PRAISE FOR MY GOOD SON

“A tailor . . . asks an American customer for help sponsoring [his son] Feng, and what results for the tailor and his family shines a light on vast, abiding disparities in opportunity.”

—R.O. Kwon, Electric Literature, 43 Books By Women of Color to Read in 2021

“The novel, about parental expectations, social class, and sexuality, highlights both the similarities and differences between Chinese and American cultures.”

—Edan Lepucki, The Millions, Most Anticipated: The Great First-Half 2021 Book Preview

“My Good Son is a mesmerizing portrait of at least two societies in flux, seen in the story of one Chinese family challenged to change their sense of what a ‘good son’ is and what it would mean to love and support him. Provocative, funny, charming, Huang’s novel takes on the challenges of this moment of sexual politics with affection and honesty.”

—Alexander Chee, author of How to Write an Autobiographical Novel

“As with her previous books, ‘Living Treasures’ and ‘My Old Faithful,’ Huang’s latest explores the generational push-pull of family life in post-Tiananmen China . . . For all he’s accomplished, Mr. Cai devalues, heartbreakingly, the very life he’s made for himself as a way of pressuring Feng to strive for more . . . The story moves quickly, rendered in straightforward prose . . . Fortunately, Mr. Cai remains front and center, always compelling, a man doing everything for his boy, the way a good father — supposedly — should.”

—Lysley Tenorio, The New York Times Book Review

"Yang Huang’s ‘My Good Son’ reflects on individual lives during a tumultuous time in China . . . Yet the book, Huang’s third, largely focuses on something simpler: the relationship between a tailor, Mr. Cai, and his son, a stubborn young man who can’t seem to focus on his upcoming college-entrance exams. The patriarch’s only hope of a better life for his son comes in the form of a potential ticket to the U.S. via the help of an American expat whose identity as a gay artist teases out the generational shifts in a pivotal period in China."

—Brandon Yu, San Francisco Chronicle

“A poignant meditation on fathers and sons, American and Chinese cultures and traditions in the face of modernity, Yang Huang’s latest novel is layered, evocative and engaging.”

—Karla Strand, Ms.

"Huang’s third book explores the scope and limitations of parental love . . . Huang, who grew up in China’s Jiangsu province and participated in the 1989 student uprisings before moving to the East Bay and taking a job at UC Berkeley, explores differences between American and Chinese cultures, how fathers and sons relate to one another, sexuality, family expectations and more."

—Frances Dinkelspiel, Berkeleyside

"My Good Son moves along at a crisp pace and the author’s simple style and tone match the period in which she has set the story, a period in which China and the United States were not as entwined as they are now. Huang’s story shows on a human scale the interdependence of Chinese and Americans, a relationship that has grown in many ways since the 1990s. Despite all the current political talk about the US and China decoupling from these connections, the two countries, like the characters in Huang’s story, are reliant upon one another and are here to stay."

—Susan Blumberg-Kason, Asian Review of Books

“Both [‘My Good Son’ & ‘Crying in H Mart’] feature a parent trying to make sense of America, a country foreign to them, and trying to give their child the best shot at succeeding in it . . . The barrier between their countries of origin and America magnify misunderstandings between parent and child, and in some cases the gulf becomes so wide it causes grief that never goes away . . . As an adult child reading these parent-centric stories, I have limited understanding about the choices these fictional parents (and my own) made. I feel grief for the parent-child relationship that could have been. But I can begin to heal, knowing that the attempt that my parents made at raising me may have been flawed — but it was still their very best.”

—Yvonne Su, Mochi Magazine

“About difficult and rewarding connections across generational and cultural divides, Yang Huang’s novel My Good Son is a captivating masterpiece centered around a father and son in post-Tiananmen Square China . . . As Mr. Cai and Jude scheme for Feng’s future, they forge an improbable friendship; the novel parallels parent/child relationships in compelling ways . . . Earnest in its portrayal of complicated family bonds, My Good Son is a resonant novel set during a turbulent time in China, wherein families face the universal struggles of connection and commonality.”

—Paige Van De Winkle, FOREWORD Reviews

“Yang Huang delves into the richness of family relationships and culture in her new novel, My Good Son . . . With quiet beauty and unexpected power, her writing introduces us to Mr. Cai, a tailor in post-Tiananmen China, and his only son, Feng . . . Huang, who grew up in China and now raises her family in the East Bay, is adept in her investigations of the push and pull of the parent-child relationship . . . here, she fills her plot with tension, humor, and longing.”

—Linda Lenhoff, Diablo Magazine

"I won’t spoil the novel’s suspense by revealing how all these predicaments get resolved. Suffice it to say, events take several unexpected but perfectly credible turns. Ultimately, I found the conclusion more than satisfying . . . both the language and the way Yang Huang is able to bring together the disparate threads of the story made for a satisfying read."

