Alli Frank and Asha Youmans are the authors of the new novel Tiny Imperfections. They have both worked in the education field, and they live in Seattle.
Q:
How did the two of you come up with the idea for Tiny Imperfections, and for
your character Josie?
A:
Can you believe on a bus in rural Idaho in the middle of a snowstorm on the way
to the Boise airport?
The
idea of what it must be like for a Black director of admissions holding the
supposed “keys to the kingdom” for the tippy top 1 percent of privileged
parents was ripe with a million different story lines given all our years spent
working in schools.
Though
Tiny Imperfections is written through a humorous lens, at the end of day it is
our love letter to schools. Attending school is the only common experience that
all people can connect. We all know of a teacher than loved us unconditionally,
children that cracked us up, an adult in the community that scared us to death
and stories no one would every believe unless they were lived through!
Q:
The book is set in San Francisco. How important is setting to you in your
writing?
A:
Our setting in San Francisco was very intentional.
First,
being born, raised, and current West Coasters who have worked for over 40 years
collectively in schools in San Francisco and Seattle, we wanted to write about
the nuances of how West Coast elitism is different from East Coast elitism. There
is no greater rivalry of privilege and wealth than San Francisco versus New
York.
Second,
we did not want anyone who knows us (or doesn’t know us) to try to pinpoint our
book being tied to a specific school (or specific kids and/or families) where
we taught or were administrators, or where our children attend or have
attended.
Thus,
a K-12 private school in the Sea Cliff neighborhood in San Francisco was born
because there are no coed K-12 private schools in San Francisco proper and no
schools at all located directly in the Sea Cliff neighborhood.
Q:
What do you think the novel says about the world of private school admissions?
A:
More broadly, we think about our book and what it says about “admissions,”
whether that be kindergarten, high school, college, or graduate school. The
system is imperfect for sure. Many more kids than there are spots available
would thrive in the schools they are applying to, and much of the admissions
experience and outcome is based as much on luck as it is on evidence.
This
inability to control the outcome of school admissions can drive parents to
abandon their normal sensibilities and act, well, crazy, all in the name of
their children. The circumstances may differ, but parental love driving parents
to do crazy things is a universal truth that all of us raising children can
relate to.
Q:
What are you working on now?
A:
Our second book, which we are in the middle of right now, delves into the
dynamics of first-generation immigrant families, love, privilege, race, and
high school sports.
Q:
Anything else we should know?
A:
In January 2020, Tiny Imperfections was optioned for book to TV/film rights by
a major streaming service. Forward momentum stopped abruptly due to COVID-19,
but we remain hopeful the Bordelon women will make it to screen!
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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