Jean Kwok is the award-winning, ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' and international bestselling Chinese American author of the novels ''Girl in Translation'', ''Mambo in Chinatown,'' and ''Searching for Sylvie Lee'', which was chosen as ''

The Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It ...

'' Read with Jenna Book Club Pick.

Biography

When Kwok was five years old, her family emigrated to

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York from

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

. The apartment that she, her parents and siblings lived in was infested with roaches and rats and they did not have any central heating. She worked in a Chinatown clothing factory for much of her childhood. After elementary school, Kwok was accepted to Hunter College High School, a public secondary school for intellectually gifted students. Upon graduation from high school, she was granted

early admission Early decision is a college admission plan in which students apply earlier in the year than usual and receive their results early as well. (It is completely different from “early admission,” which is when a high school student applies to coll ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

. Originally interested in science, in part to escape a life toiling in a factory, she realized when she was at Harvard that she could follow her dream instead. This realization prompted her to change her concentration to English and American Literature."Jean Kwok"
New York, NY: Penguin Speakers Bureau. Last accessed May 1, 2011. She received her BA in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

with honors, all while working up to four jobs at a time. Kwok later received her MFA in Fiction from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. After that, she moved to the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and worked for Leiden University and the

Delft University of Technology Delft University of Technology ( nl, Technische Universiteit Delft), also known as TU Delft, is the oldest and largest Dutch public technical university, located in Delft, Netherlands. As of 2022 it is ranked by QS World University Rankings among ...

, teaching English and working as a Dutch-English translator. Kwok now writes full-time and divides her time between the

and New York City."Author"
Jean Kwok Official Website. Last accessed March 23, 2023.

Career

Kwok is a

and international bestselling author. Her work has been published in 20 countries and taught in universities, colleges and high schools across the world. She has been selected for numerous honors including the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members ...

Alex Award The Alex Awards annually recognize "ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults ages 12 through 18". Essentially, the award is a listing by the American Library Association parallel to its annual Best Books for Young A ...

, the

Chinese American Librarians Association The Chinese American Librarians Association or CALA (), promotes the Chinese culture through the outlet of libraries and communicates with others in the profession of librarianship. History The Mid-West Chinese American Librarians Association beg ...

Best Book Award and the

Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award The Sunday Times Short Story Award is a British literary award for a single short story open to any novelist or short story writer from around the world who is published in the UK or Ireland. The winner receives £30,000, and the five shortliste ...

international shortlist. Jean's writing has been reviewed in ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

'',

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...

and

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

, among others. She has appeared on

and Good Morning America, and spoken at many schools and venues including

and the Tucson Festival of Books. She was one of twelve contemporary authors asked to write an authorized, original

Miss Marple Miss Marple is a fictional character in Agatha Christie's crime novels and short stories. Jane Marple lives in the village of St. Mary Mead and acts as an amateur consulting detective. Often characterized as an elderly spinster, she is one of Ch ...

story by the Agatha Christie estate. Kwok is trilingual, speaking Dutch, Chinese, and English fluently, as evidenced by the

VPRO The VPRO (stylized vpro; originally an acronym for , ) is a Dutch public broadcaster, which forms a part of the Dutch public broadcasting system. Founded in 1926 as a liberal Protestant broadcasting organization, it gradually became more ...

br>documentary
filmed about her. She also studied

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for 7 years. She is a member of the Curatorial Board of Ragdale Foundation.

Novels

''Girl in Translation''

Kwok's debut novel ''Girl in Translation'' was published by Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin, in May 2010 and became a ''

'' and international bestseller. It has been published in 18 countries and translated into 16 languages. Kwok drew upon her personal experience to write this novel about an exceptionally bright young girl who leads a double life in an exclusive private school and a Chinatown

sweatshop A sweatshop or sweat factory is a crowded workplace with very poor, socially unacceptable or illegal working conditions. Some illegal working conditions include poor ventilation, little to no breaks, inadequate work space, insufficient lighting, o ...

. Author

Min Jin Lee Min Jin Lee (born November 11, 1968) is a Korean American author and journalist based in Harlem, New York City. Her work frequently deals with Korean and Korean American topics. She is the author of the novels ''Free Food for Millionaires'' (2 ...

compared the novel to '' A Tree Grows in Brooklyn''. Nicole Tsong in the '' Seattle Times'' commented on Kwok's innovative use of language that allows readers to experience the linguistic barriers for themselves: "Kwok uses the potent combination of... halting English and a sophisticated internal narration about her new life to tell he heroine'sstory." Hannah Lee in the '' Philadelphia Jewish Voice'' noted that ''Girl in Translation'' was "as accurate to my childhood and upbringing in the world of New York's garment factories as a novel can be." ''Girl in Translation'' was featured in ''

'', ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

'', ''

'' and ''

O, The Oprah Magazine ''O, The Oprah Magazine'', also known simply as ''O'', is an American monthly magazine founded by talk show host Oprah Winfrey and Hearst Communications. Overview It was first published on April 19, 2000. , its average paid circulation was ...

