PHOENIX GIRL: HOW A FAT ASIAN WITH BIPOLAR FINDS LOVE (A Memoir) by Michelle Yang

Coming May 6th, 2025, from Fifth Avenue Press, in time for Mental Health Awareness Month and Asian American Heritage Month!

Please join me at author events in Michigan, Arizona, and Washington.

“After Michelle emigrates to the U.S. from the tight-knit ethnic Chinese enclave in Incheon, South Korea, she must adapt quickly to survive. With a dominant, impulsive father in charge—who protects the family from everyone but himself—and a mother who never finds her power, Michelle craves safety and security. 

Like tumbleweeds, Michelle and her family bump across the country in a Ford Dixie van before settling in Phoenix, Arizona. Working at their family-owned Chinese takeout restaurant by age 12, Michelle drowns in pressures beyond her age. 

Ultimately, Michelle finds love, not only the romantic kind, but an enduring self-love, which allows her to heal, never give up, and thrive while successfully managing what later becomes a bipolar 1 diagnosis.”

• My writing, which focuses on the intersection of Asian American identity, feminism, and mental health, has been featured on CNN, NBC News, InStyle, Shondaland, NAMI, and more. Please connect with me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  

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Asian American Identity, Representation & Entertainment

• Ming-Na Wen Channeled Her Own Experience As A Mom In Gremlins: Secrets Of The Mogwai | Romper
• What Does AANHPI Mean? A Proud Asian American Explains | Reader’s Digest
• 2023 Oscars Preview: Here’s What To Watch With the Kids | Parents​​
• Why Karaoke Is the Secret to Happiness I Want to Share with the World​ | Reader’s Digest
• ​Blockbuster’s Randall Park On Smashing The Model Minority Myth & Advocating For His Daughter With Autism​ |​ ​Romper​

• Jenny Han Wanted Both Moms & Teens to Feel Seen In The Summer I Turned Pretty | Romper

• As an Immigrant, This is What the 4^th of July Means to Me | Readers Digest

• Books That Are Helping Me Untangle My Own Complicated Mother-Daughter Relationship | Romper
• Bridgerton Season 2 Is A Love Letter To Mothers Everywhere | Romper
• How ‘Turning Red’ Presents Chinese Culture Liberated Me in a Way I Didn’t Know I Needed | Parents 
• In Netflix’s Love Is Blind, The Moms & Dads Steal The Show | Romper
• China bans crypto, Marvel film ‘Shang-Chi’ and ‘effeminate men.’ This is what they share. | NBCNews.com THINK
• Netflix’s’The Mitchells vs. the Machines’ is how to do LGBTQ representation in kids’ movies | NBCNews.com THINK
• The Atlanta shooting, anti-Asian hate crime and what it means to be (Asian) American | NBCNews.com THINK

• Netflix’s ‘Bling Empire’ flaunts Asian privilege amid the Covid pandemic | NBCNews.com THINK

• Why “Over the Moon” is the film my son and I desperately needed | CNN.com
• ‘Shang-Chi’ Rings in a New Level of Representation | Shondaland
• As ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ Ends, Asian Americans Reflect on Its Significance | Shondaland
• Bend It Like Beckham’s Director is Back with a Movie You’ll Love Just As Much | InStyle

• 12 Cultural Easter Eggs in The Farewell, Explained | InStyle

• 12 Asian Stereotypes That Always Be My Maybe Completely Shuts Down | InStyle
• The Farewell is universally relatable, from grieving loved ones to telling lies | HelloGiggles
• How to Be an Ally to the Asian American Community | Reader’s Digest
• Anti-Asian Racism: How Language Fueled Hate Crimes and Xenophobia | Reader’s Digest
• My Immigrant Family Took on White-Sounding Names — And Here’s Why That’s a Problem | Reader’s Digest
• Awkwafina carries on the torch in ‘Nora from Queens’ as ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ concludes | Mochi Magazine
• ‘Blinded By the Light’ Challenges Racism and Inspires Hope | Mochi Magazine

