Something about seeing her on the screen made me feel like there’s nothing we can’t do. An Asian American female comedian? Is that even a thing? Yet there she was being just that - unapologetic and polished, completely in control. There she was, this petite Asian lady in that leopard dress and cat-eye, third-trimester pregnant holding nothing but a mic, somehow managing to get the entire auditorium utterly howling in pee-your-pants hysterics. I’ll never forget watching her stand up show Baby Cobra on Netflix.

To prepare for the story, I watched untold hours of footage of other people doing improv on YouTube.Īs far as comedic inspiration, Ali Wong made a big impression on me. Jessica Kim: To be honest, I’ve never personally done improv before, though I’d love to try it one day, especially now that I’ve written a whole book about it. Sarah True: Yumi Chung made me laugh out loud over and over again! Do you have experience with improv? Also, where do you get your comedic inspiration? Here, True and Kim discuss the comedy and food as well as the more serious topics, like immigration and identity, that appear in the author’s book. She currently lives in Southern California with her family. Kim was born on Fort Ord Military Base in Monterey, California, and earned her bachelor’s in education at UC Berkley, after which she taught third, fourth, and fifth grades in public schools for 10 years. And in the end, you will absolutely be standing up and cheering for Yumi Chung!”

This book is hilarious, heartbreaking, and heartwarming all at once. Suddenly, Yumi finds herself with the chance to attend a summer camp with her all-time favorite comedian, except everyone thinks Yumi is someone else. Said True, “Yumi Chung has a dream of being a standup comedian, but her parents aren’t on board.

Sarah True of Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Cincinnati, Ohio, served as a panelist for the Indies Introduce committee that selected Kim’s debut. Jessica Kim is the author of Stand Up, Yumi Chung! (Kokila), a Winter Spring 2020 Indies Introduce middle-grade selection, and a Spring 2020 Kids’ Indie Next List pick.

Stand Up, Yumi Chung! by Jessica Kim