Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant: A Memoir

Curtis Chin's memoir recounts his childhood as a gay Chinese American growing up in 1980s Detroit. Chung's Cantonese Cuisine, a family restaurant beneath a bright-red awning, served as his safe haven during a volatile period in the city's history. The restaurant welcomed a diverse clientele, from the city's first Black mayor to drag queens, Hollywood stars, and elderly couples. Within this multigenerational family space, Chin came of age, embraced his identity as an American-born Chinese, and navigated the city's challenges. Structured around the restaurant's menu, the memoir combines personal narrative with an invitation to experience one boy's childhood sanctuary. Chin is the cofounder of the Asian American Writers' Workshop. The book received an American Library Association Stonewall Honor Book—Israel Fishman Nonfiction Award and was named a 2024 Michigan Notable Book. It also appeared on year-end lists from Kirkus Reviews, Apple Books, TIME, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Washington Post, Eater, and Lambda Literary Review.