Fiction

Joan Is Okay

Joan Is Okay

  • Downloads：2702
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-04-05 06:52:32
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Weike Wang
  • ISBN：1922458481
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

A witty， moving， piercingly insightful novel about a marvellously complicated woman who can’t be anyone but herself。

Joan is a thirtysomething ICU doctor at a busy New York City hospital。 The daughter of Chinese parents who came to the United States to secure the American dream for their children， Joan is intensely devoted to her work， happily solitary， successful。 She does sometimes wonder where her true roots lie: at the hospital， where her white coat makes her feel needed， or with her family， who try to shape her life by their own cultural and social expectations。

Once Joan and her brother， Fang， were established in their careers， her parents moved back to China， hoping to spend the rest of their lives in their homeland。 But when Joan’s father suddenly dies and her mother returns to America to reconnect with her children， a series of events sends Joan spiralling out of her comfort zone just as her hospital， her city， and the world are forced to reckon with a health crisis more devastating than anyone could have imagined。

Deceptively spare yet quietly powerful， laced with sharp humour， Joan Is Okay touches on matters that feel deeply resonant: being Chinese-American right now; working in medicine at a high-stakes time; finding one’s voice within a dominant culture; being a woman in a male-dominated workplace; and staying independent within a tight-knit family。 But above all， it’s a portrait of one remarkable woman so surprising that you can’t get her out of your head。

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Reviews

Shuping ，

I cannot figure out what makes the heroine tick: she only cares about work， has zero desire to have a life outside of work， is offended by a neighbor trying to be friendly， does not give any thought to having a partner。 What’s the point of living then？ I like the author but this one is not for me。

Robin ，

I loved the previous book from this author， Chemistry and this book did not disappoint！ A sweet story of an Chinese-American physician and her relationship to her family and others。 She is probably on the spectrum but no one acknowledges it。 Her family is constantly pushing her to get married and have a family， but that is not Joan's path。 Her career comes first as a medical ICU attending at the beginning of covid。 A short， but interesting read。 I loved the previous book from this author， Chemistry and this book did not disappoint！ A sweet story of an Chinese-American physician and her relationship to her family and others。 She is probably on the spectrum but no one acknowledges it。 Her family is constantly pushing her to get married and have a family， but that is not Joan's path。 Her career comes first as a medical ICU attending at the beginning of covid。 A short， but interesting read。 。。。more

Joan Padgitt ，

Of course I had to read this book when I saw it displayed at the NOLA airport bookstore！ I thought it was excellent。 Perhaps it helps if you are familiar with life as a hospital healthcare professional， but a good look at the Covid-19 pandemic from lots of perspectives。 I would recommend this book。

Lisa ，

"When I think about people， I think about space， how much space a person takes up and how much use that person provides。" So opens Weike Wang's second novel Joan is Okay which is ultimately about Joan reclaiming her space。Everyone seems to have an opinion about how Joan should live her life--her colleagues， her HR department， her doorman， her brother， her sister-in-law， her neighbor--everyone that is but Joan。 Joan is a little different， and she has been striving to be the same for most of her l "When I think about people， I think about space， how much space a person takes up and how much use that person provides。" So opens Weike Wang's second novel Joan is Okay which is ultimately about Joan reclaiming her space。Everyone seems to have an opinion about how Joan should live her life--her colleagues， her HR department， her doorman， her brother， her sister-in-law， her neighbor--everyone that is but Joan。 Joan is a little different， and she has been striving to be the same for most of her life。Compelled to take leave by her HR department after the death of her father， Joan steps back from the work as an ICU doctor that consumes her life。 As she feels forced to spend more time with others， she is able to consider her life。 Joan ponders， "Was it harder to be a woman？ Or an immigrant？ Or a Chinese person outside of China？ And why did being good at any of the above require you to edit yourself down so you could become someone else？。"Wang's novel tackles some serious themes: grief， how immigrants struggle with their heritage and identity， how women define themselves， what we owe our families， and what is home。Threaded through the narrative is Wang's sometimes snarky and always witty humor。During the last third of the novel， the Covid pandemic looms。 Joan watches the news and absorbs the increasing case counts initially in China and then in NYC。 Online she sees “clips of Asian people being attacked in the street and on the subways。 Being kicked， pushed and spat on for wearing masks and being accused of having brought nothing else into the country except disease。” And she is called back to work。With concise， controlled prose Wang tells of the terrors of the pandemic in tandem with Joan's personal struggles。I have to confess to getting a little squirrely when reading about the early days of COVID-19 in both China and the US。 This virus is still consuming more of my time than I would like; and like everyone in the health professions， and probably everyone in general， I am fatigued。Covid is not the main focus of this novel; it's an incidental that happens during Joan's 36th year and is incorporated into the narrative。 This is Joan's tale as she defines herself herself and her way of being in her world。 This multi-layered， thoughtful novel （and Joan） touched me; and gave me another lens through which to look at these issues。And， yes， Joan is okay。 。。。more

