Ed Lin, who is a journalist by training, is also a writer known for his crime novels. Recently, Lin released his debut Young Adult (YA) novel - David Tung Can’t Have A Girlfriend Until He Gets Into an Ivy League College. When asked what made him venture into writing a YA novel, Lin says, “I have read quite a few YA titles, but none that really captured what I had gone through, what I was struggling with when I was in high school. This is a book I wish I had back then.”  

David Tung Can’t Have A Girlfriend Until He Gets Into an Ivy League College explores the experiences of coming of age story of David Tung. David is just a kid juggling the pressures of being an Asian-American teenager growing up in the 2020s. He wants to please his parents, but he wants to be a part of the complicated world of high school! Lin writes that David “generally follows what his parents say, until one day, he snaps a little bit... David realizes that ‘success’ and happiness aren’t necessarily correlated.”

We asked Lin what he wishes readers to take away from his book, Lin says, “At some point, you may have to fight your parents for what you want, and it could get really ugly, and it may take years for them to accept your ideas. But a few years of bad relations are better than a lifetime spent doing something you don't really want to do.”

Ed Lin will be joining Pao Arts Center and BCNC’s Youth Center for the event - Chinatown Presents: How to Maybe Get into an Ivy League College with Author Ed Lin. YC’s youth participants will lead a conversation with Lin about the novel. Register for the event Here.