Chang-rae Lee's Novel, 'A Tender Age' Is A Personal Story
Summary
Host Grace Wan interviews author Chang-Rae Lee about his novel *A Tender Age*, which follows an 11-year-old Korean-American boy in 1976. Lee discusses drawing from his own immigrant childhood to explore themes of free-range parenting, cultural identity, and the complex dynamics between children and their parents. The conversation highlights how language barriers and social navigation shaped the protagonist’s maturation.
Topics discussed
Introduction to Chang-Rae Lee and his new novel A Tender Age
Lee's childhood memories and the novel's 1970s setting
The protagonist J.G.'s maturation and moral complexity
Reading from the book and the meaning of 'tender age'
The immigrant experience and parental separation
Listener call: Free-range childhood and resilience
Navigating school meetings and the mother's fading presence
Language barriers and the power of silence in immigrant families
Childhood as an odyssey of self-discovery
Why Lee waited until now to write this personal story
Listener call: Writing from a child's perspective
Summer camp as a microcosm of social stratification
Listener call: Reflecting on the younger self and parental sacrifice
Listener comment on immigrant perception and conclusion
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