309: The Monkey King and Boy Giant (with Van Hoang)

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We’re joined by author Van Hoang, who teaches us the story of the Monkey King, how Journey to the West MIGHT have been a romance novel, and how going through puberty turns every kid into a trickster spirit. </span></p> <p> </p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Content Warning:</span></em> <span style="font-weight: 400;">This episode contains conversations about or mentions of trauma, puberty, crude jokes, misogyny, and arranged marriage.  </span></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Guest</strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.authorvanhoang.com/"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Van Hoang</span></a><span style= "font-weight: 400;">’s first name is pronounced like the van in minivan. Her last name is pronounced “hah-wawng.” She earned her bachelor’s in English at the University of New Mexico and her master’s in library information science at San Jose State University. She was born in Vietnam, grew up in Orange County, California, and now resides in Los Angeles with her husband, kid, and two dogs.</span> <a href= "https://bookshop.org/a/822/9781250802798"><em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Girl Giant and the Monkey King</span></em></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">is her debut novel, and its sequel</span> <a href= "https://bookshop.org/a/822/9781250240446"><em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Girl Giant and the Jade War</span></em></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">came out in December, 2021.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Housekeeping</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">-</span> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">Recommendation</span><span style= "font-weight: 400;">: This week, Julia recommends</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dead End: Paranormal Park</span></em> <span style="font-weight: 400;">on Netflix.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">-</span> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">Books</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">: Check out our previous book recommendations, guests’ books, and more at</span> <a href= "http://spiritspodcast.com/books"><