{"product_id":"our-laundry-our-town-my-chinese-american-life-from-flushing-to-the-downtown-stage-and-beyond-9781531504830","title":"Our Laundry, Our Town: My Chinese American Life from Flushing to the Downtown Stage and Beyond","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNEW IN PAPERBACK!\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eWith humor and grace, the memoir of a first-generation Chinese American in New \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eYork City.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eOur Laundry, Our Town\u003c\/i\u003e is a memoir that decodes and processes the fractured urban oracle bones of Alvin Eng's upbringing in Flushing, Queens, in the 1970s. Back then, his family was one of the few immigrant Chinese families in a far-flung neighborhood in New York City. His parents had an arranged marriage and ran a Chinese hand laundry. From behind the counter of his parents' laundry and within the confines of a household that was rooted in a different century and culture, he sought to reconcile this insular home life with the turbulent yet inspiring street life that was all around them--from the faux martial arts of TV's\u003ci\u003e Kung Fu\u003c\/i\u003e to the burgeoning underworld of the punk rock scene. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn the 1970s, NYC, like most of the world, was in the throes of regenerating itself in the wake of major social and cultural changes resulting from the counterculture and civil rights movements. And by the 1980s, Flushing had become NYC's second Chinatown. But Eng remained one of the neighborhood's few Chinese citizens who did not speak fluent Chinese. Finding his way in the downtown theater and performance world of Manhattan, he discovered the under-chronicled Chinese influence on Thornton Wilder's foundational Americana drama, \u003ci\u003eOur Town\u003c\/i\u003e. This discovery became the unlikely catalyst for a psyche-healing pilgrimage to Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China--his ancestral home in southern China--that led to writing and performing his successful autobiographical monologue, \u003ci\u003eThe Last Emperor of Flushing\u003c\/i\u003e. Learning to tell his own story on stages around the world was what proudly made him whole. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs cities, classrooms, cultures, and communities the world over continue to re-examine the parameters of diversity, equity, and inclusion, \u003ci\u003eOur Laundry, Our Town\u003c\/i\u003e will reverberate with a broad readership.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/njcorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=AUTH-15163238\"\u003eAlvin Eng\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Fordham University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/10\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 212\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.60lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.90h x 5.10w x 0.50d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781531504830\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1531504833\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBISAC Categories:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/njcorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-BIO\"\u003eBiography \u0026amp; Autobiography\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/njcorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-BIO002020\"\u003eCultural, Ethnic \u0026amp; Regional | Asian \u0026amp; Asian American\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/njcorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-PER\"\u003ePerforming Arts\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/njcorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-PER011030\"\u003eTheater | Playwriting\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/njcorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-SOC\"\u003eSocial Science\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/njcorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-SOC043000\"\u003eEthnic Studies | American | Asian American Studies \u0026amp; Pacific\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlvin Eng \u003c\/b\u003eis a native NYC playwright, performer, acoustic punk rock raconteur, and educator. His plays and performances have been seen Off-Broadway and throughout the United States as well as in Paris, Hong Kong, and Guangzhou, China. Eng is the editor of the oral history\/play anthology, \u003ci\u003eTokens? The NYC Asian American Experience on Stage\u003c\/i\u003e. His plays, lyrics, and memoir excerpts have also been published in numerous anthologies. His storytelling and commentary have been broadcast and streamed on National Public Radio, among others.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fordham University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43831629349003,"sku":"9781531504830","price":18.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0626\/5100\/7115\/files\/img_b74afa5c-f657-4d0e-b70e-ace074ac8d2b.jpg?v=1755609939","url":"https:\/\/cacorrectionsbookstore.com\/products\/our-laundry-our-town-my-chinese-american-life-from-flushing-to-the-downtown-stage-and-beyond-9781531504830","provider":"CA Corrections Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}