Oh My Mother!

Last updated
Oh My Mother!: A Memoir in Nine Adventures
"Oh My Mother!" by Connie Wang book cover.jpg
Author Connie Wang
GenreMemoir, travel
Publisher Viking Press
Publication date
May 9, 2023
Pages240
ISBN 978-0593490921

OhMy Mother!: A Memoir in Nine Adventures [1] is a 2023 memoir by Chinese American journalist and writer Connie Wang, published by Viking Press. In nine essays, Connie Wang observes the difficulties and changes she experienced with her mother, Qing Li, while growing up. [2] The memoir was included on several anticipated releases lists and recommended reading lists throughout 2023.

Contents

Contents

The memoir has an introduction, prologue, and nine essays. Its accounts, often with regard to traveling, span road trips across the United States, homecomings to China, shopping in Amsterdam, a mother-daughter excursion to a Magic Mike show at the Las Vegas Strip, and more.

Excerpts of the memoir appeared in Thrillist and LitHub . [1] [3] In an essay for Refinery29 , where she used to work as an executive editor, Connie Wang shared the process of putting together a book in collaboration with her mother. [4]

Background

In 1988, Li came to the United States to visit her husband, Dexin Wang, who was in the country to complete a doctorate in nanomagnetics at the University of Nebraska. Intending to come back to China, where she worked at a publishing house and raised her daughter who was then named Xiaokang, Li's return was complicated by her husband's public support for the protesters at Tiananmen Square that year. At two years old, Connie moved to America. [5]

In The 19th , Connie Wang discussed the way that identity and self-actualization were understated in her family while growing up. In the United States, the Wang family hardly confronted the question of what it meant to be Asian American. Connie Wang noted their disinterest in Chinatowns, as well as the distance they kept from Korean Americans and Japanese Americans. She also reflected on the "strange phrase" of the term "Asian American" which implied cohesion but did not always appear to manifest it: "There's a lot of resentment and anger and historical feelings between countries and people's own histories in their home countries and outside of it too. And then all of that gets transported when you immigrate." [5]

At age three, Xiaokang Wang renamed herself to Connie Wang after Connie Chung. Later, as an adult, she became a journalist, first working at Glam Media before moving on to Refinery29 where she worked for many years in several positions, eventually culminating in a director role. In May of 2023, Connie Wang wrote a piece in The New York Times titled "I Got My Name From Connie Chung. So Did They." about the phenomenon of so many Asian American girls being named Connie. [6] In the piece, she recalled speaking to Chung herself in 2020 who had never known about her name's cultural impact. [6]

The book came about during the COVID-19 pandemic. While Connie Wang had been writing essays about her mother since 2010, it was when she shared book recommendations about immigrant stories with her mother that the idea came about. [5] [7] She particularly wanted to write an immigrant story that was not "sad" but rather reflected a different angle and sentimentality to diaspora narratives. [8] Coinciding with Connie Wang's own introduction to motherhood after the birth of her boy, the conversations that would later comprise the book were both difficult and enlightening:

There was so much I did not know about parenthood, and I was curious ... These conversations were excruciating, embarrassing, and confusing. Many of them ended in tears, and not the heartwarming kind. They took twice as long as they could have, not only because we could only use half of our vocabulary, but also because, this time, we didn't skip over what wasn't clear. [4]

Critical reception

Kirkus Reviews called the book "A creative and entertaining shared memoir of identity, place, and their indelible connection to each other." [9] In a starred review, Booklist said "This charming joint memoir, fact-checked by Qing, is by turns hilarious and touching, and defined by Wang's loving refusal to take her mother, and anything about her, for granted." [10]

KQED noted Wang's "mother's defiant and often hilarious journey as an accidental immigrant who never meant to stay long in America." [11] Datebook observed many highlights in the memoir but said "Alternatively, sometimes it feels like this book can't decide what it wants to be. Some of the essays get sidelined by Wang's kvetching about her childhood." [12]

The book made several lists in 2023. The Washington Post recommended the book in a list of new memoirs. [13] Smithsonian called it one of the best travel books of 2023. [14] Brit + Co recommended it as a new read for 2023. [15] Elle included it on a list of summer reads for 2023. [16] Book Riot called it one of the most anticipated travel books for 2023. [17] Oprah Daily placed it on their list of "The Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2023". [18] Bustle and Zibby Mag named it one of the most anticipated books of spring and summer 2023. [19] [20] Good Morning America and Cup of Jo recommended it in May of 2023. [21] [22] PureWow recommended it for 2023 Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. [23] Similarly, StyleCaster recommended it on a list of must-reads by Asian American authors. [24] Time and Shondaland put the book on their respective lists of Mother's Day reads. [25] [26] Katie Couric Media called it a must-read. [27]

