Stay True
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Stay True
The moving, Pulitzer Prize-winning coming-of-age memoir of music, outsiders and the relationships that make us.
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! DescriptionA deeply moving memoir about growing up in the 90s, written in the wake of the senseless killing of a beloved friend.
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Memoir.
One of The New York Times 100 Best Books of the 21st Century
"A quiet, occasionally hilarious, ultimately devastating book . . . the most moving and memorable piece of autobiography I read this year." – The Independent, "The Ten Best Books of 2023"
"A powerful and beautifully written meditation on guilt, memory and male friendship" – The Guardian, "Best Books of the Year"
When Hua Hsu first meets Ken in a Berkeley college dorm room, he feels immediate disdain. Ken is a frat boy with appalling taste in music, embodying mainstream culture that Hua, an avid indie music fan and zine maker, deeply despises. Hua Hsu, the son of Taiwanese immigrants, and Ken, whose Japanese American family has been in the US for generations, seemingly share little in common, especially in how they navigate American society that sidelines both of them in different ways.
Despite his initial reservations, Hua discovers an unexpected bond forming with Ken. Their friendship blossoms over late-night smoke breaks, long drives along the sun-dappled California coast, and the shared highs and lows of student life. This friendship is a source of solace and growth, cemented by candid conversations and mutual understanding. Tragically, this harmonious companionship is abruptly shattered when Ken is senselessly killed in a carjacking, cutting short the life of someone who had become an essential part of Hua's world.
Stay True captures the essence of a coming-of-age story prematurely ended, painting a poignant portrait of a deep and transformative friendship. Hsu's intimate memoir beautifully explores themes of identity, loss, and the quest for belonging. Through evocative prose, Hsu delves into the complexities of guilt, memory, and male camaraderie, offering readers an introspective look into the formation of his identity amidst personal tragedy.
Acclaimed for its narrative depth and emotional resonance, Stay True stands as one of the most compelling works on friendship and self-discovery in contemporary literature.
"One of the best nonfiction books about friendship ever, right up there with Patti Smith’s Just Kids" – The Atlantic
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Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781035036370
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 14 September 2023
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Picador
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 13.0mm
Width: 131.0mm
Height: 197.0mm
Weight: 157g
Pages: 208
About the Author
Hua Hsu is a staff writer at The New Yorker. He teaches at Bard College and is the author of A Floating Chinaman: Fantasy and Failure Across the Pacific. Stay True was named one of the ‘Ten Best Books of 2022’ by The New York Times, and won the Pulitzer Prize for Memoir or Autobiography and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Autobiography. Originally from the Bay Area, he lives in Brooklyn, New York.
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