"A triumph of humor and sorrow" – Oprah Magazine
"A triumph of humor and sorrow" – Oprah Magazine
“A collection of stories that reads like an extremely engrossing novel.. in which the pages fly, I laughed out loud, and felt that I was suddenly understanding things I’ve never understood before. I was moved and amazed.” – Ann Patchett
“My kingdom for a writer as savvy, empathic, and hilarious as Gish Jen…The moral authority of Jen is essential, leading us forward as we plunge deeper in a darkening century.” - Hamilton Cain, Oprah Daily
“Marvelous…On the surface her storytelling seems simple and direct, but the closer you look the more layered and complex it becomes… Jen invites her readers to consider profound questions about history, ancestry and identity…In all her work, Jen locates the tensions between inherited and lived cultures.”
Claire Oshetsky, New York Times
“Brilliant. . . An exceptional collection, written with intelligence, wit and grace — it's one of the best books of Jen's remarkable career…The collection ends with a heartbreaker of a story, ‘Detective Dog’…Emotional but measured, it is as close to flawless as a story can be… It could well be one of the first great short stories of the COVID-19 pandemic … Every story in this collection, though, is outstanding.”
Michael Schaub, NPR
“In novels, short stories and essays, [Jen] has long captured the characteristics and conflicts of clashing cultures. She does it again, and often with humor, in her new book… “
Jared Bowen, WGBH
"Masterly...With wry humor, pathos, and punchy dialogue, Jen’s uncanny stories easily standup to her hefty themes. This is a stellar addition to Jen’s prolific body of work.”
Starred Review, Publishers Weekly
Watch Gish Jen read from Thank You, Mr Nixon
Gish writes in the New York Times from Shanghai about the “malaise” that has made China so much less optimistic about its future and its place in the world.
News
“Thank You, Mr. Nixon” on the NPR’s Books We Love, Oprah’s Favorite Books of 2022, and New Yorker’s Best Books lists.
Gish and “Thank You, Mr. Nixon” on WGBH’s year-end round up of Open Studio.
20+ MA libraries choose “Thank You, Mr. Nixon” to be the fall community read.
“Thank You, Mr. Nixon” on the NPR’s Best Books list
Gish’s story, “Detective Dog,” chosen for Best American Short Stories of 2022
2022 is the fifth time Gish has been in the Best American Short Stories
“Thank You, Mr. Nixon” on Book Riot’s Best New Short Story Collections List
“Some Exceedingly Excellent Advice” in The Harvard Crimson commencement issue
“Thank You, Mr. Nixon” on the Selected Shorts Podcast
Esquire names The Resisters one of Top 50 Sci-Fi Books of All Time
Gish’s story, “Detective Dog,” appears in The New Yorker
Amazon selects Thank You, Mr. Nixon as an Editor’s Pick for Best Literature & Fiction
Gish reads & discusses “Friends” by Grace Paley for The New Yorker
Gish reviews Hanya Yanagihara’s To Paradise in the New York Times Book Review
Gish is elected to the MacArthur Foundation’s Board of Directors
Interviews
Radio Boston: Gish Jen on rage and “Thank You, Mr. Nixon”
Book Lust with Nancy Pearl: Gish and “Thank You Mr. Nixon”
The New York Times: “How Covid Got Gish Jen Thinking About China”
Lit Hub: “Gish Jen on Mining Tension in Fiction”
Authors Guild: Gish with Bethanne Patrick
WGBH-TV: Gish with Jared Bowen
KQED Forum: Gish with Mina Kim
NPR Weekend Edition: Gish with Scott Simon
NPR/WBUR: Gish with Peter Sellars, Scott Tong, and Jane Perlez
“[Jen] creates a panoramic universe of deftly sketched tales both comic and tragic. Her prose sparkles with clarity and moves with deceptive simplicity towards profound conclusions. This is a collection to treasure…An authorial tour-de-force.”
Kate Tuttle, Boston Globe
“Award-winning author Gish Jen’s latest collection opens with a Chinese saying: “A long journey begins with a step.” Readers could add, gratefully, “And ends with a story.”. . . In this collection, Jen stares down history with a discerning eye, cracking wit and well-tuned words.”
Erin Douglass, Christian Science Monitor
“A thrilling and eye-opening ride.”
Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times
"A jewel box of creativity and a joy to uncover. . .Across eleven synergistic stories about interconnected families, Jen creates a sort of episodic epic spanning fifty years. . .Surely everyone — us and them, whoever they are — would benefit if together we read what Jen has to say."
Cory Oldweiler, Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Irresistible. . .showcases her enviable storytelling prowess. . . blending subtlety with slap-in-the-face honesty.”
Terry Hong, Shelf Awareness
"Taken together, these tales, which probe the connections and contradictions that link America and China, have the sweep and scope of a novel, one that’s by turns humorous and harrowing and, above all, humane.”
Jacqueline Houston, The Arts Fuse
“Jen distills five decades of cultural collision, confusion, and collaboration between the U.S. and China into eleven gorgeously comedic and heartbreaking stories . . . For all the pain and poignancy, Jen is wryly hilarious, her plots spring-loaded, her dialogue ricocheting and spiked with contrasts in languages and customs . . ..”
Starred Review, Booklist
“Political and economic relations between China and the US are major news, but Jen takes it to the micro level in her vibrant short stories about character who are varying degrees of Chinese and American… Jen’s crisp prose, wonderful eye for detail, and wry humor make them a joy to read, and there is wisdom here, too.”
Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews
“It is hard to do justice to this wonderful collection of intricately inked stories.”
- Ha Jin
“[This is] an art beyond art. It is life itself.”
- Cynthia Ozick
“Jen’s is an indispensable contemporary voice.”
- Claire Messud
“Be prepared to be awed and enthralled by one of our best writers!”
- Yiyun Li
"Her command of detail makes Thank You, Mr. Nixon authentic and engrossing; her vision makes it unique and vital.”
Author Profile, Publishers Weekly
“Luminous, deeply moving, [and] filled with insight and humor, heartbreak and love.”
- Jean Kwok
“Never before have I seen China . . .captured so well. I’m overflowing with admiration.”
- Lisa See