Book Club/Great Michigan Read

The Great Michigan Read, Michigan Humanities’ signature program, unites communities across the state through Michigan-centered fiction and non-fiction books and inspires conversations from diverse perspectives, fostering a deeper appreciation for the humanities and connecting thousands of readers with authors and engaging educational programs.

Nineteen eighties Detroit was a volatile place to live, but above the fray stood a safe haven: Chung’s Cantonese Cuisine, where anyone—from the city’s first Black mayor to the local drag queens, from a big-time Hollywood star to elderly Jewish couples—could sit down for a warm, home-cooked meal. Here was where, beneath a bright-red awning and surrounded by his multigenerational family, filmmaker and activist Curtis Chin came of age; where he learned to embrace his identity as a gay ABC, or American-born Chinese; where he navigated the divided city’s spiraling misfortunes; and where—between helpings of almond boneless chicken, sweet-and-sour pork, and some of his own, less-savory culinary concoctions—he realized just how much he had to offer to the world, to his beloved family, and to himself.

Curtis Chin is the author of the award-winning memoirEverything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant, which was named a Stonewall Honor Book and a 2024 Michigan Notable Book. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Chin has received awards from ABC/Disney Television, New York Foundation for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and more. Chin has written for CNN, Bon Appetit, the Detroit Free Press, and the Boston Globe, as well as for comedy shows on network television. He is a co-founder of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop in New York City and served as the non-profit’s first Executive Director. His essay in Bon Appetit was selected for Best Food Writing in America 2023 and his documentary short, “Dear Corky,” premiered on American Masters (PBS). He is currently working on a new docuseries on the history of Chinese restaurants in America. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.

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Host or Publisher Elmwood | Detroit Public Library