Taylor Taylor ，

Loved the linguistic spin throughout。 Also so relatable - not in a way that made me cringe， but in a a way that validated how I’ve been feeling about medicine。

Andrew ，

2 1/2 stars。 A very slow moving book， as the main character is somewhat 'stuck' （and perhaps "on the spectrum"）。 Interesting novel， but in no way 'gripping'。 2 1/2 stars。 A very slow moving book， as the main character is somewhat 'stuck' （and perhaps "on the spectrum"）。 Interesting novel， but in no way 'gripping'。 。。。more

Miranda Newman ，

A quick read and the writers voice was very unique。 I just wish the first half of the book moved a bit more quickly。

Ashley ，

honestly surprised i liked this book so much， since sparse writing styles tend to drive me up the wall， but it was balanced out by the reflective awareness of joan’s narration。 wang gives enough to make you see what she’s trying to say， and i thought joan was fascinating to read。 however， it’s slowly paced with little in the way of plot because joan is so asocial she removes herself from any situation that could provoke conflict。 i pushed on because i just liked joan’s voice and observations， bu honestly surprised i liked this book so much， since sparse writing styles tend to drive me up the wall， but it was balanced out by the reflective awareness of joan’s narration。 wang gives enough to make you see what she’s trying to say， and i thought joan was fascinating to read。 however， it’s slowly paced with little in the way of plot because joan is so asocial she removes herself from any situation that could provoke conflict。 i pushed on because i just liked joan’s voice and observations， but i think the character study of a passive character will be a non-starter for many。 it’s alluded to in the synopsis， but COVID-19 makes an appearance in the last third of the book and steadily grows in importance as we reach the end。 。。。more

Jenn Hooke ，

I really enjoyed this book - it is definitely more character driven then plot driven， but I enjoyed following Joan， the literal， introverted， service-hearted， under the radar main character。 At the book’s heart is Joan’s identity and her reflections on her identities - what does it mean to be Chinese in America， as an American with first generation Chinese parents （especially as COVID-19 is dawning）？ What identity is attached to that as physician， especially as it relates to class？ What does it I really enjoyed this book - it is definitely more character driven then plot driven， but I enjoyed following Joan， the literal， introverted， service-hearted， under the radar main character。 At the book’s heart is Joan’s identity and her reflections on her identities - what does it mean to be Chinese in America， as an American with first generation Chinese parents （especially as COVID-19 is dawning）？ What identity is attached to that as physician， especially as it relates to class？ What does it mean to be a female， especially defined by her sister in law， her neighbor， and the men at her hospital？ What does it mean to be a daughter who has lost her father？ I think I will be thinking about these themes and Joan for awhile。 。。。more

Monet ，

A pandemic novel and by that I mean the timeline coincides with the pandemic but it’s not the plot。 Thought I wasn’t ready to read one but this hit the exact right tone for how it’s all felt。

Cecillia ，

I enjoyed the protagonists unique voice throughout the book， and insights the character made about herself， her family， and her career。

David ，

I loved this book， I thought Joan was a most interesting person， a little weird， a little naive， a little compulsive， very smart and for me in her own way very lovable。 She was the star of the family and would take no crap from her brother or sister-in-law。。。。。This is a very short but powerful book， I highly recommend it。 I will now go back and read her fist book Chemistry。。。

