Favorite Daughter by Nancy Huang

Also available at: Buy on Amazon Buy on Barnes & Noble Buy on Bookshop.org Favorite Daughter undertakes a poignant quest to excavate the very core of America residing within the human form, while simultaneously going beneath the surface to unearth the concealed roots of China. Presented in a structured division of four parts, the book embarks on a courageous expedition into the depths of hybridity, localism, and harmony, effectively unsettling established concepts of "belonging" and the challenges of "cultural struggle." Within its pages, Huang artfully creates an intricate collection using a diverse array of mediums, including immigration narratives, segments from Chinese radio broadcasts, fragments from Google translate, and inventive remixes of dictionaries. These elements converge to form a mosaic that compellingly submerges Huang in the midst of ambiguity, demonstrating her unflinching willingness to explore the spaces between cultural boundaries. Through this unique approach, Favorite Daughter reflects not only Huang's literary daring but also her commitment to illuminating the complexities that underlie cultural identity and human connection. "Nancy Huang is truly a painter of words; Favorite Daughter will fill your hands with sugar, your mind with lilies, and your chest with sunlight. She explores the intricacies of family & diaspora, reimagines history, and shows us how to build a new world using the ruins of two languages- a world where she is both sun & river, south & west, purity & scream. There was something in each poem that made me put my hand to my heart and made me greedy for the next piece. You will want to read this over and over, becoming a new transformation of yourself each time." - Jasmine Bell, author of Tears of Genesis