A Middle Schooler Discovers Her Ancestor’s Story in Maizy Chen’s Last Chance

In many ways, author Lisa Yee says her new novel, Maizy Chen’s Last Chance, is her most personal book yet. Titular character Maizy Chen is a trendy Los Angeles middle schooler before her mother announces they will be spending the summer in Minnesota to help out with the family restaurant.

Once in Minnesota, Maizy begins wondering about the countless photos that decorate the restaurant. She asks about her ancestor Lucky, who moved to the United States in the 1860s to find work. As Maizy learns more about Lucky and his struggles, she also draws on his strength when the restaurant is subject to a series of anti-Asian attacks.

We had the chance to chat with Yee over email about Maizy’s story, Chinese American history, and why we all need stories about hope and resilience.

In your author’s note, you say that this is your most personal book yet. Because of that, you write, creating this story was often nerve-racking. What led you to decide to bring Maizy’s story to the page?

I was working on another book when the idea for Maizy’s story hit me. I don’t know how that works, how it happens. Maybe it had been in my subconscious for years? I only knew that I wanted to explore the life of a Chinese American girl from Los Angeles who finds herself in an unknown place. There she discovers not only who she is but who her family is, as well. This is an intergenerational story with Maizy as the bridge.

While reading Maizy Chen’s Last Chance the reader discovers not only Maizy’s story, but also the story of her great-great-great-grandfather Lucky, who immigrated to the United States from China in the 1860s. What was researching Lucky’s story for this book like?

Growing up, I knew little about Chinese American history. Sure, I’d heard some things and maybe even read a little bit here and there, but it wasn’t taught in elementary or high school. When I took an elective in college about the Chinese in America, for the first time, my eyes were opened. I remember studying paper sons and reading about the young Chinese men who died working on the railroads and thinking, “Why didn’t I know these things?”

Researching Lucky’s story was inspiring, tragic, and affirming. I went to Chinese American museums in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. I contacted railroad experts. I started reading, reading, reading until I realized, “This could go on forever. It’s time to start writing.” When I let Maizy ask the questions, I was finally able to focus, and I knew what I needed to find out.

When we first meet Maizy, she’s a very sophisticated middle schooler from Los Angeles who grew up knowing a ton about television and advertising because of her mom’s job as a food stylist. She experiences a bit of culture shock when she and her mom head to small-town Minnesota to help out her aging grandparents. Did you ever have a similar moment of culture shock in your own life?

Like Maizy, I was born and raised in Los Angeles. I’m a third-generation Chinese American. I hadn’t experienced much racism growing up, nor when I was working in advertising. I wrote/produced food commercials — hence Maizy’s mom being a food stylist! Later, I moved out of state to an area where I was one of the few Asian Americans. People were constantly asking me, “Where are you from?” Or telling me that my English was excellent. There, I encountered overt racism for the first time, and I wasn’t sure how to deal with it or what to do with it. I guess you could say I found my voice on the page when I wrote this book.

Sadly, like many real-life Asian American kids and teens, Maizy also experiences quite a bit of racism in Minnesota, both when her grandparents’ restaurant is vandalized and when she is made fun of for her eyes by a girl in the neighborhood. Those scenes were incredibly painful to read; what was the process of writing them like?

It was incredibly hard to write, especially since anti-Asian hate was playing out in the news. I overwrote in earlier drafts, packing too much in. It was like therapy for me. But then, for the sake of the story, I realized that less is more, and I let Maizy’s situations play out on the page. There was no need to overdo it. Instead of tapping into the endless aggressions, I tapped into Maizy’s awareness, reactions, and, ultimately, resilience when faced with adversity.

As you know, this book is coming out at a time when kids and teens everywhere, and Asian American kids in particular, are going through incredible stress because of both the COVID-19 pandemic and COVID-related racism. What would you like your young readers to take away from this book?

Though there are crimes against Asian Americans in Maizy Chen’s Last Chance, ultimately, this is not a book about hate. It is a book about hope. We create our own families, and the best friendships are those where there is mutual trust, love, and respect. I wish that my readers will talk to their families and friends, discover who they are, where they came from, and share their stories.