Ivan Zhao ，

i finished this on the plane back from lisbon lol but it's really good。 at times， it's a bit disparate， almost like it feels like wang wanted to draw as many random things together （which is really good but at sometimes draws from the story for the sake of using an incidental detail from some other small point） but usually done in a fantastic manner。 Joan is not super emotional but not without emotion （if that makes sense？） she's matter of fact， robust， and recognizes what it means to work in th i finished this on the plane back from lisbon lol but it's really good。 at times， it's a bit disparate， almost like it feels like wang wanted to draw as many random things together （which is really good but at sometimes draws from the story for the sake of using an incidental detail from some other small point） but usually done in a fantastic manner。 Joan is not super emotional but not without emotion （if that makes sense？） she's matter of fact， robust， and recognizes what it means to work in this life。 she cares about her job （god damn can someone convince me to do that）， and the relationships she makes are purposeful。 maybe it's a too pragmatic way of looking at the world but she understands the world。 。。。more

Sarah ，

Not much to say here， though it wasn't a bad read。 Not much to say here， though it wasn't a bad read。 。。。more

Claire Massie ，

Joan and life through her lens was mildly entertaining， but definitely not quirky as I’d seen her described。 I liked her independence and how she stayed true to herself。 I was annoyed at some minor points - the biggest being this: if her job is structured so that she regularly has a week off at a time， why wouldn’t she already know how she likes to spend that time？Not sure who I’d recommend this to， but if it’s catching your eye， here’s my heads up: don’t expect quirky or for anything to really Joan and life through her lens was mildly entertaining， but definitely not quirky as I’d seen her described。 I liked her independence and how she stayed true to herself。 I was annoyed at some minor points - the biggest being this: if her job is structured so that she regularly has a week off at a time， why wouldn’t she already know how she likes to spend that time？Not sure who I’d recommend this to， but if it’s catching your eye， here’s my heads up: don’t expect quirky or for anything to really happen。 And though the pandemic looms over the book， it’s not a major part of the book。 I kept waiting for more to happen but it’s not that kind of book。 。。。more

Joan ，

Joan is a Chinese American working in a New York ICU。 She works hard and has little time for friends and family。 Her brother wants her to be a doctor in his neighborhood so she can make a lot of money。 She seems to be somewhat autistic。 She doesn't always understand the social norms。 Her new neighbor is trying to make friends with her by bring gifts and food。 Her mother is trapped in the United States because covid is shutting down the country。 This book gives some insight to being a Chinese Ame Joan is a Chinese American working in a New York ICU。 She works hard and has little time for friends and family。 Her brother wants her to be a doctor in his neighborhood so she can make a lot of money。 She seems to be somewhat autistic。 She doesn't always understand the social norms。 Her new neighbor is trying to make friends with her by bring gifts and food。 Her mother is trapped in the United States because covid is shutting down the country。 This book gives some insight to being a Chinese American。 。。。more

Allison Mclean ，

Joan is an ICU doctor in NYC。 Her brother is a big wig finance guy。 Mom decides to come back to America after their father passes。 Gets stuck due to the pandemic。 Not much else happens。

Sara ，

Love that this book is a testament to being exactly who you are， no matter what society， family， etc wants from you！ Joan is a doctor who LOVES being a doctor。 She is totally comfortable with the machines she utilizes in her patients' care and the little family & routines she’s formed at the hospital。 But when her father dies and she goes to China and back in a weekend， things start to go haywire as the world around her wonders why isn’t she mourning more？ A new neighbor moves in across the hall Love that this book is a testament to being exactly who you are， no matter what society， family， etc wants from you！ Joan is a doctor who LOVES being a doctor。 She is totally comfortable with the machines she utilizes in her patients' care and the little family & routines she’s formed at the hospital。 But when her father dies and she goes to China and back in a weekend， things start to go haywire as the world around her wonders why isn’t she mourning more？ A new neighbor moves in across the hall sending more waves through Joan’s world and then to top it all off her mother has flown from China to stay with her super-wealthy son who has opinions for what his sister should do with her life as well。 The tension in this book not only comes from the aforementioned and from the fact that it takes place in months leading up to the pandemic in March of 2020。 I could feel （since we all know what happens after March of 2020 and the hate crimes Asians in America experienced） my chest constricted。 It’s like，the Joan in this book whose pages end right as the pandemic begins lives on in my mind and heart。 I wonder what she’s thinking right now in 2022…The voice in this novel is a memorable one。 Joan is witty and dry and the whole narrative is laced with wry insights （on being the child of immigrants， on the so-called American dream， on racist， on being a woman， and so much more） and gems like this one when Joan is a child and forced into seeing a therapist because she doesn’t have a lot to say during class: “Because I had only a limited amount to say。 Better to distill our words down to a single point。 I thought， hence why I’ve always admired bullet-pointed handouts and needles。”Truly adored this one！ 。。。more

