All You Can Ever Know is story for our moment, ripe with themes including identity, motherhood, racism, trauma, family politics, and belonging. Chung traces her birth to Korean immigrant parents in Seattle, closed adoption by white parents, and an upbringing in a small town in Oregon, the reunion with her birth family that coincided with the birth of her first child, and what happened after the reunion as she intentionally incorporated what she learned into her identity and the parenting of her own children Nicole Chung is the former managing editor of the cultural website The Toast, which earned cult status on the internet and a passionate, active community of readers. We will be able to tap into this network for preorders, marketing, buzz-building on social media, and events coast to coast Chung''s memoir will of course resonate with adoptees, especially those from transracial and closed adoptions, but also with anyone who feels different or apart from their families. As a mother of biracial children, the only progressive in her extended family, and a member of a multicultural family (first by adoption and then by marriage), Chung explores complex (and often unspoken) family dynamics that will feel familiar across the spectrum of readers'' experiences November is National Adoption Month, and November 23 is National Adoption Awareness Day. As of 2013, 40 percent of adoptions were children who were adopted into families from a different cultural background. Yet few adoptee voices are genuinely centered in traditional adoption narratives, let alone in nonprofit or government adoption resources, parenting guides, etc. All You Can Ever Know offers a long-missing perspective, and will serve as a timely and important conversation-starter as well as a much-needed resource Chung writes, "This memoir has always felt like one I had to write--for many reasons, one being to make space for myself and for stories like mine. The phrase I sometimes employ is that this book was tapping me on the shoulder for years (maybe for my entire life, as long as I''ve thought and talked about adoption).
I wanted to write this book for my family, for my parents and my sister and especially my children, so they would always know the things I didn''t growing up. I wanted to write it for other adoptees and birth parents and their families, for anyone considering adoption, for anyone who''s ever wanted to better understand adoption, or only been exposed to the Hallmark-movie versions of it. And I also wanted to write it for anyone who''s ever wondered about the deep, dark family secrets no one wants to talk about, who has perhaps lost their roots or their culture, or grown up between two--or many--cultures, or wondered what sort of unknown or mixed legacy they will pass on to their own kids." Chung''s essay, "On American Identity, the Election, and Family Members Who Support Trump" was widely shared and included in the Nasty Women anthology: https://longreads.com/2017/09/28/on-american-identity-the-election-and-family-members-who-support-trump/ Chung''s recent interview with her childhood hero Kristi Yamaguchi for Shondaland was also widely shared: http://www.shondaland.com/inspire/a14436692/kristi-yamaguchi-interview/ Extensive national author tour with public and private events confirmed in Brooklyn, NY; New York, NY; Cambridge, MA; Washington, DC; Baltimore, MD; Arlington, VA Charlottesville, VA; Chicago, IL; Austin, TX; Portland, OR; Seattle. WA; San Francisco, CA; and Palo Alto, CA Bookseller Praise for All You Can Ever Know "In All You Can Ever Know , Nicole Chung shares her story of daughterhood and motherhood with such thoughtfulness and honesty that it feels like a privilege to read.
Her language is elegant and precise, and her questions--of identity, race, and family--feel necessary. By the end you feel comforted that there are writers and thinkers like her in the world." --Tyler Goodson, Avid Bookshop (Athens, GA) "Reading Nicole Chung''s memoir about adoption and searching for her birth family feels like an honor. Her graceful, lucid prose touches you no matter what kind of family you do or do not have. This is an essential read for everyone." --Anton Bogomazov, Politics and Prose (Washington, D.C.) " All You Can Ever Know is a memoir that reads with such urgency and emotional depth that at times it felt like an overheard confession, one not meant for my ears, but Nicole Chung grabbed me by the hand and made me bear witness alongside her.
