August 1, 2024 8:06 AM EDT
Kevin Kwan drew inspiration for his 2013 best-selling romantic comedy “Crazy Rich Asians” from his own upper-crust community in Singapore. The story begins with the protagonist Rachel Chu, a Chinese-American economics professor at New York University, finding herself in love with Nick Young, an attractive and secretly wealthy colleague. It wasn’t until she accompanied him to a wedding in his native Singapore that she truly understood the extent of his wealth. Nick isn’t just rich. He is the sole heir to the fortune of Asia’s richest family. Raised in the working class and raised by a single mother, Rachel struggles to assimilate to her family’s lavish lifestyle and worries that she is not rich or Chinese enough for Nick. To make matters worse, she finds herself at odds with Nick’s controlling mother, whose disapproval may be enough to tear the lovers apart forever. This hugely popular book, which spawned two successful sequels, helped increase Asian representation in the genre and has sold more than 5 million copies worldwide since its release. In 2018, this groundbreaking film adaptation became the first Hollywood blockbuster to feature an all-Asian cast since The Joy Luck Club 25 years ago. It is also the highest-grossing romantic comedy of the past 10 years in the United States.
Buy now: Buy Crazy Rich Asians in bookstores | Amazon
