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Jar of Fat

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( 18 ratings, 6 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Jar of Fat is an absurdist comedy and the fifteenth winner of the Yale Drama Prize, diving deeply into themes of family, religion, identity, desire, and beauty within Korean American culture. Set in a fantastical fairy-tale world, the story focuses on two Korean American sisters who are considered too fat to fit in their family grave. Amid intense pressure from their anxious parents and community to become thinner, the play questions if their close sisterly bond can endure. Seayoung Yim’s phantasmagorical tale is both laugh-out-loud funny and deeply unsettling, confronting the rage caused by anti-fat bias while reclaiming grace, space, and possibility.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This play will resonate with readers interested in contemporary drama, Korean American cultural experiences, and explorations of body image and identity. It suits audiences who appreciate bold, poetic, and thought-provoking theatrical works that blend humour with profound social commentary.

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An absurdist comedy and fifteenth winner of the Yale Drama Prize, exploring family, religion, identity, desire, and beauty in Korean American culture

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

An absurdist comedy and fifteenth winner of the Yale Drama Prize, exploring family, religion, identity, desire, and beauty in Korean American culture.

In a fantastical fairy-tale world, two Korean American sisters are deemed too fat to fit in their family grave. Will the sisters’ close bond survive under the pressure of their community and fretful parents, who will spare no effort to make them tinier?

Jar of Fat, the fifteenth winner of the Yale Drama Prize, is a phantasmagorical, absurdist Korean American tale about the allure and danger entangled within the quest for beauty and thinness. Both laugh-out-loud funny and deeply troubling, Seayoung Yim’s play burns through the accumulated rage that anti-fat bias produces to reclaim what it steals from us every day: grace, space, possibility, and breath.

Series: Yale Drama Series

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  • Jar of Fat
    An absurdist comedy and fifteenth winner of the Yale Drama Prize, exploring family, religion, identity, desire, and beauty in Korean American culture. In a fantastical fairy-tale world, two Korean American sisters are deemed too fat to fit in their family grave. Will the sisters’ close bond survive under the pressure of their community and fretful parents, who will spare no...
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    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Critics have praised Jar of Fat for its strength, honesty, and unique voice. Rachel Lynett calls it "radical" and impossible to ignore, while playwright Lauren Yee describes Seayoung Yim as "a force to be reckoned with." Chay Yew highlights its wicked wit and poetic depth, and Lloyd Suh finds it both hilarious and disturbing. Director Jess McLeod celebrates it as a wild, riotous work that vigorously challenges perceptions of beauty and ugliness.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780300268010

Publisher: Yale University Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 14 November 2023

Country: United States

Imprint: Yale University Press

Contributors:

  • Foreword by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig
  • Foreword by Jacqueline Goldfinger
  • Foreword by Virginia Grise
  • Foreword by Rachel Lynett
  • Foreword by Neil Wechsler
  • Foreword by Leah Nanako Winkler
  • Foreword by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig
  • Foreword by Jacqueline Goldfinger
  • Foreword by Virginia Grise
  • Foreword by Rachel Lynett
  • Foreword by Neil Wechsler
  • Foreword by Leah Nanako Winkler

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 140.0mm

Height: 229.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 128

About the Author

Seayoung Yim is a playwright and educator from Seattle. She completed an MFA in playwriting at Brown University and is a member of the Ma-Yi Writers Lab. Her play Jar of Fat won the 2022 Yale Drama Series Prize. She lives in the Northeast.

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