New release of my travel memoir The Johanneans
After her father’s death in England, Ginger escaped her grief in London and traveled across America searching for what she wanted in life. After losing her job during the worst recession in modern times, Ginger moved to Hollywood to fulfill her dreams of working in art and entertainment. But the struggle for American dreams and the superficiality of Hollywood celebrity couldn’t dampen her need for what was missing in her life until her globetrotting octogenarian aunt Marjory invited her to an alumni reunion at her late father’s alma mater in Shanghai. The two embark on a whirlwind journey across China and a quest for self-discovery that ultimately brings her closer to her father and teaches her how to let go.
Written with a humorous and critical outsider’s point of view, The Johanneans chronicles the bi racial inter-generational immigrant Asian experience and is full of cultural observations and unique interviews. From the Swine Flu/H1N1 virus scare on their outbound flight to Tokyo to conversations with fellow passengers, The Harlem Globetrotters, sharing ex-pat stories at an LGBTQ+ AIDS fundraising event in Shanghai, Marjorie’s wish to “stick it to them” during her operatic stage performance at the Johanneans reunion, hilarious arguments with drivers and tour guides about the art of tipping and the hard sell tour, and all the while driving across a new industrialized China.
