Generations
Unlearning the Shame of Living with My Parents As an Adult
I’m already leading a different life than the nuclear family I’d envisioned. There’s freedom in stepping away from that, but I find it uncomfortable too.
The Story of My Father’s Hands
In that motel room I saw my father forever altered, with lasting wounds, like the scar on one of his hands—hands I’d studied and knew by heart.
The Stink of Motherhood
After a few moments of fawning and cooing, I interjected from outside the circle with a shy raised hand: “Hi, I’m the mom.”
Becoming My Family’s Partition Archivist
Maybe it’s unnatural to talk to my grandparents about Partition like an anthropologist rather than a granddaughter.
The Mango Missile Crisis
After her arrest, I started to understand. All the racist slights and foolish men my mother had endured. More reasons to be angry than I could count.
Midcentury Modern
I find myself looking at the same memories with new eyes now that you’re gone.
Dear Imo: A Letter from the Korean Diaspora
I made a promise, too, that I would bring her back to you.
When Chickens Hatch
Helen Young Chang on remembered racism, both explicit and subtle, and what her parents brought from Taiwan to Southern California.
My Ancestors’ Mission to Lighten Our Bloodline Ends With Me
My kin may have erased themselves, but I won’t erase them. Just as I may be their wildest dreams, they are also mine.
I Tried to Buy Self-Worth and All I Got Was Credit Card Debt
I dug my hole trying to keep up with a social calendar I couldn’t afford, which is often what happens when you feel like you don’t belong on the social calendar to begin with.