1 of 1 copy available
“This book is exquisite and excruciating and I will be thinking about it for years and years to come.”—Rachel Kushner, New York Times bestselling author of The Flamethrowers and The Mars Room
One of the New York Times’s 100 Best Books of the 21st Century
In the eyes of eighteen-year-old Hua Hsu, the problem with Ken—with his passion for Dave Matthews, Abercrombie & Fitch, and his fraternity—is that he is exactly like everyone else. Ken, whose Japanese American family has been in the United States for generations, is mainstream; for Hua, the son of Taiwanese immigrants, who makes ’zines and haunts Bay Area record shops, Ken represents all that he defines himself in opposition to. The only thing Hua and Ken have in common is that, however they engage with it, American culture doesn’t seem to have a place for either of them.
But despite his first impressions, Hua and Ken become friends, a friendship built on late-night conversations over cigarettes, long drives along the California coast, and the successes and humiliations of everyday college life. And then violently, senselessly, Ken is gone, killed in a carjacking, not even three years after the day they first meet.
Determined to hold on to all that was left of one of his closest friends—his memories—Hua turned to writing. Stay True is the book he’s been working on ever since. A coming-of-age story that details both the ordinary and extraordinary, Stay True is a bracing memoir about growing up, and about moving through the world in search of meaning and belonging.
-
Creators
-
Publisher
-
Awards
-
Release date
September 27, 2022 -
Formats
-
OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593628195
- File size: 157805 KB
- Duration: 05:28:45
-
-
Languages
- English
-
Reviews
-
Starred review from June 6, 2022
New Yorker staff writer Hsu braids music, art, and philosophy in his extraordinary debut. As a second-generation Taiwanese American coming of age in 1990s Cupertino, Calif., Hsu traversed an evolving cultural climate with rebellious gusto, finding creative expression in zines and developing, as he writes, a “worldview defined by music.” At UC Berkeley Hsu met Ken, an extroverted, “mainstream” frat-brother whose only similarity to Hsu was that he was Asian American. Yet despite their differences, an unlikely friendship bloomed. In lyrical prose punctuated with photos, Hsu recalls smoke-filled conversations—from the philosophy of Heidegger to the failures of past relationships—trolling chat rooms and writing a movie script with Ken as they navigated a world teeming with politics and art, and basked in the uncertainty of a future both fearsome and enthralling. That future came to a harrowing end when Ken was murdered, leaving Hsu to fend for himself while unraveling the tragedy. As he recounts sinking into songs “of heartbreak and resurrection,” Hsu parses the grief of losing his friend and eloquently captures the power of friendship and unanswerable questions spurred in the wake of senseless violence. The result is at once a lucid snapshot of life in the nineties, an incredible story of reckoning, and a moving elegy to a fallen friend. -
Hua Hsu performs his heartfelt memoir about his friendship with Kevin, a Japanese American man killed in a carjacking while they were in college. Hsu describes his early college years as a young man who is determined to cultivate truly unique musical tastes, refusing to indulge in listening to popular artists. Kevin, in contrast, was a stereotypical preppy frat boy. But Kevin's chill nature balances Hsu's uptight persona. As Hsu delivers his gorgeous prose, his performance puts distance between himself and his own story. But in the rare moments his voice breaks with emotion, we can see the tender man beneath, grieving for his lost friend. Even with his slightly removed performance, Hsu's story is sure to soften even the most stoic of hearts. K.D.W. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine -
March 1, 2023
Hsu (A Floating Chinaman: Fantasy and Failure Across the Pacific) developed a close bond with classmate Ken Ishida while at Berkeley, despite his initial impression that Ken was too "mainstream." Hsu staked out a spot for himself in the social order that included dressing in thrifted clothing with a specific style, listening to music that was not particularly popular, and producing his own zines. Ken was Japanese American, and his family had lived in the United States for generations. In contrast, Hsu's parents came from Taiwan, and he spent time there after his father relocated for work. Hsu and Ken bonded over typical college shared experiences and became close. Then Ken was murdered in a carjacking, and Hsu's grief takes the focus. Reading his own work, Hsu gives a raw and soul-baring narration that immerses listeners in his suffering, guilt, and pain. This is a story that calls for the author to narrate, and listeners are fortunate that he is so good at it. VERDICT A deeply emotional memoir and an elegant tribute to an enduring friendship that was brutally cut short. Hsu's narration shines just ahead of his brilliant writing. Recommended for public libraries.--Christa Van Herreweghe
Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
-