It was awesome reading about the different Chinatowns around North America. Each Chinatown is a unique part of the space where they are located, some are small while others are much bigger. Chinatown Pretty shows the view of the older generation through the stories told, and the beautiful photographs, and the rich history.

This book had absolutely beautiful photographs. A lovely and respectful tribute to the many different personalities in Chinatown. I loved reading everyone's story, and seeing their creativity and zest for the beauty in life.

A fantastic look at different yet similar cultures all over. Vivid pictures and cute stories along the way. I definitely suggest you pick this up if you have an interest in learning about different cultures and getting to visually understand different locations.

I spent a lot of time in Chinatown in San Francisco as I had to cut through there to walk to work. On the way home, I would always explore the back alleys. This was a really lovely book. The pictures are fantastic. This would make a great coffetable book. The fashion stories were very informative. Absolutely loved this book.

This was such an wonderful and fun read! The pictures were high quality and the stories of the people were so genuine and simple, yet beautiful. I loved how they used clothes to express themselves instinctively, without any pretentiousness. Absolutely loved to read this!

Oh my gosh, I loved this book! I was looking forward to it as a photography book, I've admired senior East Asian fashion for years, but this is so much more than just photography. The histories of the Chinatowns, the stories of the poh pohs and gung gungs, the life and joy throughout the book is wonderful and engaging and so interesting. I enjoyed this so much! I have a good start on being a poh poh hou leng (pretty grandma); this is my new aspiration in life, and I hope I can make the real poh poh hou lengs proud.

#ChinatownPretty #NetGalley

I just loved this book. One of my favorite places is Chinatown in Chicago so I was glad to see it included. The book is filled with beautiful photographs of stylish seniors but I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed reading about them. Enjoy this fun book

How about that cool cat grandma? So put together, so stylish! This book is fun, genuine and warm. It's totally surprising and awe-inspiring how these grandmas and grandpas are still very much alive and kicking, despite their ages, and with amazing fashion sense to boot!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I was drawn to this book because I am currently studying photojournalism in college. I wanted to see how the authors tied in their photography with storytelling, and I wasn't at all disappointed. This collection highlighted so many different people in various Chinatowns throughout the U.S., and told their stories beautifully.

This was such a wonderful and fun look behind the beautiful gates of our American Chinatowns. I went for the fashion, but stayed for the lovely stories of the Asian American experience. The beautiful photography transports you completely. So much more than what I was expecting-well done!

Lo and Luu's Chinatown Pretty is a beautiful collection of images taken in Chinatown of its inhabitants. It's the sort of book I wish I had when I was a kid, to show me that my culture was beautiful - but it nevertheless provides an insider's perspective in to this immigrant community barely explored within contemporary art. I'd highly recommend this book as a coffee table book, or as a gift to a friend. 5 stars.

The photos in this book were really great. BringS back a lot of memories from when i was little and would visit various Chinatowns in different cities.

I read the e-galley of this book thanks to Chronicle Books in exchange for an honest review.

I never really considered the fashion choices of my two grandmothers growing up. To me, they were just there. What they wore was what I just assumed grandmothers wore (there really wasn’t much to compare to) but through Chinatown Pretty, I was able to look back and really appreciate my grandmothers. In this fun and quirky collection of photos and stories, we are introduced to many grandmothers and grandfathers in multiple Chinatowns around North America. The fashion sense and choices that reflect their lives and stories were told in such an entertaining way to also reflect the history of Chinese immigration in North America.

What a lovely book! This is one I'd want on my coffee table for everyone to read and flip through. It's an introduction to different Chinatowns in the United States (and Vancouver, BC, Canada) and its seniors. Each section includes an introduction to the Chinatown with some descriptions of the history and what it is like now. The section introductions are followed by short interviews with the different photographed seniors in a Humans Of New York style. Each senior has something different to say and stories to share. I really like how personal and heartwarming this collection is and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a beautiful art book that's also very readable and delightful.

The gorgeous photographs, the heartwarming life stories, are only the beginning of this book. I could not put it down and wanted to see every page to see what was going on next. So much history, so many personalities, so much to be inspired by!

I am blown away by how much heart went into the making of this book. It brought so much joy to see the beautiful color older folks in Chinatown like to don, and it brought me back to when I was 6 or 7 watching my Toisanese grandmother on her sewing machine stitching together random scraps she scavenged to a new coat. This book reminds me of how much Chinese love & celebrate color, and how my aunts were always telling me I should wear less black.

The photos in here are stunning; Andria’s skills highlight each face to make wrinkles look elegant and refined. I found the blurbs a bit cheesy but overall I really appreciated the stories they told because so many of these older immigrants have endured war & loss to tell their stories. I’m sure Adria and Valerie brought infinite joy in just asking to speak with them, to share a part of their day with someone willing to listen.

