Tepper Reads: Alumni Edition discussion

Hello Alumni Tepper Readers!

If you're keeping up with the reading guide, you should have just finished page 45 of the book yesterday.

In the reading guide created for the project, the idea of roles comes up a lot in this first week. First, there are the roles Willis and his parents have played in movies and TV. Even though this book came out before the LAAUNCH report was put together, the acting roles of the Wu family are pretty in-line with the stereotypes listed in the report. Is this something you've considered before? And how do you think this will change how you view movies and TV going forward?

We're also introduced to the new role Willis finds himself in in his "real" life, that of caregiver to his aging father. The roles between these two characters have reversed over the span of Willis's life. Is this something you can relate to?

Finally, in this section we're also introduced to "Black and White," and its two stars, Sarah Green and Miles Turner. What are your initial thoughts about "Black and White?" And do the roles played by Green and Turner feel just as stereotypical as those played by the Wu family?

I'm looking forward to seeing what you think!

I guess I have considered it before indirectly. Mainly because I have a few actor friends (more in theatre) who discussed casting challenges because of their appearance. I never explicitly thought about this list of specific stereotypes. Going forward, I will definitely look for how these stereotypes present themselves (or break the mold) in the media I consume.
Yes, I can relate to the roles reversing as parents age.
"Black and White" reminded me of all the police shows they have on tv. I don't watch any of them, but during the initial part of COVID I had the chance to watch a bunch of them. They all have the same plot. I think the roles/casting is probable (stereotypical) based on the way many tv shows and movies were written/cast.

Cristen wrote: "I guess I have considered it before indirectly. Mainly because I have a few actor friends (more in theatre) who discussed casting challenges because of their appearance. I never explicitly thought ..."

Thanks for being the first brave soul to post, Cristen!

One of my qualifiers for a book being great is that it makes me see the world in a different way than I had before I read it. And Interior Chinatown does just that. I'm glad to see it's making you think of visual media in a different way, too. Like you, I ingested a lot more TV and movies during the pandemic than I normally might have. Since reading Interior Chinatown, I've watched it all through a different lens than I did before. Once Charles Yu points out the representational flaws in our media, you start seeing them everywhere.

Agreed... once the book points out the stereotypes, I definitely see them around me more. My experience of Asian people has primarily been through the tech industry. This is probably not very representative of a larger Asian experience. As a result, I had not really thought about the kinds of stereotypes the book describes. The book has definitely opened my eyes to it. This last year I have been more focused on learning about the struggles of black people and the incredibly unfair hurdles they must clear to get to where they are in the tech industry. I had not thought about how Asian people I work with likely endure similar hurdles to get to where they are. I guess all of this is part of my own awakening to how much privilege I have had as a white person.

I also think the book is very cleverly written and different from any other book I have read. I am really enjoying this pick, especially because it is not the one I voted for!

I appreciate the reading guide with page targets. I'm not sure I would pace myself appropriately without it!

Jen wrote: "I appreciate the reading guide with page targets. I'm not sure I would pace myself appropriately without it!"

Thanks so much for the feedback on the reading guide, Jen! I'm so happy you've found it useful. I'm also glad to hear you're enjoying the book, even if it wasn't your first choice.

And thanks so much for your insightful contribution to the discussion. I feel like these past two years or so has been filled with awakenings for a lot of us. One of my favorite parts about being human is knowing that I can always learn more. And there's so much out there to be learned by all of us.

Amran wrote: "Hey all, sorry for being late to the discussion, was behind schedule on reading. Couple of thoughts I hope are interesting:

Re: Asian stereotypes in media, I was more attuned to this given that my..."

Amran, thank you so much for this thoughtful, funny response--"chef's kiss" is right! The best satire walks that line between hilarious and depressing.

I have not seen Warrior, but will definitely check it out now. A lot of westerns were based on samurai films, so I love the idea of taking back the genre.

I want to respond more to this, but I think a lot of what I'll cover will be in the next discussion I'm putting up, which I'll be posting in the next hour or so. So stay tuned.

I'm sorry to say I won't be able to make the group discussion tomorrow. I'm enjoying the book and really like getting inside a perspective and experience so different from my own. I look forward to catching up with the group on Aug 31st.

Jen Sherer wrote: "I'm sorry to say I won't be able to make the group discussion tomorrow. I'm enjoying the book and really like getting inside a perspective and experience so different from my own. I look forward to..."

No worries, Jen! I'm just glad you're reading the book and enjoying it. See you on the 31st!