Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant: A Memoir

This poignant memoir tells the story of Curtis Chin’s time growing up as a gay Chinese American kid in 1980’s Detroit.

“Vivid, moving, funny, and heartfelt” —Lisa Ko, author of The Leavers

Nineteen eighties Detroit was a volatile place to live, but above the fray stood a safe haven: Chung’s Cantonese Cuisine, where anyone—from the city’s first Black mayor to the local drag queens, from a big-time Hollywood star to elderly Jewish couples—could sit down for a warm, home-cooked meal. Here was where, beneath a bright-red awning and surrounded by his multigenerational family, filmmaker and activist Curtis Chin came of age; where he learned to embrace his identity as a gay ABC, or American-born Chinese; where he navigated the divided city’s spiraling misfortunes; and where—between helpings of almond boneless chicken, sweet-and-sour pork, and some of his own, less-savory culinary concoctions—he realized just how much he had to offer to the world, to his beloved family, and to himself.

Served up by the cofounder of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop and structured around the very menu that graced the tables of Chung’s, Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant is both a memoir and an invitation: to step inside one boy’s childhood oasis, scoot into a vinyl booth, and grow up with him—and perhaps even share something off the secret menu.

An American Library Association Stonewall Honor Book—Israel Fishman Nonfiction Award • A 2024 Michigan Notable Book • Best Nonfiction Books of the Year— Kirkus Reviews • Best Books of the Year—Apple Books • TIME ’s Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2023 • San Francisco Chronicle ’s Highly Anticipated Books to Put on Your Radar This Fall 2023 • Washington Post ’s Books to Read This Fall 2023 • Eater ’s Best Food Books to Read 2023 • Lambda Literary Review ’s October’s Most Anticipated LGBTQIA+ Literature 2023