"It's as if the author is getting out of her own way, giving herself space to focus on the mechanics of one individual narrative at a time. Yet in each there's a sense of many other narratives just off the page, the lives and back stories we aren't seeing. Short stories are by definition brief, but they needn't be small." -New York Times

"Immersive and complex, Chai's characters confront questions about class, family, sexuality, love, longing and more. The sign of a strong collection is one where the stories work together to inform the reader, and Chai's eight tales do just that." -Washington Post

"Chai doesn't give us op-eds decorated with human fixtures. Instead, we get human lives in which migration is one shaping force jostling alongside many others, including puberty, sexuality, disease, and old age." -The National

"With her masterful short story collection, Chai proves with exquisite craftsmanship that less can be so much more. In quiet moments of family drama, Chai shines a light on the deeper truths." -Booklist (Starred Review)

"Chai thoughtfully depicts the loneliness of displacement, combining empathy and nuance to craft stories that are compassionate, illuminating, and sometimes brilliant." -Publishers Weekly

"May-lee Chai's Useful Phrases for Immigrants is distinguished by writing as elegant and delicate as a snowflake...Devastating and graceful in equal turns, this collection confirms Chai's place among the best Asian American writers of today." -Foreword Reviews (Starred Review)

"Chai's confident writing and insights into characters wanting, but unable, to fit in-whether because of class, sexuality, ethnicity, or the everyday complications of human connection-make her a writer to remember." -Kirkus Reviews

"Chai's stories carry themes about borders-national, cultural and psychic-and traditions old, new and invented. As the world becomes increasingly global, this material proves ever-relevant... These evocative stories are variously funny, surprising, gloomy and heartening, ultimately about a universal human experience, of immigration and beyond." -Shelf Awareness

"Chai's latest is a slim volume featuring a diverse assortment of tales that explore immigrant identity in unique ways." -Entertainment Weekly "New & Notable" "buzziest books" guide and "20 New Books to Read in October"

The Millions "Most Anticipated: The Great Second-Half 2018 Book Preview;" Elle "28 Best Books to Read in Fall 2018;" Electric Lit "46 Books by Women of Color to Read in 2018;" and Bustle "11 Most Anticipated Books Published by Indie Presses to Have on Your Radar in 2018," "Finished Crazy Rich Asians? Try These 8 Books Next," and "'Useful Phrases For Immigrants' By May-Lee Chai Explores The Effect Of Globalization, Class, And Race On Family Dynamics"

"May-lee Chai presents us with a splendid gem of a story collection . . . Complementing the vivid characters, the reader has the gift of language-'a wind so treacherous it had its own name, ' 'summer days stretched taffy slow'....Chai's work is a grand event." -Edward P. Jones, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Known World, All Aunt Hagar's Children, and Lost in the City

"The eight stories in this collection contain multitudes. Chai interrogates heavy subjects with a light touch...Useful Phrases for Immigrants is more than merely "useful," this is essential reading and I'm honored to choose this book for the Bakwin Award." -Tayari Jones, author of An American Marriage and Silver Sparrow

"The characters in May-lee Chai's riveting Useful Phrases for Immigrants ask searching questions--of themselves, of their families, and of their culture. The answers, they often find, are within themselves, rooted in love and hope. This cl