Hua Hsu. Photo: Devlin Claro.

Last week, Hua Hsu was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his memoir Stay True.

The narrative centers around Hsu and his friendship with University of California, Berkeley classmate, Ken. Two different identities, Ken, whose family had been in the United States for generations, represented everything that Hsu, a first-generation Taiwanese American, defined himself against—mainstream America. The two became friends, both agreeing that despite their differences, “American culture didn’t seem to have a place for either of them.”

Three years after their initial meeting, Ken is killed in carjacking in Vallejo, Calif., in July 1998, after a party in Berkeley. “Determined to hold on to all that was left of his best friend-his memories-Hsu turned to writing…A coming-of-age story that details both the ordinary and extraordinary, Stay True is a bracing memoir about growing up, and about moving through the world in search of meaning and belonging.”

Hua Hsu is the author of A Floating Chinaman: Fantasy and Failure Across the Pacific. A staff writer at The New Yorker, Hsu’s work has been published in Artforum, The Atlantic, Slate, and The Wire. A former fellow at the New American Foundation and the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center at the New York Public Library, Hsu is a professor of Literature at Bard College. He received a BA from the University of California, Berkeley and a PhD from Harvard University.

For more information on Hsu, dig deeper and explore the links below:

• Stay True (2022)
• A Floating Chinaman: Fantasy and Failure across the Pacific (2016) *eBook 
• “What Conversation Can Do for Us” (The New Yorker)
• “My Dad and Kurt Cobain” (The New Yorker)
• Stay True: Hua Hsu with Ken Chen | Conversations from the Cullman Center
• Podcast with Hua Hsu, author of Stay True
• Hua Hsu and Lucy Sante on Growing Up and Staying True
• #PouredOver: Hua Hsu on Stay True
• How Writing Matters: Hua Hsu
• Time to Say Goodbye LIVE + Stay True
• “Hua Hsu and Ryan Lee Wong On Writing AAPI Coming of Age Stories” (The Amp)
• “‘New Yorker’ Writer Hua Hsu On Friendship, Grief, And Pop Culture” (NPR)
• “Hua Hsu on his new book Stay True” (NPR)
• Hsu’s Twitter and Instagram

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Library.

By Allie Reczek

Photo courtesy of Goodreads.

***Content Warning: Please be advised that this post discusses aspects of Girl, Interrupted, a book and feature film that contain strong elements of suicide, self-harm, and other mental health concerns/disorders.***

Girl, Interrupted, a 1993 memoir written by Susanna Kaysen, depicts her life in the sixties as she is diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and sent to a psychiatric hospital. For the next two years, Kaysen illustrates her time in this Massachusetts hospital, from the other patients she meets, to the treatment she receives, to the minute by minute surveillance by the staff, unable to even shave her legs without supervision. Kaysen describes this period of her life in intense detail, where readers cannot help but feel extreme sympathy and pain for her and the other patients. Lisa Rowe, Daisy Randone, Georgina Tuskin, and Polly Clark, who are admitted to McLean Hospital for all sorts of mental illnesses and personality disorders, play a large role in both Susanna’s suffering and growth over time. Girl, Interrupted, while should be read with caution due to the discussion of suicide, eating disorders, and self-harm acts, provides a glimpse into the reality of mental health treatment during the 1960s. Additionally, readers can understand the importance of getting help when you need it and pushing past the impossible to gain back your freedom. 

The movie adaptation, directed by James Mangold and released in 1999, follows a similar story to the one Kaysen depicts in her memoir. However, there are several relevant plot lines in the novel that are left out of this film. Winona Ryder, who plays Susanna, executes her role quite well, portraying a young girl left to be institutionalized by a society who believes that anyone with a mental illness should be locked away. Through this movie, viewers can understand the pain and suffering that these patients experience and share their frustration for how the hospital treats them. It should be noted that this film is rated R and includes scenes of suicide and violence that may be unsuitable for some audiences.

So… Flip or Flick?

Flip. Because this is a memoir, recounting real life experiences of Susanna Kaysen, I feel that the movie adaptation does not closely follow what Kaysen depicts in her novel. The ending of the book provides much more satisfaction and closure to the story, sharing details from years later after Kaysen is released from McLean. Additionally, I feel that some of the scenes in the movie are included merely for suspense and entertainment purposes, disregarding the true intent of what Kaysen experienced. If you are looking for a more autobiographical narrative written honestly and poetically, I would recommend giving the book a read. However, if you are more interested in a dramatic, provocative retelling, this movie remains an excellent option.  

Allie Reczek ’22 CLAS is a current senior at Villanova, majoring in Psychology with minors in Communications and Sociology. She works in Falvey Library as a Marketing and Communications Assistant.

Photo courtesy of Penguin Random House.

Former President Barack Obama’s memoir “A Promised Land” is the latest presidential memoir to be released. The first of two volumes, the book “encompasses parts of his early political life and his presidential campaign in 2008.” Whether you’ve already read “A Promised Land,” or are awaiting a copy of the memoir, be sure to explore President Obama’s other novels: “Dreams from My Father” and “The Audacity of Hope.” Former First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama’s memoir “Becoming” is also available for contactless pickup at Falvey Library.

Looking for more resources about U.S. presidents? Be sure to explore these links curated by Merrill Stein, Political Science Librarian.

• The Founding Era Collection—Documentary History (The University of Virginia Press)
• American History Documents, 1493-1945 (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History)
• The American Presidency Project (UC Santa Barbara)
• U.S. Presidents (Miller Center)
• U.S. Presidential Library—Public Papers in HeinOnline (Subscription courtesy of the Charles Widger School of Law)
• America: History & Life (EBSCOhost)
• Political Leaders and their Assessment
• Presidential Biographies

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.