by Ke Huy Quan
First published 2026
Ke Huy Quan survived the escape from Communist Northern Vietnam as a child, only to find himself thrust into Hollywood stardom at age twelve. His family had settled in Los Angeles Chinatown when an impromptu audition changed everything. Soon he was learning to swim from Harrison Ford during Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom filming, receiving birthday gifts from Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, and befriending the cast of The Goonies. But success proved fleeting. Roles disappeared as Quan aged out of child stardom, forcing him into behind-the-scenes work for directors like Wong Kar Wai. His confidence crumbled even as his passion for performance endured. Decades passed before he returned to acting at 49 in Everything Everywhere All at Once, a small independent film that became a cultural phenomenon and earned him an Oscar. Quan reveals the full arc of his remarkable journey, from his family's refugee experience through his early Hollywood peak, the long wilderness years of rejection, and his ultimate vindication on the Academy Awards stage.
Genres: biography, autobiography, memoir, non-fiction, biography-memoir, film
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, rags-to-riches
Setting: China, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Vietnam
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
256 pages · Hardcover · Grand Central Publishing