Linda Liu ，

how the fuck is she able to do this

tacy ，

3。5-3。75

Karin Mika ，

The book started out reminding me of， "Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine，" and I thought the book was going to be about the big reveal as it related to the main character's （Joan's） odd， almost disattached， personality。 Joan is a doctor in a NY emergency room， and her entire life has been pretty austere and single-mindedly devoted to logic and her profession as a doctor。 When her father dies， she flies to and from China in a weekend so she doesn't miss work， and she refuses to take time off， e The book started out reminding me of， "Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine，" and I thought the book was going to be about the big reveal as it related to the main character's （Joan's） odd， almost disattached， personality。 Joan is a doctor in a NY emergency room， and her entire life has been pretty austere and single-mindedly devoted to logic and her profession as a doctor。 When her father dies， she flies to and from China in a weekend so she doesn't miss work， and she refuses to take time off， even when it's required that she take time off。 She thrives on the habits related to her work and has no ability to even know what to do with time at home。 She hasn't heard of most of the common references around her （such as Seinfeld and Tiffany's）， and has a difficult time socializing。 Her family thinks she is odd and encourages her（？） demands her（？） to be more normal。But there is no revelation that the author hides in the book。 As the narrative progresses， the reader understands that the book is about a lot of different things: it is about the pressures of growing up in a Chinese family， it is about the relationship within families where "home" （or at least the ancestral home） has a culture much different from the United States， it is about relationships in family， especially when parents （and siblings） have a certain expectation of how other family members （especially women） should act。 It is about being an American while still having to deal with extensive ties to a country that family members consider home but you do not。 The book is also about being different， but opting to be different regardless of how others might want you to be。 I felt toward the end the book started going off the rails a bit。 The book started delving into Joan's relationship with her overly social neighbor， her relationship with an older brother who acted more like her father， thoughts about working women v。 stay-at-home moms and the expectations of Asian parents， Joan's somewhat fractured relationship with her mother who didn't really want to be in the United States after her husband died， the drive to be successful that members in her Chinese community shared， the historical prejudices against the Chinese， and， finally， COVID and all matters related to it （including the complications of overseas travel and the repercussions of Trump labeling it the Chinese flu）。 The book kind of ends in the middle of the worst of what was happening with NY during the height of the pandemic。 Joan is in her element doing her thing at the hospital while her mother is hoping to somehow get back to China。Overall， the book presented and interesting and engaging story。 There was a lot packed into a book that was not very long。 。。。more

Anita ，

Original， well-composed novel about the child of Chinese immigrants。 Some wonderful descriptions of medical education。 I'll add "Chemistry" to my to-read list。 Original， well-composed novel about the child of Chinese immigrants。 Some wonderful descriptions of medical education。 I'll add "Chemistry" to my to-read list。 。。。more

Emily Pham ，

this book was beautifully and wittily written。 the events were simple but the prose was a page turner。 Definitely spoke to my first gen Asian woman in healthcare heart。 At times the subject matter was a lil too close to home and saddening

Wendy Larman ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I really did not care for the ending。 I wanted to see what happens w her long term。

Paulina Ayala ，

Started reading this book without knowing what it was about。 I heard about it at some point and thought it sounded like something I would like and then forgot about it until it was available at the library。Simple storyline but very powerful thoughts from the main character。 It made me cry， probably because I related in some ways。 It sets during the covid pandemic， and I was not aware of this when I started reading it， so it took me by surprise。 It arouse so many feelings again。

