BFF_logo1.png

the Book Friends Forever Podcast

Children's book publishing’s secrets are revealed as we listen in on fascinating, unguarded, insider discussion from two uniquely qualified best friends: award-winning author/illustrator Grace Lin, and one of NYC’s top editors, Alvina Ling. Go behind the scenes of kid lit and catch a glimpse of the lives of the best-selling author and editor, and the relationship between them.

Episode #155: Chop Suey! Model Minority, Barnes & Noble, and Embarrassing Our Child Selves

Episode #155: Chop Suey! Model Minority, Barnes & Noble, and Embarrassing Our Child Selves

Jess Justice
 

Welcome back! Grace and Alvina talk about the term "model minority" and how Asian Americans are depicted in children's literature, they discuss the revolution of Barnes & Noble, and also talk about what parts of their lives now would their child selves be embarrassed by.

Don’t forget! You can now order Grace’s limited edition autographed 12" x 18" double-sided poster featuring artwork by Grace Lin commemorating the Newbery Award Centenniel for The Horn Book Magazine. You can purchase them at the Eric Carle Museum and help support Everylibrary.org! Order HERE!

How have you been?

Alvina has been super busy with work deadlines. She watched Eurovision recently and talks about the new mask recommendation from the government so she is fully remote now.

Grace did her first airplane trip to Tucson but it did not go well for various reasons! The conference itself went really well though. She is questioning wether or not she can continue plane travel events and is looking into First Class or Business Class. Grace got her hair done for her birthday.

Chop Suey!: Random Topics Discussed

  • Model Minority: Grace and Alvina talk about exceptionalism in Asian American culture and books that highlight very successful and accomplished Asian Americans. They discuss how this can be problematic such as perpetuating the myth the narrative that Asian Americans have to be super accomplished and well behaved. They talk about the myth that marganilized people have to prove they are good enough to be here. Also written about in Stamped by Ibram X. Kendi.

  • Barnes & Noble: Discussion of the New York Times article, “How Barnes & Noble went from Villain to Hero.” Not sure it’s become the hero but nobody is scared of them like they used to be and nobody wishes them to fail. The article talks about how the chain store has changed under the new ownership and book buyers vs. managers. The book friends talk about how B&N has decided to not support most middle grade hard covers but will support more paperbacks.

  • What is something about our lives now that would horrify our child selves: Grace thought more about her teenage years. The biggest thing would be “how much of a dork I still am” (Like buying clothes from L.L. Bean) Also grace says, “I think my teen self would be horrified by how much public speaking I do now!” Alvina would also agree that public speaking would horrify her younger self and also that fact that she doesn’t read anymore actually! On a serious note, she also thinks her younger self would be surprised that she did not become a mother yet.

Alison Morris -What we should be reading!

Alison Morris is a nationally recognized children's book buyer with an infectious enthusiasm for reading and 20 years' experience matching books to readers. As the Senior Director of Title Selection for nonprofit First Book, she oversees the curation of children’s and young adult books on the First Book Marketplace, hand-selecting a diverse range of titles that speak to and address the needs of kids in underserved communities, with a keen eye to inclusion, authenticity, and kid-appeal. She previously served as Senior Editor at Scholastic Book Clubs, Children's Book Buyer for Wellesley Booksmith and The Dartmouth Bookstore, and was the founding blogger of the ShelfTalker children’s book blog for Publishers Weekly. She'll be joining us from her home near Washington, DC where she spends LOTS of time discussing books with her husband, illustrator and graphic novelist Gareth Hinds.

 

Gratefuls!

Alison is grateful for world travel after just returning from an incredible trip to Greece and she is also grateful for health care workers who are working with her father right now.

Alvina is grateful for her Eurovision watching tradition with her friends!

Grace is grateful for NOT traveling and being home. She’s appreciating all of the flowers in her yard and not having COVID!

Other books and media mentioned in this episode:

*If you’re a patron, don’t forget to check out this week’s Random Questions feed! Authors Nicole Tadgell and Grace Lin answer the random question: “What is your favorite item that you’ve bought this year?” Click here to listen! If you’re not a patron already, join today!

Thank you for tuning in! Thank you to Hachette Audio, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, and Alex at Pacyworks Studio for producing and editing this podcast. Be sure to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and tell a friend about us. (Use the hashtag #bookfriendsforever.)

Episode #156: Taiwanese Identity!

Episode #156: Taiwanese Identity!
Episode #154: Music!

Episode #154: Music!

Related Posts