Weaving history, journalism, and memoir, the author of The Accidental Asian and founder of Citizen University explores the parallel rise of China and the Chinese American—how Chinese immigrants have exceled despite racism and xenophobia, and how they reconcile competing beliefs about what constitutes success, virtue, and belonging in a time of deep flux. From Confucius to the Constitution, Liu discusses his new collection of personal essays that provide insight into the evolving Chinese American dream.
Eric Liu is an author, educator, and civic entrepreneur. His first book, The Accidental Asian: Notes of a Native Speaker, was a New York Times Notable Book featured in the PBS documentary Matters of Race. He is also the author of Guiding Lights, an Official Book of National Mentoring Month, and co-author of the bestselling Gardens of Democracy. Eric served as a White House speechwriter for President Bill Clinton and later as the President's deputy domestic policy adviser. He is a columnist for TIME.com and a regular contributor to TheAtlantic.com and lives in Seattle with his family.
Gregory Rodriguez is the Publisher & Executive Director of Zócalo Public Square, a nonprofit Los Angeles-based Ideas Exchange that blends live events and humanities journalism. He is also the founder and director of the Center for Social Cohesion at Arizona State University. Formerly a longtime op-ed columnist for the Los Angeles Times, Rodriguez has written for publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Time, and The Atlantic. He is the author of Mongrels, Bastards, Orphans, and Vagabonds: Mexican Immigration and the Future of Race in America, one of the Washington Post's Best Books of 2007, and is currently at work on a new book on the American cult of hope.