Heather ，

This book is not what I thought it would be after reading the first chapter。 This is the story of a complicated woman who is dealing with a career， neighbors， grief， complicated family relations， and the identity of being an immigrant in the United States from a country long thought of as the enemy。 Joan's story meanders at times， but never wastefully。 Every moment of this book is gripping。 I will be thinking about Joan for a long time。 This book is not what I thought it would be after reading the first chapter。 This is the story of a complicated woman who is dealing with a career， neighbors， grief， complicated family relations， and the identity of being an immigrant in the United States from a country long thought of as the enemy。 Joan's story meanders at times， but never wastefully。 Every moment of this book is gripping。 I will be thinking about Joan for a long time。 。。。more

Mary ，

3。6

Elizabeth ，

I finished this right before vacation and didn’t get to review it - but it was lovely， sad， not depressing。 It does have COVID content but from a very specific point of view and I didn’t find it overwhelming。 I’m not sure I’ve ever read anything like it。 It’s sort of a stream of consciousness from a Chinese American Dr。 It does have sentence structure even some “breaks”， but no formal chapters。 There were some insights that were uniquely child of immigrant and some that were uniquely NYC， or uni I finished this right before vacation and didn’t get to review it - but it was lovely， sad， not depressing。 It does have COVID content but from a very specific point of view and I didn’t find it overwhelming。 I’m not sure I’ve ever read anything like it。 It’s sort of a stream of consciousness from a Chinese American Dr。 It does have sentence structure even some “breaks”， but no formal chapters。 There were some insights that were uniquely child of immigrant and some that were uniquely NYC， or uniquely Daughter or Sister - but I think you will be able to connect with some part - or many parts of her story。 So glad this was a subscription pick from the Bookshelf！ 。。。more

Alisa ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 In my opinion， the book had a slow start。 It took me a few chapters， before I was able to get into it。Joan is a great doctor。 Her parents and her brother are immigrants from China， but Joan was born in the U。S。 Once Joan started college， her parents moved back to China。 Joan seems to me， to possibly have traits of aspergers。 Whether that is what the author is going for or not， I don't know。 Joan sees everything in black and white， no room for gray， and very literally。 She loves her job， the medi In my opinion， the book had a slow start。 It took me a few chapters， before I was able to get into it。Joan is a great doctor。 Her parents and her brother are immigrants from China， but Joan was born in the U。S。 Once Joan started college， her parents moved back to China。 Joan seems to me， to possibly have traits of aspergers。 Whether that is what the author is going for or not， I don't know。 Joan sees everything in black and white， no room for gray， and very literally。 She loves her job， the medical machines， the paperwork and trying to figure out what the medical problem is。 She prefers to be at the hospital as much as possible， because she loves her job so much。 She takes the hours of anyone who asks her。 She would live at the hospital， if she could。 She has no interest in a relationship， nor children。 It's just not interesting to her。 Her colleagues， Madeline and Reese， don't understand why。 Her brother and sister in law don't understand why; they lecture her on it as often as possible， and keep trying to get her to move to Greenwhich， to live by them and settle down。 The doorman at her apartment building is insistent that she works to much， and needs a man in her life， so much so， that he begins to push Joan's across the hall neighbor， Mark， on her。 Mark slowly pushes his way into her life， and just presumes to start telling her what to do， and letting himself into her apartment。 I was so exasperated for her， because you could tell she didn't like any of these intrusions into her personal life， but I don't think she exactly could figure out how to tell any of them to back off。 Parental death is touched on， as well as COVID。 I did enjoy the book， and the evolution of Joan。 Her brother and sister in law were irritating， and Mark was a jerk; they just weren't likable at all。 Her mother started out irritating， but she kind of grew on me。I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway。 Thank you to the author and the publisher。 。。。more

Sandra Elaine ，

This is a quiet novel that explores an Asian doctor's life pre pandemic and right at the onset of 2020。 With themes of isolation， assimilation， stoicism， and racism， this book will resonate with readers on a very deep level。 My only criticism is there are no chapter breaks which just like the pandemic made this exhausting at times。 This is a quiet novel that explores an Asian doctor's life pre pandemic and right at the onset of 2020。 With themes of isolation， assimilation， stoicism， and racism， this book will resonate with readers on a very deep level。 My only criticism is there are no chapter breaks which just like the pandemic made this exhausting at times。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Joan Is Okay

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Joan Is Okay&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Joan Is Okay&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0