Author Jane Kuo says writing is a means of process and self-discovery – “figuring things out on the page,” as she describes it.
Her new book, “Land of Broken Promises,” explores themes of race, immigration, and suburban American life. Written as a novel in verse – a form of narrative poetry meant for teen and middle-school grade readers – the story centers on a Taiwanese family living in the L.A. suburbs in the 1980s. It’s based on Kuo’s own life experiences growing up and going to school in the San Gabriel Valley.
“Land of Broken Promises” is a follow-up to Kuo’s 2022 lyrical debut, “In the Beautiful Country,” which explored the family’s immigration to America. Jennifer Siebel Newsom, California’s first partner, chose the book for her summer reading list for readers aged 11-14.
Kuo grew up in Duarte, similar to Anna Zhang, the main character in her novel. Anna feels different from her peers; she works in her family’s small food business and tries to fit in while helping the family make ends meet. But when Anna discovers the family’s secret – they’re undocumented – she must navigate new responsibilities, and her parents’ worries, while trying to make sense of her life and identity.
Kuo, who is now based in the Bay Area, says this is similar to her own upbringing.
“Between 1981 to 1986, I lived in the United States as an undocumented immigrant,” she writes in the book’s afterword. “When President Ronald Reagan signed into law the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, he granted an estimated 2.7 million people the ability to apply for temporary legal status. My family was granted amnesty and in 1996; I became a United States citizen.”
Kuo worked in nursing for more than 16 years before deciding she wanted to pursue a writing career. She favors the novel-in-verse form because it gives her “the freedom to be sparse with words, but also have an emotional punch.” Kuo said it’s a “more forgiving”…
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