Episode #224: How to be OK when the world is not with John Cho
Grace and Alvina welcome special guest, actor John Cho (author of TROUBLEMAKER) and they talk about how to be okay and live when the world is not okay. They touch on themes of poverty and war and discuss an article that offers tips on how to respond rather than react.
How are you?
Grace and Alvina just returned from seeing Billy Joel and Depeche Mode at Madison Square Garden! (Two separate concerts!) Grace had a wonderful book signing at Yu and Me Books. John recently returned form a trip to Korea where he visited his childhood home with his parents.
How to be OK when the world is not
How can we not be overwhelmed by injustice? John talks about the roadblocks in life that frustrate him and consume him. The book friends talk about the Maui wildfires, charity fundraisers, and the difference between reacting vs. responding to negative things in the world.
The book friends talk about the Scholastic Book Fairs drama and how collective action can make a difference in some cases. We have to look smaller to start making changes. Alvina mentions this helpful Psychology Today article, “Instructions For Living in a World on Fire". John talks about quality of life these days vs. his parent’s generation. “It feels like we are all sort of floating.”
The point of all this depressing stuff is to figure out how to live within it all! The only time that John feels good is when he’s engaged with a piece of art, a good movie, or a good book etc… Grace talks about the importance of art in general.
Fortune Cookie Segment!
What are our favorite concerts and who would want to see next!?
Grace’s claim to fame is that she saw Radiohead in a small venue before they were big! Jonathan Richmond was her favorite concert. (Plus the Billy Joel concert with box seats that she just went to with Alvina!) Grace would love to see The Cure and Tori Amos.
John had the most fun at a U2 concert when he snuck back stage! He also had the best time at a Beatles tribute band. He would really love to take his son to see Bruce Springsteen.
Alvina loved seeing Adele! The most religious experience she’s had at a concert: seeing Bon Jovi at MSG and hearing the entire crowd sing along to “Livin’ On a Prayer”. Alvina would love to see Kelly Clarkson some day!
Gratefuls
Grace is grateful for people coming to her Yu and Me book event. Grace is very grateful for her friend Debbi Michiko Florence! John is grateful for being able to visit his family in Korea and that they still accepted him as family. Alvina is grateful for both Grace and John for being able to talk about this topic because she’s actually feeling a lot better about things! Fall 2024 season was launched and Alvina is grateful that it went well!
THANK YOU!
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.)
You can find Alvina @Planetalvina on Twitter and TikTok and @Alvinaling on Instagram and Threads, @alvinaling on BlueSky
You can find Grace @Pacylin on Instagram and Threads, @authorgracelin on Facebook, @gracelinauthor on TikTok, and @authorgracelin on BlueSky Social!
You can find John @johnthecho on Instagram and Twitter.
Please keep tagging and messaging us on social media using the hashtag #bookfriendsforever! OR email us at bookfriendsforever@gmail.com! Please let us know if you have any topic ideas!
