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4.28.2017

Angry Reader of the Week: Jenny Han

"I aim to tell the truth, in my books and in my life."



Hello, good people of the internet! You know what time it is. It is time to meet the Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Jenny Han.


Who are you?

My name is Jenny Han. Actually it's Jennifer, but the only people who call me Jennifer are my doctor and my dentist and my old landlord. My dad liked the name Jennifer because of the meaning -- "white wave." He says when I came home the first day of kindergarten, I came back Jenny, because there were so many Jennifers. I've been a Jenny ever since.

What are you?

I'm a teen novelist and children's book writer. Over the course of my writing career, I have also been a children's bookseller and a school librarian.

Where are you?

I'm sitting on my couch in Brooklyn, New York.

Where are you from?

I'm originally from Richmond, Virginia. My parents immigrated to the US from Korea in the late 70s, and that's where I was born and raised. I've lived in New York my whole adult life, but I've only just started saying I'm from here -- only when I'm traveling outside of New York, of course. I guess you could say I am a blend of immigrant and Southerner and New Yorker.

What do you do?

I bake, I'm on Twitter a lot, I write. I read. I travel constantly. I resist. I persist.

What are you all about?

I'm all about writing books for young people that reflect their experience and make them feel seen. I aim to tell the truth, in my books and in my life.

What makes you angry?

Seeing elderly Asian people rooting through the trash, picking up cans and bottles. Our country's lack of common sense gun laws. Hypocrisy. When I'm running late so I take a taxi instead of the subway and then I get stuck in traffic and I regret all my life choices. Fedoras! They're so showy, it's like, look at me, I'm wearing a fancy hat, you have to compliment my hat.