7 Continents, 9 Lives by Fay Chiang

Fay Chiang’s work is complex. Born of anger, it is ultimately optimistic about the importance of the artist as a preserver and perpetuator of culture, and of the self-determination of the individual in a society in which pressures to conform persist. Her unflinching sense of fairness and justice and her intolerance of hypocrisy seem at odds with her joie de vivre and good humor. In truth, her tenacity and clear vision are the strength of her work, both artistic and political.

Fay Chiang is a writer, artist and community/cultural activist living and working in Chinatown and the Lower East Side of New York City for the past four decades. Raised in the backroom of a laundry in Queens by immigrant parents from Guandong, China, she writes from her experiences as a woman of color from the working class. She believes culture is a psychological weapon to reclaim our past, define our present and to envision possibilities for our future; that the development of culture is an integral part of progressive social change and social justice movements.

“. . .through her words we feel the crackle and pain of being othered. . . .” states John Kuo Wei Tchen of New York University and the Museum of Chinese in America.

This book is the eighth in the Bowery Books series.

Click to view the Table of Contents and some sample pages from 7 Continents, 9 Lives