by Eddie Huang
First published 2016
Eddie Huang has built a career as a celebrity chef, but success brings unexpected questions. After years in suburban America as part of a first-generation immigrant family, he starts doubting how genuinely Chinese he really is. Eddie decides to test himself against the source. He convinces his brothers Emery and Evan to join him on a journey to China, the country their ancestors left behind. Eddie wants to taste the best food China offers and see if his cooking skills can compete with local standards. But the trip becomes something bigger. He must reconnect with his cultural roots, mend damaged relationships with his family, and decide whether to marry his Italian-American girlfriend. The deeper Eddie travels into China, the more he realizes this journey will determine not just his identity but his entire future. This is a story about finding authenticity in a world that constantly challenges who you think you are.
Genres: family-life, biography-memoir, 21st-century, asian-american
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: China, America
Period: 21st Century
240 pages · Hardcover · Spiegel & Grau