'', among others.

''Mambo in Chinatown''

Kwok's immigrant background plus her experience working as a professional ballroom dancer in between her degrees at Harvard and Columbia helped her to write her second novel about a young woman torn between her family duties in working class Chinatown and her escape into the world of ballroom dancing. Kwok's second novel ''Mambo in Chinatown'' was also published by Riverhead Books in the United States on June 24, 2014. It was one of the New and Noteworthy Books listed by ''

'' in June 2014 and was selected for Penguin Stacks and Best Books of 2014 by ''Real Simple'' and ''Woman's Day''. The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

'' wrote, "rarely has his storybeen told with such grace, lightness and humor as in this delightful novel" while the '' Boston Herald'' called it "a great story of cultural conflict and reaching for your dreams."

''Searching for Sylvie Lee''

Kwok's third novel ''Searching for Sylvie Lee'' was published on June 4, 2019 by

William Morrow and Company William Morrow and Company is an American publishing company founded by William Morrow in 1926. The company was acquired by Scott Foresman in 1967, sold to Hearst Corporation in 1981, and sold to News Corporation (now News Corp) in 1999. ...

, a division of

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News ...

. This novel about a young Chinese American woman searching for her older sister who had disappeared while on a trip to the Netherlands was an instant New York Times bestseller in both hardcover and combined print and ebook fiction, as well as hitting the ''

'',

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

, ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' and American Booksellers Association bestseller lists. ''Searching for Sylvie Lee'' was chosen by

Jenna Bush Hager Jenna Welch Bush Hager (born November 25, 1981) is an American news personality, author, and journalist. She is the co-host of '' Today with Hoda & Jenna'', the fourth hour of NBC's morning news program ''Today.'' Hager and her fraternal twin sis ...

as ''

'' Book Club Pick,

Emma Roberts Emma Rose Roberts (born February 10, 1991 Additional on October 9, 2016) is an American actress. Known for her work in film and television projects of the horror and thriller genres, she has received various accolades, including a Young Arti ...

as the Belletrist Book Club Pick and ''

'' for their summer reading list, leading ''

'' to call the novel "this summer's book club sensation." The '' New York Times Book Review'' wrote, "Kwok's story spans generations, continents and language barriers, combining old-fashioned Nancy Drew sleuthing with the warmth and heart we've come to expect from this gifted writer" and Kwok was profiled in ''

'' as one of "4 Writers to Watch." Commenting on Kwok's use of language in which each of the three narrator's inner dialogues are in their native tongues of Dutch, Chinese and English, the '' Columbia Journal'' wrote, "Depicting a language that hints at meaning through euphemisms and idioms, Kwok rejects glosses, italics, and explanatory commas…. Kwok's foray into the native speaker's mind maintains an admirable artistic integrity. More than a fast-paced thriller, Searching for Sylvie Lee is a meditation on dislocation, the gulf that separates generations of migrants, and the price of achieving some version of the American dream." ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' called it, "A moving tale that, while billed as a mystery, transcends the genre… a beautifully written story in which the author evokes the hard reality of being an immigrant and a woman in today's world."

PEN America PEN America (formerly PEN American Center), founded in 1922 and headquartered in New York City, is a nonprofit organization that works to defend and celebrate free expression in the United States and worldwide through the advancement of litera ...

wrote, "Jean Kwok’s latest novel examines cultural and linguistic barriers, family secrets, change, and the expansive identities of immigrants." ''Searching for Sylvie Lee'' was one of the most-listed books of the summer, hitting many best book and most anticipated lists. It was featured and recommended by ''

'', ''

'',

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

, ''

The New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

'',

, ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'', ''

'', ''People'', '' Marie Claire'', ''

'', ''

Real Simple ''Real Simple'' is an American monthly magazine published by Dotdash Meredith. The magazine features articles and information related to homemaking, childcare, cooking, and emotional well-being. The magazine is distinguished by its clean, unclut ...

'', ''

InStyle ''InStyle'' was an American monthly women's fashion magazine founded in 1994. It was published in the United States by Dotdash Meredith. In February 2022, it was announced that InStyle would cease print publications and move to a digital-only f ...

'', ''Elle'', '' Harper's Bazaar'' and more.

Honors and awards"Awards"
Jean Kwok Official Website. Last accessed July 31, 2019.

's ''

Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It w ...

'' Book Club Pick, 2019 *

' Belletrist Book Club Pick, 2019 *Best Book of Summer 2019 according to ''

, Marie Claire, The NY Post,

People A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...

Elle ''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the w ...

, Harper's Bazaar,

Good Housekeeping ''Good Housekeeping'' is an American women's magazine featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, and health, as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good Hous ...

Nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from pe ...