Her writing is so strong, her voice so sure even when she''s questioning everything, that I''ll follow her wherever she goes next." --Vanessa Martini, City Lights Books (San Francisco, CA) "A deeply moving meditation on family, identity, and loss in the context of adoption. Quiet and powerful." --Rebecca Wells, Porter Square Books (Cambridge, MA) "This book blew me away! Nicole Chung is truly one of the talents to watch. Her exploration of her own life, adoption issues at large, and how she relates to the world around her are incredibly engaging to read and very touching. This is one I''ll be handing to everyone I know." --Abby Fennewald, BookPeople (Austin, TX) "I absolutely loved this book. Nicole Chung writes with such generosity and vulnerability, and I didn''t want it to end.
Chung is so insightful and compassionate, and she offers keen insights into what it means to be a daughter, a mother, and a person trying to make sense of what ''family'' means. All You Can Ever Know is superb, and it should be read by everyone." --Sarah Cassavant, SubText Books (St. Paul, MN) "Nicole Chung has crafted a moving and profound exploration about adoption and families that readers will find thought-provoking regardless of their family of origin. Anyone who has ever questioned their role among their relatives and how it affects their perspective and relationships will find much to ponder in All You Can Ever Know . This memoir is a treasure trove for book clubs, as well as a ''must read'' for fans of the fiction of Jacquelyn Mitchard, or memoirs such as The Art of Waiting . Stunningly honest, exquisitely rendered, and unforgettable, Chung is a much-needed new voice in the canon of literature regarding adoption." --Pamela Klinger-Horn, Excelsior Bay Books (Excelsior, MN) "Nicole Chung packs grace and insight into concise, powerful writing.
Born to Korean immigrant parents in Seattle and adopted by a white family, Chung is deliberate and compassionate in unpacking their decisions and exploring the systemic and personal factors behind her own adoption. Her first pregnancy compels her to ask questions about family roles, identity, race, and belonging with tidally strong emotional urgency. She set out to make space for others who also share part of her identity, and I feel utterly confident that anyone seeking that space will find this book to be a real gift." --Christina Bearer, Third Place Books (Lake Forest Park, WA) "The work touched me in a very direct manner. I have several cousins adopted from all over the world (including Korea). One in particular has recently visited her Haitian birth family and is continuing to develop those new relationships. Chung had a matter-of-fact and honest approach to her story, which was refreshing to someone who grew up wanting to talk about these thing . but never knowing if it was an acceptable discussion.
I anticipate many sparked conversations with family after sharing this unique memoir." --Carrie Koepke, Skylark Bookshop (Columbia, MO) "An incredibly touching memoir that explores family and race through the eyes of a Korean American adoptee on the brink of motherhood. Nicole Chung has written a genuine account of adoption and what it means to be a mother, a daughter, and a sister in a complicated family full of secrets. This is a beautiful, emotional book that would be great to share with a family member." --Kalani Kapahua, Third Place Books (Lake Forest Park, WA) "A book that speaks to everyone." --James Crossley, Island Books (Mercer Island, WA) "Nicole Chung has told a moving story of her own adoption along with the birth of her first child . A story very well told." --Anna Flynn, Watermark Books & Cafe (Wichita, KS) "Nicole Chung''s memoir is a moving account of a young woman''s gradually evolving understanding of family and of herself as she uncovers the truth about the circumstances behind her adoption.
Refusing the false dichotomy between adoption (particularly transracial adoption) as inherently positive or negative, she reminds us that adoption is a fact and that it''s always complicated. This is an extraordinary account, told with candor and empathy. And her story is also an important, specifically Asian American story. Though the transracial adoption of Asian Americans into white families and communities is common, few books have been written from the perspective of the adoptee. Nicole Chung has much to teach us, and readers approaching this book with a heart as opens as hers will find much to nourish them here." --Karen Maeda Allman, Elliott Bay Book Company (Seattle, WA) "Nicole Chung has already proved herself a master essayist but her book debut, the memoir All You Can Ever Know , is a revelation. Adopted by a loving white couple from her Korean parents right after her premature birth, Chung takes us on a well-crafted, touching personal search for her identity and roots when she decides to look for her birth family before the arrival of her first child. Intertwining both families'' tales and grappling with growing up brown in a white household and world, Chung is engaging, courageous, and honest and tells a vital story we have rarely had the chance to hear.
" -- An.