Publication Day

A quick note as "Good Soil" makes its way out into the world

Tuesday, March 25
Atlanta, Georgia

It’s just past midnight here on the East Coast.

Most of my tasks for the day have been completed, the only other thing I ought to be doing is sleeping, and in this little moonlit clearing, I am writing this note now— before the insecurities come flooding back, before I freak out a little bit for no good reason, before I wonder again whether it was folly to write another book because maybe it should just have stayed in a journal?

Today is publication day for Good Soil. And I am writing this note now because I want Good Soil’s book birthday to begin not with the stresses of promotion or the ruthlessness of the publishing business or the anxiety of sales, but instead with so much gratitude.

One more big thank-you to Joe McKendry for the cover art.

When I was a kid, my paternal grandmother told me again and again that I was Chinese, something that seemed weird to say repeatedly, given that it was self-evident. It wasn’t until I was working on this book that I finally realized what that meant to her: It wasn’t a label or a badge so much as it was a heritage to embrace and a tradition to uphold and a story to continue in my own way but not for my own sake. How could I not be grateful?

My grandmother and me when I was 10

I have a husband who loves me and has been so encouraging not just of my work but also of me; Tristan is the best. I got to experience the affection of a weirdo dog who sat at my feet for nearly all the book’s writing and whom we miss every single day. And truly, Good Soil’s very existence is testament to the ways in which so many—friends and family, colleagues and strangers, even goats and worms—have come alongside me to help. How could I not be grateful?

On Sunday in Berkeley, I got to help lead worship with Charlene Han Powell and Barbara Brown Taylor, and it was wonderful and beautiful and one of those rare occasions where the work of worship leadership did not feel like work at all. And then, after the service, Barbara and I sat down for a chat about life and anger and grief and writing and gardening and Good Soil. How could I not be grateful?

(You can watch our whole conversation on YouTube if you wish.)

Probably the most special moment, beyond the whole ridiculous privilege of being in conversation with Barbara and in the company of my beloved congregation in Berkeley, came toward the very end (about 1:07 in the YouTube video). That’s when I realized that Carmen Gonzalez, my second- and third-grade teacher, had made it to the book event—and I got to give her public credit for her essential role in making me the writer I am today.

I went to Black Pine Circle, a funky Berkeley school where we called our teachers by their first names. BPC had lots of rich kids, and I was not one of them; I never got to order books when the Scholastic catalogs came around. Which made it all the more special when, every month or two, it was my turn to go on one of Carmen’s bibliophilic excursions. Three or four of us would squeeze into her tiny blue Datsun, and she’d drive us to the local library to choose a few books. On those trips, I met Ramona Quimby, and the Great Brain, and Encyclopedia Brown, and Little Eddie Wilson. Can you imagine such a thing happening today? The liability issues! But how could I not be grateful?

Me and Carmen on Sunday! She says she’s 86. I don’t believe it.

And here you are, reading these words—and some of you believe enough in my work that you pay to read words that you could receive for free. You honor me by sharing your time and attention, and you send kind notes, and you share my letters with friends, and you slip a card into the old-fashioned mail. How could I not be grateful?

So yes, thank you.

Now that Good Soil is out in the world, there are so many things you can do to be supportive:
*Of course you can buy the book. (Support your favorite local indie bookstore!)
*Ask for the book at your local library.
*Come see me on book tour: Atlanta tonight, NYC on Thursday, Grand Rapids on Saturday (just a few tickets left)... The full schedule, with all the registration links, is online at byjeffchu.com/tour.
*Share about Good Soil on social media.
*Review and rate Good Soil on Goodreads and/or Amazon and/or StoryGraph.
*Pray for me and send me all your good vibes.
*Choose “Good Soil” for your book club. There’s a discussion guide available on the Penguin Random House website. And I have a standing invitation for book clubs to get in touch if you’d like me to join you via Zoom. I’ll do as many online book-club meetings as my energy and schedule will allow.

Thanks in advance for celebrating Good Soil with me. I can’t wait to hear what you think of it.

Much love,
Jeff