Ocean Vuong

That seemed like a much more interesting place to write a book from rather than to say, oh, well, they didn't do it. End of story. Everyone clap.

Oh, I felt, you know, on one hand, they're very different. He's 19. She's 84.

Oh, I felt, you know, on one hand, they're very different. He's 19. She's 84.

Oh, I felt, you know, on one hand, they're very different. He's 19. She's 84.

Yeah. It's a long, convoluted story. But Grazina is the grandmother of my partner. And when I was in college, I dropped out of business school. I lost my housing, lost my tuition. And I was casually dating my partner, Peter. And he was in law school. And we were kids. And I said, I'm kind of homeless, but I want to go to school and study English. And he said, one day he called me.

Yeah. It's a long, convoluted story. But Grazina is the grandmother of my partner. And when I was in college, I dropped out of business school. I lost my housing, lost my tuition. And I was casually dating my partner, Peter. And he was in law school. And we were kids. And I said, I'm kind of homeless, but I want to go to school and study English. And he said, one day he called me.

Yeah. It's a long, convoluted story. But Grazina is the grandmother of my partner. And when I was in college, I dropped out of business school. I lost my housing, lost my tuition. And I was casually dating my partner, Peter. And he was in law school. And we were kids. And I said, I'm kind of homeless, but I want to go to school and study English. And he said, one day he called me.

I talked to my mom. My grandma lives alone. She's very independent. She wants to stay in the house that she lived in after fleeing Stalin, fleeing World War II. She's a self-made person, a refugee like myself. And you can live with her and go to school. And so I lived with her for three years.

I talked to my mom. My grandma lives alone. She's very independent. She wants to stay in the house that she lived in after fleeing Stalin, fleeing World War II. She's a self-made person, a refugee like myself. And you can live with her and go to school. And so I lived with her for three years.

I talked to my mom. My grandma lives alone. She's very independent. She wants to stay in the house that she lived in after fleeing Stalin, fleeing World War II. She's a self-made person, a refugee like myself. And you can live with her and go to school. And so I lived with her for three years.

And we had this incredible bond that then led to my partner and I's relationship blooming because it's this kind of strange quintessential American family. He would visit from school, but I would live with her every day. And here we are, two refugees from two different wars, two different continents, 20 years apart. And we are in Brooklyn. living probably the most American life I can think of.

And we had this incredible bond that then led to my partner and I's relationship blooming because it's this kind of strange quintessential American family. He would visit from school, but I would live with her every day. And here we are, two refugees from two different wars, two different continents, 20 years apart. And we are in Brooklyn. living probably the most American life I can think of.

And we had this incredible bond that then led to my partner and I's relationship blooming because it's this kind of strange quintessential American family. He would visit from school, but I would live with her every day. And here we are, two refugees from two different wars, two different continents, 20 years apart. And we are in Brooklyn. living probably the most American life I can think of.

It's not the white picket fence American life, but it's still true. And that reciprocal care, I had to care for her as she looked out for me. And I was so inspired by this because I think Both the very young and the very old are on the margins of society. They're no longer in the center. The young are said, oh, you don't know enough. You don't have enough. You don't own enough to contribute.

It's not the white picket fence American life, but it's still true. And that reciprocal care, I had to care for her as she looked out for me. And I was so inspired by this because I think Both the very young and the very old are on the margins of society. They're no longer in the center. The young are said, oh, you don't know enough. You don't have enough. You don't own enough to contribute.

It's not the white picket fence American life, but it's still true. And that reciprocal care, I had to care for her as she looked out for me. And I was so inspired by this because I think Both the very young and the very old are on the margins of society. They're no longer in the center. The young are said, oh, you don't know enough. You don't have enough. You don't own enough to contribute.

You don't have a degree. You don't have the credentials. In the old, you're defunct. You're out of the market. You're in the retirement. Push yourself away. And so both the young and the very old, in my observation in this country... live in a perennial loneliness.

You don't have a degree. You don't have the credentials. In the old, you're defunct. You're out of the market. You're in the retirement. Push yourself away. And so both the young and the very old, in my observation in this country... live in a perennial loneliness.

You don't have a degree. You don't have the credentials. In the old, you're defunct. You're out of the market. You're in the retirement. Push yourself away. And so both the young and the very old, in my observation in this country... live in a perennial loneliness.

And when they get together, you realize there's actually a lot of common ground when people have been pushed to the center. I wanted to write a book where the people who were pushed to the absolute fringes of society get to occupy the center and the camera would just not pan away. I did not want a plot that solved them. I did not want anyone to get a better job. to have a better home.