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A Woodside Priory high school student has published a children’s book titled “In Tune,” a story that reflects the pressures that Asian-American students often face to meet parental expectations of success.
Adelyn Qian, 17, was inspired to write a book that accurately represented Asian-Americans allowing young children to see themselves in print.
Qian began brainstorming and researching for her story in 2023, during her sophomore year of high school. She spent late nights revising it while balancing her school work and extracurriculars. Qian also took time to speak with younger cousins, friends and community members about their experiences with Asian identity, family and belonging.
“I wanted to create a book where Asian kids weren’t just a side character, where they (weren’t) based on stereotypes or misassumptions,” Qian said.
She added that she’s experienced a lot of microaggressions which project the stereotype that all Asian youth are straight-A students and extremely scholarly. Qian said this was a common experience among her and her friends from as early as elementary school.
In her book, Qian wanted to remind young readers that despite the societal and parental pressures to succeed, everyone holds the power to “choose their own narrative.” She hopes that the story will remind children that they have their own voice and power to pursue creativity.
“In Tune” follows two Asian-American sisters, one who carries more creative pursuits and another who is the quiet straight-A student. Tensions begin to rise with the parents when the brainy sister expresses her desire to join her sister’s band for the talent show — defying the parent’s expectations of academic success.
“(The story) follows them through a journey of finding each other, but also finding themselves through music and creativity while navigating space between individuality and belonging,” said Qian.
Growing up in Silicon Valley, she describes the environment as a “pressure cooker,” where young people are often pit against their peers to achieve higher success. She uses her book to reflect the realities of these expectations from the child’s and parents’ perspectives.
“It’s so important to have this one story told (to young readers) that breaks down the biases and celebrates the diversity within the experience and offers them a clearer lens that they didn’t have before, where they can feel proud of who they are,” she added.
Through her writing journey, Qian said she was able to hold deeper conversations with her immigrant parents on why families push their children to succeed. She learned about her parents’ sacrifices and their journey to start a new life in a new country. Qian quickly understood the perspective of her parents wanting their child to accomplish great things. In return, she shared her experiences with her parents on feeling pressured to do well in school and being defined by achievements.
“It broke through a lot of the walls that we never really talked about,” she said. “It was really nice to just be able to have these refreshing conversations with them and get their feedback.”
To accurately represent the Asian community, she shared many of her early drafts with friends and family. Qian said many of her Asian-American peers saw the story as a reflection of their own lives and her friends that were not of Asian descent were finally able to see through the lens of the Asian-American experience.
“Personally, I grew up balancing two roads. There were the traditional Asian family values and also the American school social life,” said Qian, who learned to walk the line between contrasting cultures.
The book is also meant to teach children of other ethnic groups about Asian cultures. Qian recently held a storytime with Generations United, a nonprofit organization focused on youth literacy and academics in Redwood City. While reading her book to a group of Latinx youth, she was able to share her own story while helping young children understand the cultural dynamics within “In Tune.”
“I hope to bridge gaps between different backgrounds and to help them understand and learn more about the Asian perspective that sparks conversations that foster understanding,” Qian said.
Within the first week of the book’s release, Qian sold over 250 copies and raised $1,000. All proceeds are being donated to the Asian Women’s Shelter in San Francisco to support youth literacy and cultural programs. As an organization that is dedicated to gender and racial equality as well as culture, Qian felt that this was the perfect cause to donate to.
In September, she is planning on doing a read aloud event with local libraries and organizations around the Bay Area. She is also in partnership with language immersion schools and literacy organizations to incorporate the book into curriculums and educational programs.
“In Tune” is currently available to purchase on Amazon. In the future, Qian hopes to get her books on the shelves of local bookstores.
