He also opened up the world of Chinese legends and myths. The author explored such topics as otherness, loneliness, finding one’s own place in the diverse world. He managed to tell the stories that are close to young Chinese Americans as well as young readers pertaining to other ethnic groups who could learn more about the Chinese culture. Laurence Yep received a number of rewards for his works, including the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal. When I wrote, I went from being a puzzle to a puzzle solver… I could take these different elements, each of which belonged to something else, and dip them into my imagination where they were melted down and cast into new shapes so that they became uniquely mine. He later graduated from the University of California (Santa Cruz) and the State University of New York (Buffalo). After his graduation, he entered Marquette University. It is noteworthy that he started writing fiction when he was still in high school (Lawrence 25). In his autobiographical book, he wrote, “I was the Chinese American raised in a black neighborhood, a child who had become too American to fit into Chinatown and too Chinese to fit in elsewhere” (Yep The Lost Garden 91).Ĭlearly, years at school were also filled with various experiences. Such experiences shaped his attitude towards ethnicity and his place in the world and US society. Yep understood that those people simply did not understand and did not care that he was Chinese (Lawrence 18). At some point, they turned to Laurence and started chasing him as they thought he was Japanese. One day, children from the neighborhood were playing, and they pretended to be soldiers in World War II. It is possible to describe one episode from the author’s life to understand the way this feeling was developing. This diverse population increased his feeling of loneliness. There were white people and Asian neighbors, as well. He lived in quite a poor neighborhood with predominantly African American neighbors. The neighborhood also played a significant role in the life of the writer. There was a governmental program aimed at providing low-income families with affordable apartments, and the multistoried buildings appeared.Ĭlearly, Yep did not have his old friends who had to leave, and he felt lonely. Importantly, when the future writer was seven years old, some significant changes took place, and his “old world was shattered as… The gray, lifeless hills” appeared in the street he lived (qt. Of course, the future writer’s life was not confined to the store only. Completing chores made him understood the benefits of a certain rhythm, and this enabled him to be such a prolific author (Lawrence 16). This store had quite a significant impact on Laurence Yep’s development. Gim Yep owned a small grocery store in the 1950s. His father, Gim Lew Yep, was born in China in 1914, and he came to the USA when he was ten. Laurence Yep was born in San Francisco in 1948 (Lawrence 10). Therefore, prior to exploring major topics of Laurence Yep’s works, it is important to consider some facts from the writer’s life. It is clear that personal experiences have a tremendous effect on authors’ creativity and the way they express it. Brief Biography and Its Influence on His Works The works of this writer often have several recurrent topics, which are close to children, especially Asian American ones, which makes his books so popular. He is a prolific Chinese American author who created numerous works, including short stories, plays, picture books, and numerous amazing books for children and adolescents. One of the writers who managed to make Asian American experiences visible is Laurence Michael Yep. Nonetheless, these authors could not be silenced as their powerful works drew the attention of children, adolescents, as well as adults. Like any other non-white writers, Asian American authors’ works have been subjected to “marginalization and erasure” (De Manuel and Davis v). Asian American writers were among those who wanted to share their experiences (opinions, dreams, ideas, fears) and help their counterparts face certain challenges and solve various issues.
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