Read this when
Stay True
He didn't even like Ken at first. Then Ken became his best friend, and then he was gone. Hsu spent 20+ years keeping him alive on the page.
Who it's for
At Berkeley in the 1990s, Hsu, a Taiwanese American kid who made zines and defined himself against the mainstream, becomes best friends with Ken, a Japanese American fraternity member whose tastes he initially scorned.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Hua Hsu's 2022 memoir recounts his friendship at UC Berkeley in the 1990s with Ken, a Japanese American student whose mainstream tastes contrasted with Hsu's identity as a first-generation Taiwanese American who shunned mainstream culture.
Where to find it
In print (Doubleday/Anchor) and widely available; libraries (Libby/Hoopla); audiobook available.
Before you start
Heads up: A close friend's murder.
Age: Ages 14+
Life has become richer by the love that has been lost.Rabindranath Tagore, Stray Birds, no. 223
