Episode 52: Family Style by Thien Pham

About this episode

Thien Pham discusses his graphic novel 'Family Style' and the themes of food, memory, and family history.

We are so delighted to have graphic novelist Thien Pham on this episode. We discovered his book Family Style thanks to one of our kids and it turned out to be a book that us grownups love too. Thien shares how he finally came to write his book after so many years of wanting to tell his family’s story, the through line of food and memory, and the impressiveness of his parents in building a whole new life by an age at which Thien himself was still playing video games. Plus we talk about the heartbreak of assimilation, his stint as a food critic comic artist, and the incredible state of school lunchrooms today. Definitely pick up a copy of Family Style for your middle grade readers or anyone curious about immigrant stories in a wonderfully accessible graphic novel.

People in this episode

Guest: Thien Pham

Topics covered

• graphic novels
• family stories
• food and memory
• assimilation
• immigrant experiences

Keywords

• Thien Pham
• Family Style
• graphic novel
• food
• assimilation
• immigrant stories
• school lunchrooms

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Family Style

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