Richard Lin

After COVID-19 taught Richard that there is more to life than grappling with Zoom calls at 2 am, he recently retired as a corporate executive to focus on family, philanthropy, and writing. “To Where We Came From” is an excerpt from Richard’s debut coming-of-age memoir, ARIZONA AWAKENING, to be published in 2022. It is the first in a series of four that focus on themes of interracial romance and relationships, immigrant intergenerational conflict, and ethnic tensions in America, China, and Taiwan.
As Richard transitions into the literary realm, he feels honored to have his work appearing or soon to appear in The Dillydoun Review, The Write Launch, Potato Soup Journal, Drunk Monkeys, Ariel Chart, Eunoia Review, and The Good Life Literary Journal. He lives in Shanghai and Portland, OR with his one wife, three kids, and nine hamsters. He can be reached via his author website, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter (@LinChenghao).

To Where We Came From

I realize that Jacqué is probably not the best influence. Troy likely is. Despite being whitebread, Troy is as wholesome as multigrain. However, there is an edge to Jacqué that I enjoy. With him, I am Rick, cool and tough. As my first nonwhite friend, Jacqué innately understands what it is like to grow up amongst those that do not look like me or understand the culture of my parents. True, he and I look nothing alike, and the cultures of our people are vastly different. However, the experience of immigrants’ sons is near universal.
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