Leland Cheuk

Leland Cheuk is the author of three books of fiction, including the novels THE MISADVENTURES OF SULLIVER PONG and most recently, NO GOOD VERY BAD ASIAN. His work has appeared in Salon, Catapult, Joyland Magazine, Literary Hub, among other outlets. He has been awarded fellowships at The MacDowell Colony, Hawthornden Castle, Djerassi, and elsewhere. He runs the indie press 7.13 Books and lives in Brooklyn. You can follow him on Twitter @lcheuk and at lelandcheuk.com.

PRAISE FOR NO GOOD VERY BAD ASIAN

“A first-person ride through Lee’s ups and downs…Cheuk balances a tenderness toward his character with biting comic turns as the novel confronts ideas about familial obligation.” –Buzzfeed

“In Sirius’ raw reflections, partly enabled by his role as the comedic truth teller, the book serves as a bold satirical mirror of the deepest, ugliest, but partially true feelings and thoughts of Asian Americans.” –SF Chronicle

“…his new darkly comedic novel, No Good Very Bad Asian, takes an immersive leap into the life of a stand-up comic during the early 2000s.” –The Rumpus

“[No Good Very Bad Asian] is funny but also sad, and runs at a kind of breakneck speed through different stages of comedy and a disillusioned man’s life. The incidents of subtle and not-so-subtle racism (such as everyone thinking he’s a different Asian comic) are swept away by the breezy tone, yet we can feel the hurt linger, in an experience many can relate to.” –The Millions

“Leland Cheuk does an admirable job in his latest, No Good Very Bad Asian, achieving a true synthesis of heart and humor highlighted by the fluidity of his first-person voice and a steady diet of sharp turns of prose…As a writer, Leland Cheuk has a varied palette of talents. Most striking is his novel comic sense and timing, abilities that routinely produce surprisingly humorous results.”—The Brooklyn Rail

“…zippy, acerbic…Cheuk, who performed stand-up for several years as research for his book, provides an inside look at the topsy-turvy world of comedy, where rising stars mix it up with floundering has-beens. Above all, the novel is a cautionary tale of how even a brush with fame can derail one’s perspective, and how racial insensitivity and discrimination persist even in the glitzy depths of Hollywood…A showbiz crack-up tale with a heart, No Good Very Bad Asian is smartly told and deeply felt.” —Foreword Reviews

“Leland Cheuk's new novel, No Good Very Bad Asian, introduces readers to an unforgettable protagonist — a Chinese American man who aspires to be a stand-up comedian, struggling to balance his desire for a different kind of life with his familial responsibilities. Cheuk's use of humor will make readers laugh, flinch and occasionally even cringe at hard and uncomfortable truths, while also thinking deeply about the weight of family obligations and inheritance.” —Hyphen Magazine

“Leland Cheuk's novel No Good Very Bad Asian is moving, unsettling, and one of the funniest books I have read in a long time.” –Largehearted Boy

“Leland Cheuk’s fiction grapples with questions of identity even as it utilizes satire devastatingly. (Alternately, if you like Paul Beatty’s work, you’ll probably enjoy Cheuk’s fiction as well.) His latest novel, the memorably-titled No Good Very Bad Asian, taps into the world of stand-up comedy, along with themes of generational conflict and parenthood.” –Vol. 1 Brooklyn

“Leland Cheuk’s latest novel, No Good Very Bad Asian, balances humor with political urgency. The novel follows the life of comedian Sirius Lee as he comes of age in New York City among some of the city’s most talented standup comedians. Cheuk’s novel is often laugh-out-loud funny, but it’s also incredibly poignant in how it presents its protagonist and his family dealing with issues of race, home, and class. No Good Very Bad Asian is a comedy novel for our times.” –Chicago Review of Books