Useful Phrases for Immigrants, winner of a 2019 American Book Award,
and Tomorrow in Shanghai & Other Stories are now available from Blair
author
A new collection of short stories coming in August 2022 from Blair
The characters in these eight innovative stories – set in China and in the Chinese Diaspora in America – cross borders, reinvent traditions, and search for love.
A novella about the difficult rites of passage of a young girl, Jun-li Lin, specifically for teens and adults who are learning to read in English.
Winner of the 2014 APALA Award for Best Young Adult Novel from the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association
“It is the strong bond between the two Chinese-Cambodian sisters that makes Dragon Chica a tender story….”
Translated by May-lee Chai with a short introduction.
A practical & accessible guide to an ancient but rapidly changing culture.
Kiriyama Prize Notable Book
Honorable Mention, Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights Outstanding Book Awards
“When we first moved to South Dakota, we could stop traffic just by walking down the sidewalk…”
Nominated for the National Book Award in Nonfiction
This family memoir, co-authored with Chai’s father, is the story of how her grandmother, Ruth Mei-en Ts’ao Chai, saved the family in China during World War II.
Set in Nanjing, China, My Lucky Face tells the story of a young woman trying to navigate between familial obligations and tradition to find a path to personal happiness.
This collection of short stories and essays explores the diversity of the Asian Diaspora, from the opening story of a flying Asparas who is captured by the U.S. Coast Guard and interrogated by the I.N.S. to the title essay about my grandmother’s obsession with the Miss America pageant.
© 2007–2022 May-lee Chai