Vanessa Hua Reflection



Vanessa Hua is a writer based in San Francisco who is best known for her novels, which often tackle diverse issues related to immigration. During her talk at Poly, Hua concentrated on her newly published novel, A River of Stars, which revolves around the efforts of a pregnant Chinese woman in Los Angeles. A focal point of Hua’s discussion centered around the duties and burdens of writers, especially when they attempt to portray any perspective (ideological, cultural or otherwise) that is not their own. While Hua’s exploration of what it means to be a Chinese-American in California makes sense due to her own Asian-American background, some of her works, such as many of her short stories, stray from her own perspective to a much more significant degree than A River of Stars might do. The lesson that conflicting perspectives often deserve to be considered equally valid is a crucial one, especially when confronting our own prejudices.

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