Gish Jen
(b. 1956)

Named Lillian, she was nicknamed Gish after the actress Lillian Gish. The daughter of Chinese immigrants, Jen grew up outside of New York City, where she and her family were the only Asian Americans in the area. "People threw things at us and called us names. We thought it was normal." Jen says, adding, "If there is one thing I hope readers come away with, it is to see Asian Americans as 'us' rather than 'other.'" Her work includes the novels Typical American (1991) and Mona in the Promised Land (1996) as well as a collection of short stories—Who's Irish? (1999).

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