This books resurfaces some thoughts I have regarding Chinatowns in North America and I question the future of our Chinatowns. Some, as stated in this book, have become the hip place to be with trendy boutique eateries while others have become derelict and full of vacancies. I toured Vancouver Chinatown with “Chinatown Gal” and it was interesting to hear that most buildings have changed ownership to non-Chinese because children of Chinese immigrants refused to live/work in Chinatown like their parents. Which is a bit ironic bc their parents immigrated for “better opportunities,” which, to many, meant living outside of Chinatown. So what happens to Chinatowns in the future? Who will decide what occupies our symbolic Chinatowns?

In short: come for the clothes, stay for the photos; come for the photos, stay for the stories; come for the stories, stay to understand your Toisanese grandmother a smidge better.

5/5

"Chinatown Pretty" by Andrea Lo and Valerie Luu is a collection of portraits and life stories of the elderly residents of Chinatowns. Through clothing and accessories, the book offers a glimpse into the everyday joys, hardship and lives of the Chinatown elderly.

From a design standpoint, the book is simply breathtaking. The layouts, fonts and pastel colours used were well-thought-out and suited the concept of the book very well. "Chinatown Pretty" will most definitely make a beautiful coffee table book.

I loved this book! My favorite kind of fashion book. Chinatown Pretty captures photos and moments with fashion-forward seniors in 6 Chinatowns around the US. This is not the first time Chinese or Chinese-American seniors have taken center stage--the blog Accidental Chinese Hipster had its moment in the sun highlighting some great looks a few years ago. But this book takes what was great about that blog and goes a little further. With short snippets and interviews, we can a taste of the people, personalities, and humanity behind the fashion. As someone who is part-Chinese and has spent a lot of time in China negotiating that identity, I loved the representational nature of it. It hit me right in the feels and made me very nostalgic for friends, family and strangers I think could've fit well with this book. I am so thankful for the loving care that went into making this book and allowing us a glimpse into the lives of some of the world's most fashionable people. I wish I could spend even more time with them!

Many thanks to Netgalley for providing the book in exchange for an honest review.

Where do I even begin with this review?!...The gorgeous photographs, the heartwarming life stories, the interesting historical information about Chinatown...?

Maybe the best place to begin is with my love for spending time in Chinatown, despite having no Chinese ancestry or speaking any of the Chinese languages myself. As a student in Central London, I spent a good amount of time in the London Chinatown (which is unfortunately not highlighted in this book), both with Chinese friends and by myself. I took everyone who visited me to visit Chinatown and used whatever I had learned from my friends to pick the best restaurants, best dishes, best souvenirs, and best groceries. I cannot explain why I was so drawn to Chinatown then. Perhaps it was the warm smiles of the seniors just like the ones in this book, or perhaps it was because it felt like I was leaving London without actually having to do so. The bottom line is that my love for Chinatown, despite being inexplicable, was strong. And it still is, even though the nearest Chinatown now is a plane ride away. Still, whenever I visit a city where there is Chinatown, I never fail to stop by.

This art & photography book compiles photographs and life stories/ interviews with seniors in six different Chinatown locations across North America, namely San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and Vancouver. Out of these six, I've only personally been to Los Angeles Chinatown and New York (Manhattan) Chinatown, but after reading this I definitely want to go to all the rest as well. This was such a wholesome book, that brought tears to my eyes and a smile on my face, sometimes at the same time. The people photographed here are seniors, mostly Chinese. Their life stories vary and range from moving to North America after their retirement to be closer to their children to escaping to North America as political and war refugees. Despite their different backgrounds though, they all seem to have a contagious smile and a love of living.

Alongside the interviews and life stories of the seniors in the photographs, the book also offers information about the history of each Chinatown in each location, as well as the issues the residents are dealing with due to the gentrification that is threatening the Chinatown life. I loved learning these bits of history, and it made me appreciate Chinatown even more for what it represents for the people whose whole lives revolve around it.

All in all, I loved this book. If you love travelling, people watching, beautiful photography, and of course Chinatown, you need this book in your life. Its only flaw was that it ended.

This is delightful. So much history, so many personalities, so much to be inspired by, and the fabulousness is everything!

I’m biased but the Bay Area crews (SF and Oakland) are the swaggiest and most fashionable ... the LAYERS, so many layers. Loved it.

I also just really love the concept, it is very humans of NY with more of a focus, and I like the writing dispersed within. That being said if there was one part that was a bit of a miss for me it was the writing at times. The writing itself wasn’t always my favorite and would make this more 3/3.5 stars and less polished for me. BUT I LOVED the photos and the content overall which made it a supremely enjoyable read.

Also I can see this book being used in so many ways— beautiful for the coffee table, awesome to integrate into the classroom/ lesson plans..

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.