Saturday, May 30, 5:30–7:30 p.m. (doors open at 5:15pm)
ALL EVENT TICKETS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE!
In celebration of Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we invite you to a special Book & Tea Social centered around Green Island by Shawna Yang Ryan, an award-winning novel that traces the story of a Taiwanese family shaped by the February 28 Incident of 1947.
As we gather over tea, we’ll explore the life of a young doctor taken from his family during political upheaval, and how that moment reverberates through generations—following his daughter from Taiwan to America, where she faces her own questions of identity, survival, and moral choice.
Together, we’ll reflect on themes of memory, silence, resilience, and what it means to protect the ones we love. This gathering offers a space not only for discussion, but for connection—through tea, conversation, and shared presence.
Whether you’ve read the book or are simply curious, you’re warmly invited to join us in honoring AAPI stories, histories, and voices.
Experience a Taiwan Tea-Flight Journey (starting at 5:40) paired with storytelling (starting at 5:50pm) and simple treats.
- Floral Oolong - Baochong Premium 包種茶, Pinglin Wenshan, Taipei
- BaiCha - Honey Snow White 蜜雪白, Shan Lin Xi, Nantou
- Floral Oolong - Ali Shan Unroasted Oolong 清香烏龍, Shi Zhuo, Chai Yi
- Roasted Oolong - Tung Ting Cold Summit Roasted Oolong 凍頂炭培, Tung Ting, Nantou
- HongCha - Sun Moon Lake Ruby 18 紅玉, Yuchi, Nantou
- Bug-Bitten Gaba Oolong - Honey Jia Long 蜜佳龍, Pinglin Wenshan, Taipei
Caffeine-free herbal options are available upon request.
***Books will be available for purchase on-site.
Book Description:
BEST BOOK AWARD IN FICTION BY THE ASSOCIATION FOR ASIAN AMERICAN STUDIES • A stunning, lyrical novel that tells "the story of how the Tsais, a Taiwanese family, survive the 'February 28 Incident' of 1947 and precariously navigate the decades that follow" (The New York Times).
As an uprising rocks Taiwan, a young doctor in Taipei is taken from his newborn daughter by Chinese Nationalists, on charges of speaking out against the government. Although the doctor eventually returns to his family, his arrival is marked by alienation from his loved ones and paranoia among his community.
Years later, this troubled past follows his youngest daughter to America, where, as a mother and a wife, she too is forced to decide between what is right and what might save her family—the same choice she witnessed her father make many years before.
The story of a family and a nation grappling with the nuances of complicity and survival, Green Island raises the question: how far would you go for the ones you love?
Bio:
Shawna Yang Ryan is an award-winning Taiwanese-American novelist, short-story writer, and former creative writing professor. Ryan received an American Book Award and an Association for Asian American Studies Award for her 2016 novel GREEN ISLAND, set during Taiwan’s White Terror era. Her debut novel, WATER GHOSTS, an exploration of immigrant life in a 1920s California Chinese community, blends elements of history, myth, and supernatural folklore. It was a finalist for the Northern California Book Award and a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller.