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References

  1. 1 2 Wang, Connie (2023-05-09). "Connie Wang Shares Her Perfected Travel Packing List in 'Oh My Mother!'". Thrillist. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  2. ↑ Wang, Connie (May 9, 2023). Oh My Mother!: A Memoir in Nine Adventures. Viking Press. ISBN   978-0593490921.
  3. ↑ Wang, Connie (2023-05-09). "Stripping Back the Mother-Daughter Relationship… At Magic Mike Live in Vegas". Literary Hub. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  4. 1 2 Wang, Connie (May 15, 2023). "Growing Up, My Mother and I Couldn't Understand Each Other — Then We Wrote A Book Together". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  5. 1 2 3 Gerson, Jennifer (2023-05-09). "Connie Wang reflects on her own self, her mom and what 'Asian American' even means in 'Oh My Mother!'". The 19th. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  6. 1 2 Wang, Connie (May 11, 2023). "I Got My Name From Connie Chung. So Did They". The New York Times .
  7. ↑ Felton, Lena (2023-05-09). "The Bond Between Asian Moms and Daughters Is Complicated. Connie Wang Wrote a Memoir About It". Popsugar. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  8. ↑ Yuen, Laura (2023-06-08). "Yuen: Why are there so many Asian Connies? A Minnesota-raised author set out to find the answer". www.startribune.com. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  9. ↑ OH MY MOTHER! | Kirkus Reviews.
  10. ↑ "Oh My Mother! A Memoir in Nine Adventures by Connie Wang". April 15, 2023.
  11. ↑ Won, Grace (2023-05-26). "In Memoir 'Oh My Mother!' Connie Wang Shares Her OMG Moments with Mom | KQED". www.kqed.org. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  12. ↑ Burling, Alexis (May 5, 2023). "Review: Memoirs from Chinese American daughters reflect on mothers, family and immigration's toll". Datebook | San Francisco Arts & Entertainment Guide. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  13. ↑ Ferri, Jessica (May 25, 2023). "The joys and challenges of family in four new memoirs". The Washington Post .
  14. ↑ Kiniry, Laura (December 5, 2023). "The Ten Best Books About Travel of 2023". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  15. ↑ Williams, Chloe (May 2, 2023). "41 New Books To Read In 2023 - Brit + Co". www.brit.co. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  16. ↑ Ukiomogbe, Juliana; Puckett-Pope, Lauren (2023-04-04). "42 New Books We Can't Wait to Read this Summer". ELLE. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  17. ↑ Connor, C. J. (2023-02-08). "The Most Anticipated Travel Books of 2023". BOOK RIOT. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  18. ↑ Bell, Carole V.; Mhute, Wadzanai; Newman, Leigh; Cain, Hamilton (2023-01-11). "The Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2023". Oprah Daily. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  19. ↑ Lange, Maggie (2023-04-03). "Run, Don't Walk To Read This Summer's Most Anticipated New Books". Bustle. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  20. ↑ Owens, Zibby. "Zibby's Most Anticipated Books of 2023". Zibby Mag. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  21. ↑ Owens, Zibby (May 3, 2023). "15 fresh books to get lost in this May". Good Morning America. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  22. ↑ Goddard, Joanna (2023-05-23). "Found! The Best Book to Take on Vacation". Cup of Jo. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  23. ↑ Stiefvater, Sarah (2023-05-01). "14 New (and New-Ish) Books to Read for AAPI Heritage Month". PureWow. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  24. ↑ Zhang, Cam (2023-05-31). "8 Must-Read Books by AAPI Authors". StyleCaster. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  25. ↑ Lang, Cady (2023-05-09). "8 New Books to Read or Give This Mother's Day". TIME. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  26. ↑ Tamola, Katie (2023-05-12). "5 Books to Read This Mother's Day". Shondaland. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  27. ↑ Owens, Zibby (2023-04-25). "8 New Books to Add to Your Shelf Immediately". Katie Couric Media. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
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