The Manicurist's Daughter

Susan Lieu

$49.99

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

St Martin's Press
11 June 2024

Memoirs; Refugees & political asylum; Black & Asian studies; Coping with death & bereavement; Intergenerational relationships

"Susan Lieu has long been searching for answers. About her family's past, and about her own future. Refugees from the Vietnam War, Susan's family escaped to California in the 1980s after five failed attempts. Upon arrival, they became experts at the ""refugee hustle."" Susan's mother was their savvy, beautiful, charismatic north star. She pulled them out of poverty and orchestrated every success. Until Susan was eleven. That year, her mother died as a result of negligence during a routine plastic surgery.seeking beauty treatments she didn't need.

After her mom's death, Susan was expected to go back to school as if nothing happened. Within her family, there was no shared grief or emotional outpouring. For the next 20 years, Susan navigated a series of cascading questions alone-why did the most perfect person in her life feel the need to change her body? Why would no one tell her about her mother's life in Vietnam? How could she manage the same cultural pressures her mother faced, and succumbed to, in her own life, within her own body? And how did this surgeon, who preyed on Vietnamese immigrants, go on to continue operating for years after her mother's death?

The Manicurist's Daughter is much more than a memoir about grief, trauma, and body image. It is a story of fierce determination, strength in shared culture, and finding your place in the world. Susan Lieu is the daughter of manicurists. She is the daughter of survivors and the inheritor of all they faced to reach a better life. She finds her strength in her family's story, and she will continue to build on that foundation for future generations."

By: Susan Lieu
Imprint: St Martin's Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 156mm, Spine: 26mm
Weight: 300g
ISBN: 9781250835048
ISBN 10: 1250835046
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 11 June 2024
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

"Susan Lieu is a Vietnamese-American author, playwright, and performer who tells stories that refuse to be forgotten. A daughter of nail salon workers, she took her autobiographical solo theatre show 140 LBS: How Beauty Killed My Mother on a 10-city national tour with sold out premieres and accolades from L.A. Times, NPR, and American Theatre. Eight months pregnant, she premiered her sequel OVER 140 LBS as the headliner for ACT Theatre's SoloFest. Within one year she held 60 performances to over 7,000 people. Her award-winning work has been featured at Bumbershoot, Wing Luke Museum, The Moth Mainstage, On The Boards, The World Economic Forum, RISK!, CAATA ConFest, Viet Film Fest, and she has spoken at more than a dozen universities around the country. She serves as an Artists Up mentor, Artist Trust instructor, ""Model Minority Moms"" podcaster, and board member for international NGO Asylum Access. As an activist, she worked with Consumer Watchdog to pass a law to raise medical malpractice caps. Susan and her sister co-founded Socola Chocolatier, an artisanal chocolate company based in San Francisco. She is a proud alumnus of Harvard College, Yale School of Management, Coro, Hedgebrook, and Vashon Artist Residency. Susan lives with her husband and son in Seattle where they enjoy mushroom hunting, croissants, and big family gatherings. The Manicurist's Daughter is her first book. Learn more at www.susanlieu.me and follow her on instagram @susanlieu."

Reviews for The Manicurist's Daughter

"""The quintessential story of an immigrant's kid--filled to the brim with heartache and hope."" --Gene Luen Yang, Author of American Born Chinese, National Book Award finalist and Printz Award winner"