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QUICK TALK
Ali WongAli Wong broke out as a raunchy, lovable comedian in her Netflix spe-
cials Baby Cobra (2016) and Hard Knock Wife (2018). Her debut book,
Dear Girls, is a look at her personal and professional ups and downs, told
in her hilarious signature voice.The book is constructed as a set of letters to your two daughters.
Do you picture handing it to them when they’re a certain age and
saying, “O.K., you can read this now”? It’s funny to pretend that I have
any control over when they read it. I lost my virginity when I was like
15—you read about all the bad stuff I did. Kids grow up as fast as they
want to. If they want to come to my stand-up shows or watch the spe-
cials, I will be so, so flattered. I have friends who are arguably some of
the best comedians of our time, and their kids don’t think they’re funny.What’s the funniest thing your daughters have done? It’s hard to de-
scribe how funny this is, but when my oldest daughter was maybe 1½,
she did this thing where she would fart, and immediately she’d look at
me and say, “No.” And it was serious. She wouldn’t laugh or anything.
But her timing was so good. She would catch it right at the tail end of
the fart where she would be like, “No.”You’re so direct about your body and sexuality in the book. How
are you planning to talk to your kids about these topics? I came
from this really atypical Asian- American family. My parents were not
focused on academics. If I got a bad grade, they weren’t that upset.
In terms of sex, my parents were always really open. So I’ll proba-
bly do the same thing. But I don’t know, my kids are under 4, and
I’m just trying to get them to not choke on stuff right now.Dear Girls ends with a letter by your husband Justin
Hakuta. Why was it important to give him space to
speak for himself? I was really inspired when I read [Paul
Kalanithi’s] When Breath Becomes Air. His wife writes the
afterword, and it’s incredible. For my book I thought it
would be nice because he never gets to say anything.
He never gets to clap back at me.Your name recently got pulled into a conver-
sation about Shane Gillis’ firing from Satur-
day Night Live for racist comments made before
he was hired. What did you make of that? I had just
heard that recently. I can’t really speak about that situation
because I never read the article or watched the clips. And I
don’t think I ever will. I’m just not interested.What would you say to people who think it’s O.K. to make
jokes at the expense of others? It’s really not about topic
choice, it’s about word choice. It takes a great joke crafter to
put things in a context that makes people laugh. If people are
cringing more than laughing, then it’s not the topic that’s
wrong, it’s probably the way you worded your joke. When
fashion designers come up with their collections, you’re
not like, “What materials are off-limits?” It’s all about how
they cut the fabric and style it. I wish people would give
the same credit to comedians. —lucy feldmanBOOKS
Deathbed of
a salesmanVictor Tuchman, the ailing
73-year-old patriarch at the
center of Jami Attenberg’s
twisty new novel, is a bad man.
He has abused his wife and
children, and made corrupt
business deals. He’s a raging
misogynist. All This Could Be
Yours opens as Victor has just
suffered a heart attack—and
the people he’s hurt the most
return to reckon with the grief
he’s caused them.
Attenberg, the author of
six previous books including
2012’s best- selling The
Middlesteins, captures the
heartbreak of fractured
families. The Tuchmans are
wonderfully specific in the
way they process pain. In one
chapter, Victor’s daughter-in-
law Twyla has a breakdown in
a New Orleans drugstore and
nearly buys all the lipsticks off
the shelves. As Attenberg flips
between perspectives—from
strong-willed daughter Alex to
mysteriously absent son Gary
and more—she reveals the
bleak loneliness they share.
Though the plot focuses on
uncovering Victor’s secrets—
and their messy aftermath—All
This Could Be Yours is most
moving when its characters
grapple with resentment and
forgiveness. As the truth of
Victor’s past is eventually
revealed, the rest of the
Tuchmans are left unnerved by
what it all might mean for their
JOJO RABBIT: 20TH CENTURY FOX; WONG: GETTY IMAGESfuture. ÑAnnabel Gutterman