The Week ''The Week'' is a weekly news magazine with editions in the United Kingdom and United States. The British publication was founded in 1995 and the American edition in 2001. An Australian edition was published from 2008 to 2012. A children's ed ...

The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...

, BookBub,

Conde Nast Traveler Conde may refer to: Places United States * Conde, South Dakota, a city France * Condé-sur-l'Escaut (or simply 'Condé'), a commune Linguistic ''Conde'' is the Ibero-Romance form of "count" (Latin ''comitatus''). It may refer to: * Cou ...

'' and more *

Goodreads Choice Awards The Goodreads Choice Awards is a yearly award program, first launched on Goodreads Goodreads is an American social cataloging website and a subsidiary of Amazon that allows individuals to search its database of books, annotations, quotes, an ...

Semi-Finalist for Mystery & Thriller, 2019 * Hannah Judy Gretz Fellow,

Ragdale Ragdale is the former summer retreat of Chicago architect Howard Van Doren Shaw (1869–1926), located in Lake Forest, Illinois. It is also the home of the Ragdale Foundation, an artist residency program that hosts creators from a number of disc ...

Foundation, 2015 * ''

'''s Best Books of 2014 * ''

Woman's Day ''Woman's Day'' is an American women's monthly magazine that covers such topics as homemaking, food, nutrition, physical fitness, physical attractiveness, and fashion. The print edition is one of the Seven Sisters magazines. The magazine was f ...

'''s Best Books of 2014 *

Outstanding Book for the College Bound, 2014 * Sunday Times Short Story Award shortlist, 2012 * Hunter College High School Distinguished Graduate Award, 2012 * John Gardner Fiction Book Award finalist, 2011 *Orange New Writers Book, 2011 * American Library Association Alex Award, 2011 *

Best Book Award, 2010 *National Blue Ribbon Book, 2010 * Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Pick, 2010 *Indie Next Pick, 2010 *

Nominee for Fiction, 2010 *

Nominee for Debut Author, 2010 * Quality Paperback Book Club New Voices Award nominee, 2010 *Best Cultural Book, Book

Bloggers A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order s ...

Appreciation Week, 2010 *

Bread Loaf Writers' Conference The Middlebury Bread Loaf Writers' Conference is an author's conference held every summer at the Bread Loaf Inn, near Bread Loaf Mountain, east of Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1926, it has been called by ''The New Yorker'' "the oldest and most ...

Scholarship * Columbia University Graduate Writing Division Fellowships *

Harvard Club of New York The Harvard Club of New York City, commonly called The Harvard Club, is a private social club located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Its membership is limited to alumni, faculty, and boardmembers of Harvard University. Incorporated in ...

Scholar * John Harvard Scholarship for Academic Achievement of the Highest Distinction * Elizabeth Cary Agassiz Scholarship for Academic Achievement of the Highest Distinction

Bibliography

Novels

* ''Girl in Translation'' (2010) * ''Mambo in Chinatown'' (2014) *''Searching for Sylvie Lee'' (2019)

Short stories

''"The Jade Empress"''
(published in ''Marple,'' HarperCollins, 2022)
''"Disguises"''
(published in ''Story'', ''Holt Elements of Fiction'' and ''The NuyorAsian Anthology'')
''"And Fire Begets Earth"''
(published in ''Story'')
''"Where the Gods Fly"''
(shortlisted for the international '' Sunday Times Short Story Award)

Poetry

* ''"Flawed Words and Stubborn Sounds"'' (2000) * ''"A Translation of Schrijvende Vrouw"'' (2000)

Essays

"Our Mothers, Ourselves" (2010)

Anthologies/Textbooks

* ''Elements of Literature'' (2007) * ''The NuyorAsian Anthology'' (1999)

References

External links

Jean Kwok's website

Jean Kwok on The Today Show interviewed by Jenna Bush Hager and Maria ShriverJean Kwok interviewed by Jenna Bush Hager for InstagramTV documentary on Jean Kwok

Jean Kwok – Penguin Speakers Bureau
* ttps://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/20/books/20newly.html?ref=books New Releases – New York Timesbr>Debut Novel is an Immigrant's Tale – Seattle TimesSampsonia Way Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kwok, Jean Living people 21st-century American novelists American women novelists American women poets American novelists of Chinese descent American women writers of Chinese descent Columbia University School of the Arts alumni Hunter College High School alumni Writers from Brooklyn Hong Kong emigrants to the United States People from Leiden American women essayists 21st-century American women writers 21st-century American poets 21st-century American essayists Harvard University alumni Novelists from New York (state) Year of birth missing (living people)

Biography

Career

Novels

''Girl in Translation''

''Mambo in Chinatown''

''Searching for Sylvie Lee''

Honors and awards"Awards" Jean Kwok Official Website. Last accessed July 31, 2019.

Bibliography

Novels

Short stories

Poetry

Essays

Anthologies/Textbooks

See also

References

External links

Honors and awards"Awards"
Jean Kwok Official Website. Last accessed July 31, 2019.