“Short chapters and snappy prose carry the story along at a brisk pace, while novelistic details and scrappy, lighthearted conversations give it vibrancy...A heart-wrenching memoir about an ebullient immigrant’s childhood and overcoming significant challenges on the way to success.—Foreword Reviews

“Indeed, this is an irresistible book that belongs on the shelf alongside Crying in H Mart and other exceptional Asian-American memoirs...The author has an extraordinary ability to resurrect universal childhood hurts and the pit-of-the-stomach fear of not being enough...In this heartbreaking but ultimately uplifting memoir, Elaine Hsieh Yu retraces her trajectory from Chinese daughter of an unstable mother and absentee father to Stanford graduate with a successful Silicon Valley career and a family of her own.”—BlueInk Review, Starred Review

“Ugly Dumpling is a moving and deeply personal memoir that sheds light on the often-unspoken struggles with mental illness within Asian American families. Through her remarkable journey from childhood adversity to adulthood, Elaine Hsieh Yu offers a powerful testament to resilience, the enduring impact of family relationships, and the possibility of breaking intergenerational cycles.”— Nancy H. Liu,  Clinical Professor of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley For the Next Generation: Mental Health in Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Youth

“Elaine Yu has written an amazing book that recounts her journey from growing up with a ‘deevorced’ immigrant mom who feared not being able to pay the rent to Stanford alum and more. Her honesty and transparency touched me at a deep level. Looking at her now, some say that Elaine has lived a charmed life. If only they knew. On second thought, find out by reading her book! I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommended.”— Martin Hellman; 2015 Turing Award winner and author, A New Map for Relationships: Creating True Love at Home and Peace on the Planet

“People know the story of the ugly duckling who turns into a beautiful swan, but what about the ugly dumpling? And how does that ugly dumpling grow up to become part of a banquet of love, belonging, and joy? In her compelling memoir, Elaine Yu shares how family devotion and the presence of caring adults can help heal even the most painful adverse experiences.”— Russell Jeung; Professor, Asian American Studies San Francisco State University; Time 100 Honoree; Co-Founder, Stop AAPI Hate; author of At Home in Exile

“For all the stories of Asian American success, Ugly Dumpling shows how fragile and shallow these measures are, and the terrible costs behind the scenes to mental health, loving relationships, and overall well-being. Many have gone through similar hardships as Elaine Hsieh Yu, but few have had the resilience to tell of them. I’m staggered by her book.”–-Ed Lin, author of Ghost Month and David Tung Can’t Have a Girlfriend Until He Gets Into an Ivy League College

“Elaine Hsieh Yu seems to have a photographic memory of her early life, illuminating the details of her journey from Hong Kong to Hawaii to Baldwin Park and later to Stanford, California… Though her father tells her she’s ‘fat, dark and short,’... she finds in herself the grit and ambition to pursue tough challenges… the author keeps it all together till she comes to the end of her journey in a way you’ll be glad you traveled it with her.”— Merrill Joan Gerber; Wallace Stegner Fellow; former fiction writing professor, Caltech; author of Someone Should Know This Story

“Tender, hopeful, and full of charm, Ugly Dumpling is a story about finding a way forward without losing sight of where you come from. Elaine Hsieh Yu has written a memoir that elegantly captures, from the dreamlike logic of youth to the redemptive possibilities of parenthood, what it means to endure across generations, oceans, and social boundaries.” —Vincent Chu, author of Nice Places