is the author of several award-winning books, including: Waylaid, his literary debut; the Robert Chow crime series, set in 1970s Manhattan Chinatown (This Is a Bust, Snakes Can't Run and One Red Bastard); and the Taipei Night Market crime series (Ghost Month, Incensed and 99 Ways to Die). Lin is the first author to win three Asian American Literary Awards. He lives in New York with his wife, actress Cindy Cheung, and his son Walter.
Reviews
Ed Lin's YA-novel debut takes on coming-of-age in the Asian diaspora with a heartwarming and humorous exploration of race, class, young love, and the contradictory expectations of immigrant parents. -- Jayne S. * Dear Author *
Ed Lin's new book David Tung Can't Have A Girlfriend Until He Gets Into An Ivy League College is an exploration of much more than dating. Through humor, the book explores identity, traditions, social expectations, and stereotypes through the lens of a suburban New Jersey high school student. -- Editors * Teen Vogue *
[A]n updated coming of age story that brings hope to teens navigating the "in-between. -- Susan Bloomberg-Kason * Asian Review of Books *
I cringed, I cheered, I wished this book had been there for me as a teen. -- Jung Kim
A beautifully observed, hilariously truthful, uplifting coming-of-age story that captures the heart and humanity of a Chinese American male teenager. I am impressed and inspired by Ed Lin's achievement and wish I could've read this book when I was in high school. -- David Henry Hwang
Ed Lin's New Jersey is entirely Chinese American and way, way more complex and threatening than the Soprano's version of NJ. There are rich Chinese, really rich Chinese, Ivy League Chinese, super educated Chinese, and then there's David Tung who has never been on airplane, works in his family's Chinese restaurant, and ranks a shameful (according to his mother) number eight academically in his school. For Chinese American readers who survived high school, it's a hive-inducing horror movie from our past. -- Shawn Wong
With tender and hilarious insight, Ed Lin offers an irresistible tale of first love, complete with swooning crushes, tongue-tied blunders, overbearing-but-well-meaning parents, and an outrageous cast of supporting characters only New York and New Jerseycan produce. -- JJ Strong
You'll fall hard for David Tung, a high-achieving teen with a heart of gold. Lin writes with a keen sense of character; even the most minor characters spring alive off the page. -- Sheba Karim
You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll get straight A's. -- Chris L. Terry
David Tung is a nerd-hero readers will cheer on to the end. -- Marie Myung-Ok Lee
Book Information
ISBN 9781885030627
Author Ed Lin
Format Paperback
Page Count 240
Imprint Kaya Press
Publisher Kaya Press
David Tung Can't Get a Girlfriend Unless He Gets into an Ivy League College is the first official young adult novel from Ed Lin, author of the acclaimed novels Waylaid and This Is a Bust. Humorous and socially complex, the book tells the story of an Asian American New Jersey high-school student as he navigates multiple social circles as well as parental pressures to get As and conform to cultural norms and expectations. Amid these pressures from outside is the fear he will die alone, whether he gets into Harvard or not.
Exploring class tensions (for example, regular school in an upscale, Asian-majority suburb versus weekend Chinese school in working-class Chinatown) and contemporary social neuroses, David Tung Can't Get a Girlfriend is an already hotly anticipated book from an author whose debut novel, Waylaid, established him as a pioneering, provocative, welcome new voice in young adult fiction.
Ed Lin (born 1969), a journalist by training, is the author of several award-winning books, including: Waylaid, his literary debut; the Robert Chow crime series, set in 1970s Manhattan Chinatown (This Is a Bust, Snakes Can't Run and One Red Bastard); and the Taipei Night Market crime series (Ghost Month, Incensed and 99 Ways to Die). Lin is the first author to win three Asian American Literary Awards. He lives in New York with his wife, actress Cindy Cheung, and his son Walter.
Reviews
Ed Lin's YA-novel debut takes on coming-of-age in the Asian diaspora with a heartwarming and humorous exploration of race, class, young love, and the contradictory expectations of immigrant parents. -- Jayne S. * Dear Author *
Ed Lin's new book David Tung Can't Have A Girlfriend Until He Gets Into An Ivy League College is an exploration of much more than dating. Through humor, the book explores identity, traditions, social expectations, and stereotypes through the lens of a suburban New Jersey high school student. -- Editors * Teen Vogue *
[A]n updated coming of age story that brings hope to teens navigating the "in-between. -- Susan Bloomberg-Kason * Asian Review of Books *
I cringed, I cheered, I wished this book had been there for me as a teen. -- Jung Kim
A beautifully observed, hilariously truthful, uplifting coming-of-age story that captures the heart and humanity of a Chinese American male teenager. I am impressed and inspired by Ed Lin's achievement and wish I could've read this book when I was in high school. -- David Henry Hwang
Ed Lin's New Jersey is entirely Chinese American and way, way more complex and threatening than the Soprano's version of NJ. There are rich Chinese, really rich Chinese, Ivy League Chinese, super educated Chinese, and then there's David Tung who has never been on airplane, works in his family's Chinese restaurant, and ranks a shameful (according to his mother) number eight academically in his school. For Chinese American readers who survived high school, it's a hive-inducing horror movie from our past. -- Shawn Wong
With tender and hilarious insight, Ed Lin offers an irresistible tale of first love, complete with swooning crushes, tongue-tied blunders, overbearing-but-well-meaning parents, and an outrageous cast of supporting characters only New York and New Jerseycan produce. -- JJ Strong
You'll fall hard for David Tung, a high-achieving teen with a heart of gold. Lin writes with a keen sense of character; even the most minor characters spring alive off the page. -- Sheba Karim
You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll get straight A's. -- Chris L. Terry
David Tung is a nerd-hero readers will cheer on to the end. -- Marie Myung-Ok Lee
Book Information
ISBN 9781885030627
Author Ed Lin
Format Paperback
Page Count 240
Imprint Kaya Press
Publisher Kaya Press
