THE GIRL AT THE BAGGAGE CLAIM

A PROVOCATIVE AND IMPORTANT STUDY of the different ideas Easterners and Westerners
have about the self and society, and what this means for current debates in art, education, geopolitics,
and business.

Drawing upon a treasure trove of stories and personal anecdotes, as well as cutting-edge research in cultural psychology, Gish Jen reveals the differences between the East and West, as well as how these cultural variations shape us – What we perceive and remember, what we say and do and make. Jen explores how this shapes everything around us, from our ideas about classroom etiquette to the difference between Apple and Alibaba. Engaging and illuminating, this is a book that stands to profoundly enrich our understanding of ourselves and of our world.

“A fascinating, brilliant book that gripped me from page one. Subtle, erudite, and daring, THE GIRL
AT THE BAGGAGE CLAIM is a tour de force by one of the most insightful writers of our time.” –
Amy Chua, author of BATTLE HYMN OF THE TIGER MOTHER

“Insightful, far-reaching and a joy to read, Gish Jen takes on the mystery of cultural difference, and
succeeds in cracking the code. THE GIRL AT THE BAGGAGE CLAIM answers questions I've been
asking my whole life.” – David Henry Hwang, author of M. BUTTERFLY

“A powerful, provocative work.” – Michael Puett, author of THE PATH

GISH JEN is the author of the nonfiction TIGER WRITING, the novels TYPICAL AMERICAN (finalist for the National Book Critics' Circle Award for Fiction), MONA IN THE PROMISED LAND, THE LOVE WIFE, and WORLD AND TOWN (nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award), and the story collection WHO'S IRISH. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, and The Best American Short Stories of the Century, and her honors include the Lannan Literary Award for Fiction, a Guggenheim fellowship, and the Mildred and Harold Strauss Living Award from the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. She lives with her family in Cambridge, Massachusetts.