—Tom Glenn, Washington Independent Review of Books

This is Yang Huang’s third prize-winning book of fiction. It’s a well-made novel written in clear, straightforward prose. Huang deftly manages all the strains of her complex plot, which proceeds with the efficient light touch of a Chinese soap opera. Her themes are important ones—conformity, secrets, women’s rights, family cohesiveness, and the duties and obligations we owe to each other . . . Huang’s novel is a love song to Chinese common sense.

—Philip Gambone, Gay and Lesbian Review

“My Good Son is a thoughtful, cross-cultural novel about the quandaries of family relationships and social expectations. A Chinese tailor who yearns for his son to become successful forms an unlikely alliance with a closeted gay American art student, but there carefully constructed plan has pivotal weaknesses. Written by an author who grew up in China and lived in the United States since 1990, My Good Son offers unique insights attuned to life in both nations, and is highly recommended especially for public library General Fiction collections.”

—Midwest Book Review

“Mr. Cai’s actions and responses might frustrate the reader, but both his journey and the theme of a father wanting a better life for his son are universals, if sometimes chaotic ones. It’s in this father’s journey that the novel shines—how the father grows as a parent, how he realizes and accepts certain truths about himself, about his son, about Jude’s American family, about life in China.”

—Kelly Harrison, West Trade Review

“The novel is set at a time when families were dealing with connection and the definition of what is family . . . There are twists and turns throughout the novel and I found myself turning pages quickly while savoring the beautiful language. There were no easy answers for Mr. Cai and he refused to settle for easy answers. He made mistakes as he struggled as did the other characters but that was all they could do.

Even when there is a failure of communication there is also an attempt to connect. It is that connection that makes this such an important and beautiful book.”

—Amos Lassen

“In a country where a couple is allowed only one child, overly protective Mr. Cai’s ambitions for his son create an inevitable clash. But what could go wrong when they become involved with an American family—from Texas? The story takes surprising twists and turns, both comic and poignant. The gentle humor, deceptive simplicity, and joyfulness of Yang Huang’s prose makes this novel a delight to read. With a cast of unforgettable characters, My Good Son is an exquisite novel, kind and true.”

—Bobbie Ann Mason, author of In Country and Dear Ann

“Yang Huang weaves her story with great patience and a steady hand. Her compassion for her characters is matched only by her sharp, unrelenting narrative eye, one which draws the reader deeply into the growing complications of Mr. Cai’s world. An engrossing and compelling novel.”

—Shanthi Sekaran, author of Lucky Boy

“My Good Son is that rare novel that delights with its bold originality. Yang Huang explores questions of family love—What does it mean to be a parent? A son or a daughter? A spouse?—with unflinching honesty. She portrays family dynamics, the exchanges and negotiations, the anger and the tenderness, through the eyes of an irresistible narrator, Mr. Cai. His love and ambition, tempered by his refusal to settle for easy answers, propel all the characters through their surprising decisions. Funny, heartbreaking, and insightful, this is a novel not to miss.”

—Lucy Jane Bledsoe, author of A Thin Bright Line and Lava Falls

“My Good Son is a novel as moving and absorbing as it is thought-provoking. What does it mean to be a good father? At what cost—to his family, the wider society, the child himself—should a devoted father arrange for his son to ‘get ahead’? Yang Huang’s novel is at once a beautifully specific portrait of one small family in post-Tiananmen China and a morally complex, compassionate exploration of universal themes.”

—Elizabeth Graver, author of The End of the Point

“Set in post-Tiananmen China, My Good Son proves, yet again, Yang Huang’s gift for weaving poignant family dramas with grand social themes—and thoroughly upending the reader’s expectations! I was both riveted and moved from start to finish.”

—Elizabeth Evans, author of As Good as Dead

ESSAYS AND STORIES

Why I Write

My humble beginning from growing up in China to writing novels in English. —Boston College Magazine

Yang Huang on George Eliot’s Middlemarch: Owning up

How George Eliot’s Middlemarch changed the way I think about reckoning in fiction. —The Marvelous Paragraph Project

How Cultural Forces Shape Parenting around the World

I explore how parents around the globe approach risk-taking, motivation, toilet training, and more. —Pocket

A Parent’s Love

Bloom Magazine features an excerpt from the opening chapter of MY GOOD SON.

Beyond 20 Drafts

“Compared to nonfiction, a novel may require more drafts and take longer to get right. Writing a novel is a unique challenge, rather like birthing a brainchild: each book is different and needs as long as it takes.” —The Millions

My Good Son: A Selected Bibliography

"In this Selected Bibliography, Huang shares and comments on the books that inspired her thinking as she explored the power and cost of parental love." —The Seminary Co-op

Yang Huang Interviews Feng

I wrote a sort of mini-sequel by time-traveling to the UT Austin campus in 1991 to interview Feng. No one suspected that I was the author arriving on the scene. Feng and I flirted a bit as a creator and brainchild. Read my essay in Women Writers, Women’s Books.

