Justina Chen is the author of the middle grade novel With Twice the Love, Dessie Mei, now available in paperback. Her other books include the young adult novel Lovely, Dark, and Deep.
Q: What inspired you to write With Twice the Love, Dessie Mei, and how did you create your character Dessie?
A: A decade after an unexpected divorce, I received a rare gift: second-chance love. Not just with my beloved new husband, but with two bonus children, my stepdaughters, who were both adopted from China into a white family.
I worried as I beheld my beautiful and brave stepdaughters: How are they—and other young Asian Americans—going to claim their identity amid rising anti-Asian sentiment? Just a few weeks ago, a neighbor “ni hao-ed” me. You know, he rolled down his car window and emitted a “Ni hao!” As if I’m not American. (I am.) As if I don’t belong. (I do.)
And then the mutual friend, Shari Leid, who introduced me to the love of my life, herself is adopted from Korea. She told me in close conversation that she’s always wanted to belong to the Asian American community but didn’t feel welcome. So I started this love letter about belonging, and it became this book.
Q: How would you describe the dynamic between Dessie and Donna?
A: Behold the healthy tension of long-lost sisters who find each other and grow together—rather than grow apart.
Here’s the inside scoop: Dessie Mei’s character has the same bold courage that my mother-in-law, Nancy Johnson, had. Back when Black kids weren’t allowed to swim in community pools, Nancy looked at her husband and said, “Danny, do you think you can build me a pool?” So my father-in-law took his backhoe to a part of their farm and dug out that pool. Any kid who wanted swim lessons got swim lessons.
And Donna has the spirit of my gentle yet strong Mama. A gastro-diplomat who won people over one feast at a time. A talented artist, Mama had an eye for true beauty. She could literally see into a person’s soul and name their specific breathtaking gorgeousness.
We lost both mothers within three weeks of each other. With Twice the Love, Dessie Mei was published right on my mama’s birthday, and the paperback released within days of Nancy’s birthday. How lovely is that?
Q: The writer Lisa Yee said of the book, “Family and friendship are tested in this wonderful heartfelt novel about what it means to belong.” What do you think of that description?
A: It will always fill me with joy and gratitude that the acclaimed Lisa Yee—and Grace Lin—both endorsed the book before it was even published. This book is an ode to belonging, which we so need in our increasingly divisive world. I truly wish that With Twice the Love, Dessie Mei finds her way to every reader who needs to know: they belong. We all do.
Q: How was the novel’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?
A: This was the first book where I could not, for the life of me, find the right title. I probably brainstormed 100 different contenders. The one I loved happened to be the same title that Avi chose for his book, which came out a few weeks before me.
So Sales & Marketing alongside my editor and me all brainstormed different ways where we could give a nod to the twinning in the book. And Dessie Mei’s wonderful use of words to right a wrong.
Behold, this title! I think it is perfect for this book.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I am writing busily and happily on my first novel for adults. As it turns out, I have a lot to say to adults!
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: One of the most important things every single one of us can do right now is read. Read voraciously to understand yourself. Read widely to learn about other people and other cultures. Read and fill our hearts with story. And then in conversation, ask people about their story.
The truth is: it is really hard to hate anyone when we know what they’ve been through.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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