Thank You, Mr. Nixon

Stories

By: Gish Jen

Narrated by: Justin Chien, Catherine Ho, Annie Q, Eunice Wong

The acclaimed, award-winning author of The Resisters takes measure of the fifty years since the opening of China and its unexpected effects on the lives of ordinary people. It is a unique book that only Jen could write—a story collection accruing the power of a novel as it proceeds—a work that Cynthia Ozick has called “an art beyond art. It is life itself.”

Beginning with a cheery letter penned by a Chinese girl in heaven to “poor Mr. Nixon” in hell, Gish Jen embarks on a fictional journey through U.S.-China relations, capturing the excitement of a world on the brink of tectonic change.

Opal Chen reunites with her Chinese sisters after forty years; newly cosmopolitan Lulu Koo wonders why Americans “like to walk around in the woods with the mosquitoes”; Hong Kong parents go to extreme lengths to reestablish contact with their “number-one daughter” in New York; and Betty Koo, brought up on “no politics, just make money,” finds she must reassess her mother’s philosophy.

With their profound compassion and equally profound humor, these eleven linked stories trace the intimate ways in which humans make and are made by history, capturing an extraordinary era in an extraordinary way. Delightful, provocative, and powerful, Thank You, Mr. Nixon furnishes yet more proof of Gish Jen’s eminent place among American storytellers.

Eye opener to the Chinese Soul

Amazing short stories that get to the heart of Chinese and American cultural differences at this important time for better understanding between us.

Beautifully connected stories

The stories are unique and each stand alone but taken together weave a compelling and complex whole. I will be thinking about these characters for a good long time and urging my friends to also read the book.

Wonderful collection of stories

Very moving stories about families, culture, immigrants, prejudice and of powerful ending story of Detective Dog.

Loved it

The characters were situated in their own time and place. Some could escape history. Others couldn't. All were sympathetic. I laughed, and almost cried with each story. I wanted more.

Fantastic

Terrific reading of terrific stories. Every one was different but compelling, and you definitely don’t have to be Asian American to enjoy them. In fact The opening of China has changed the world for us all. Makes you think. Highly recommend.