Mental Health & Sobriety

• ​​I Thought I Was The Only One:” Malin Akerman Opens Up About Her Family History & The Mental Health Crisis​ | Romper​
• What Does it Mean to be ‘Sober Curious’? | Tempest
• How to Overcome Internalized Stigma | WorkIt Health
• “Why Drinking Makes Your Depression Worse” | Tempest
• “How Does Alcohol Affect Your Mental Health?” | Tempest
• “Can Seasonal Affective Disorder Happen in the Summer?” | Tempest
• “How to Support Friends Facing Racism During COVID-19” | The Temper
• “Asian American Mental Health Advocates Changing the Narrative on Mental Illness” | The Temper
• “How to Manage Your Mental Health During the Coronavirus Pandemic” | The Temper
• “These Powerful Women of Color are Destigmatizing Mental Illness” | The Temper
• “Filmmaker Rachel Leyco Fights for a Stigma-Free Future” | Mochi Magazine
• “Balancing Great Expectations with Mental Health Wellness” | Mochi Magazine
• “Asian American Advocates Changing the Narrative on Mental Health” | The Stability Network (Reprint)
• “12 Things I Do for Everyday Wellness” | Asian Mental Health Collective (Reprint)

Socially Conscious/Anti-Racist/Positive Parenting

• 10 public library activities and resources for kids you never knew existed | Care.com
• How to talk about marijuana with kids | Care.com
• Why Finding My BIPOC Friends in a White Midwest Town Was a Necessary Extension of Parenting | Parents
• ​12 ideas for celebrating greener this holiday season​ ​​| Care.com
• Moving with kids: 9 ideas for helping them cope with big change | Care.com
• 7 ways to nurture multiracial kids to embrace their identity | Care.com
• 12 Mid-Autumn Festival activities to teach kids about this Chinese celebration | Care.com
• ​11 fun Chuseok activities to teach kids about the Korean holiday | Care.com
• 7 ways to nurture multiracial kids to embrace their identity | Care.com
• 9 fun shows that get kids moving and inspire active play | Care.com
• 11 Dragon Boat Festival activities for kids | Care.com
• AAPI Heritage Month for kids: 9 fun activities for learning and celebrating | Care.com
• 8 Simple Strategies to Help Kids with Anxiety | Care.com
• Anxiety in Kids: What are the Signs and When to Seek Help | Care.com
• Celebrating Women’s History Month: 11 kids activities that teach and empower | Care.com
• Lunar New Year for kids: 10 ideas to ring in the Year of the Tiger | Care.com
• Can My Non-Asian Child Dress Up as Shang-Chi for Halloween? | Romper
• 13 Family-Friendly Movies That Celebrate AAPI Heritage | Romper

• Netflix’s ‘Over the Moon’ Is The Perfect Film To Help Kids Combat Anti-Asian Racism | Romper

• Honoring Ethnic Names is an Important Way to Celebrate Diversity of Families in America | Parents

Body Positivity/Feminism

• Actress Melanie Lynskey Claps Back at Body-Shaming Critics | Parents
• ​This $88/Month Clothing Rental Service Has Me All Set For New Year’s Eve | Romper
• A Mother’s Day Reminder: ‘Selfless’ is Not a Compliment | SheKnows
• This Lunar New Year, I’m Breaking the Negative Body Image Cycle for My Kids | SheKnows
• 7 Asian Women Who Define Beauty for Me | Mochi Magazine

Food & Travel

• ​9 of Our Favorite Chinese Restaurants in Michigan and What to Order When You’re There | The ‘Gander
• ​24 Highly Anticipated Music Festivals in Michigan in 2023 | The ‘Gander
• My Parents Never Taught Me To Cook So I’d Always Need Them | Romper
• 10 kids cooking and baking kits for little aspiring chefs and bakers | Care.com
• Cooking with kids: 11 ideas to inspire learning and fun in the kitchen | Care.com
• ​10 kids cooking shows for young chefs and culinary creatives | Care.com
• What Apple Pie Means to Me as a First-Generation American​ | Taste of Home​
• How our AANHPI community is traveling now | Tripadvisor
• 8 AANHPI neighborhoods to explore | Tripadvisor
• Michelle Obama’s Kids Show Waffles + Mochi Serves Joy Through Food & Connection | Romper
• How to Make Mapo Tofu at Home | Taste of Home
• How to Use Chopsticks | Taste of Home
• How to Make Strawberry Tanghulu at Home | Taste of Home
• How to Make Fried Rice at Home | Taste of Home
• What I learned about compassion at my parents’ Chinese restaurant | HelloGiggles

Please see PRESS page for features and coverage on my work by other writers.

For writing inquiries, podcast interviews, or other collaboration opportunities, please contact: michelle.h.yang@gmail.com