Yumi and I struggle with the same kinds of fears, but our personalities are actually quite different.

But what are some differences between Yumi’s character and you? I see some parallels between Yumi’s life and yours - you both rocked a perm in middle school, have immigrant Korean parents, for example. That duality was fascinating to me and I wanted to explore it a little more through Yumi. It was like two parts of my heart were battling one another, one influenced by my Asian-immigrant upbringing, and the other influenced by the individualistic “can-do” attitude I developed growing up in America. Thank you so much, Afoma for reading, I’m so glad that Yumi’s story resonated with you! I decided to write about the friction between Yumi and her parents because, at the time, I was struggling with my own complicated feelings about being a writer.Īs a newish writer, part of me felt like it was a silly and risky endeavor to pour so much time, effort, and money into my dream of writing a book and the other part of me couldn’t help but dream anyway. Why did you decide to write about this conflict of interests? Yumi is a budding stand-up comic whose immigrant parents would rather have focus on her academics and pursue a conventional career. I’m so grateful I got a chance to read an early copy. Hi Jessica! As you know, I LOVED Stand Up, Yumi Chung. I spoke to Jessica about why she wrote this story, writing about financial difficulties in middle-grade books, and her path as a teacher and writer. When Yumi ends up in a comedy camp as a result of mistaken identity, she grabs the opportunity with both hands. Yumi, the book’s young heroine wants to be a stand up comic, but her immigrant Korean parents want a different path for her. Author Jessica Kim’s debut novel Stand Up, Yumi Chung is especially close to my heart.

Stand up yumi chung by jessica kim