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Bonnie Tsui

Bonnie Tsui

Bonnie Tsui is a frequent contributor to The New York Times. A former editor at Travel + Leisure, she has written for National Geographic Adventure, Salon, and Condé Nast Traveller. She is the editor of A Leaky Tent Is a Piece of Paradise, a... Read full bio

Author Revealed:
Q. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you choose to be?
A. Surfing in the South China Sea
Learn more about Bonnie Tsui
Bonnie Tsui Revealed
About Bonnie Tsui
  • What is your birthdate?:
    2/1
  • Previous occupations:
    Artist assistant to my father; lifeguard; editor
  • Favorite job:
    Writer
  • High school and/or college:
    Harvard
  • Name of your favorite composer or music artist?:
    Right now: Neko Case
  • Favorite movie:
    Back to the Future
  • Favorite television show:
    Right now: Deadwood
Revealing Questions
Q. How would you describe your life in only 8 words?
A. A happy adventure -- I'm lucky to be here.
Q. How would you describe perfect happiness?
A. Being with beloved friends and family
Q. What’s your greatest fear?
A. Death
Q. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you choose to be?
A. Surfing in the South China Sea
Q. If you could acquire any talent, what would it be?
A. A singing voice
Q. What’s your best quality?
A. Listening
On Books and Writing
Q. Who are your favorite authors?
A. Joan Didion, Virginia Woolf, Atul Gawande, Jhumpa Lahiri, Ernest Hemingway, Susan Orlean, Gish Jen...
Q. What are your 5 favorite books of all time?
A. To the Lighthouse, A Moveable Feast, The Year of Magical Thinking, To Kill A Mockingbird, The Time Traveler's Wife, Complications, Slouching Towards Bethlehem, Housekeeping, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Crossing to Safety, What Is the What (I can't name just five)...
Q. Is there a book you love to reread?
A. To the Lighthouse
Q. Do you have one sentence of advice for new writers?
A. Read, write, repeat
Q. How did you come to write American Chinatown?
A. It’s a project I’ve been thinking about for a long time. The drive to write the book came from my own past and family history, but the story is so much bigger than me. I really did want it to be a “people’s history.” In following the lives of several generations inside five significant Chinatowns, in figuring out how the neighborhood has been important to each, I wanted to explore an idea of place and belonging and identity that is clearly specific to the Chinatown experience, and yet revealing of our collective experience as Americans.