INTERVIEWS

PRINT:

San Francisco Chronicle with Brandon Yu

Lambda Literary with Lucy Jane Bledsoe

Catapult with Elizabeth Graver

Stunning Sentences with Nina Schuyler

Newfound Journal with Margo Orlando Littell

Advice to Writers with Jon Winokur

Authors Answer with Elizabeth Rynecki

Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb

AUDIO:

The History of Literature with Jacke Wilson

Chinese Literature Podcast with Rob Moore and Lee Moore

Women’s Magazine with Kate Jessica Raphael, Malinda Lo, and Lucy Jane Bledsoe

Story Makers Show with Elizabeth Stark and Angie Powers

On The Issues at Ms. with Michele Goodwin

Marginally Podcast with Meghan Miller Brawley and Olivia Allison

Mathews and Friends (Impact Radio USA) with Larry Matthews (starts at 40 minutes)

湾区好声音 with 郑家榆（the first 30 miuntes)

VIDEO:

Get Hooked on MY GOOD SON by Yang Huang, at San Francisco Public Library

MY GOOD SON: The Power and Burdens of Parental Love, in conversation with Prof. Jennifer Cho at UC Berkeley Extension

MY GOOD SON Virtual Launch at Booksmith, Yang Huang in Conversation with Kaitlin Solimine 

Author Talk: Yang Huang on MY GOOD SON, at Hercules Library

Litquake, World (Re)Building: The Art of the Novel

Sewanee Writers’ Conference Fellow Reading (my segment starts at 29:24)

The Creative Shift, Yang Huang in Conversation with Dan Blank at WeGrowMedia

A Q&A WITH YANG HUANG ABOUT MY GOOD SON

You were raised in China and now are raising a family in America. In all your books, including MY GOOD SON, you bring this dual perspective to family life across generations and continents. How has your personal experience shaped your writing process?

I grew up as a Chinese daughter. The family I grew up in was parent-centric, meaning that the parents’ expectations dominated the relationship. We strove not to let our parents down. My children were born in Berkeley, so I became a mother to American boys. My own American family is child-centric. We tiptoe around our teenagers and try to understand the world through their eyes.

My personal experience doesn’t make its way directly into my fiction but rather provides a background for family drama. I am sensitive to the effect of one’s actions on the fabric of family dynamics. We are products both of our families and of the society at large. Understanding, embracing, and eventually healing from the aftermath of our families of origin is an integral part of maturation and finding one’s place within the family and in society.

This story is very much about the push and pull between generations—the older generation wants security and the younger generation wants freedom. Do you think that’s a universal dilemma, or is there something uniquely Chinese about it?

It is universal for parents and children to experience the push and pull. . . it is the glue that holds the family together. But of course, every child and parent relationship is unique. And their interaction has consequences. Parenting is not a perfect science because humans are fallible. They are also resilient. A single mistake, made either by the parent or child, doesn’t have to sever a bond. The negotiation between the parents and children, the constant push and pull, is a fluid dance of giving and receiving love and letting go—it is life itself.

For Mr. Cai, what does the promise of America represent?

Mr. Cai has very limited knowledge about America. His view is representative of his generation, which regards America as the land of opportunity and a beacon of hope and freedom. He turns to Jude in desperation, because Feng appears to be a failure, but a father cannot give up on his son. Feng is a creative person and craves freedom, which is not a top priority for most people in China. In a sense, Feng was born into the wrong family, and in the wrong country, to boot. But neither Mr. Cai nor Feng knows this; they just muddle along until Jude comes to their door. Jude brings the prospect of a larger world, but in a way, the world that Jude connects them with is also a small world with its own set of problems, as Jude struggles with his father’s acceptance. So these people have some common ground, and the playing field is leveled for each to make a contribution to help the other.

Mr. Cai has weighed his preference for a Chinese or American university. In both countries the quest for a good college is determined by many factors. The U.S. college admissions scandal exposes some of the weakest links in college admission. Is Mr. Cai aware of the perils of his extraordinary effort to help Feng?

In China, college admission is based on the entrance exam scores. During the year when I entered the university, the admission rate was 1% in Yangzhou. The competition was less brutal in metropolitan cities such as Shanghai and Beijing with numerous prestigious universities, where the cut-off scores averaged 5-10% lower than a provincial town like Yangzhou. Feng would have passed the exams easily if he were a resident of Shanghai or Beijing.

In America, college admission policies are changing with the times, and exam scores are only a part of the application. This leaves room for interpretation of what is fair. For example: a surprisingly high percentage of the Caucasian applicants accepted at the Ivy League Schools were either athletes, legacies, or the children of donors and faculty. When these legal shortcuts weren’t enough, some parents broke the law to bribe admission officials for their children’s seats at the elite colleges.

Mr. Cai would condemn these greedy parents, but he understands their motivation—that animal instinct to put one’s offspring ahead of the herd. As Mr. Cai jumps through some bizarre hoops in order to secure a future for his son, he begins to see the toll it takes. He asks himself, “Was parenting an arms race to amass privilege for your child, so that he could rise while others sank? Was this kind of parenting morally corrupt? Yet, what other choice did you have in order to give your offspring the best chance to survive—even thrive in a cutthroat society?” Strictly speaking, fairness in college admission is an unattainable ideal. In both the U.S. and China, there are tiers of privilege, legal and otherwise.