COMING SOON
THAT ASIAN GIRL IS A PROBLEM
CONFESSIONS OF A RECOVERING GOOD GIRL
In a world that tells women of colour they are either too much or not enough, Rachel Phan asks: What if being a “problem” is actually the point?
That Asian Girl Is a Problem is a bold and uncompromising collection about what it means to live as a racialized woman in spaces that were never built for you.
Drawing from her own experiences, Phan dives into the contradictions of being the “problem” woman in the workplace, in family, in faith, in marriage, and even in her own body. With sharp humour and unflinching honesty, she exposes the absurdity of a society that demands gratitude, silence, and smallness from women of colour—and explores what happens when they finally refuse.
From a court transcript satirizing how racialized women are “tried” for being too much at work, to a tongue-in-cheek ‘recipe’ for the perfect Asian female body, to searing reflections on filial piety, interracial marriage, queerness, and impostor syndrome, That Asian Girl Is a Problem blends memoir, cultural critique, and playful experimentation to expose the pressures racialized women face—and the thrill of living on your own terms.
Part social commentary, part coming-of-age, part rebellion, this book transforms every insult and “flaw” into an act of resilience and defiance. For anyone who’s ever been called difficult, too much, or simply a problem, Rachel Phan offers both recognition and a rallying cry: being a problem might be the most honest and freeing way to live.
Content Warnings
That Asian Girl Is a Problem contains descriptions of anxiety, assimilation, biphobia, body dysmorphia, body shaming, bullying, childhood neglect, colonization, colorism, depression, diet culture, disordered eating, emotional abuse, family estrangement, fatphobia, fear of stabbing, femicide, fetishization, forced displacement, genocide of Canada’s Indigenous peoples, homophobia, internalized self-hatred, mass shootings, masturbation, mental health hospitalization, mentions of medical assistance in dying, microaggressions, misogyny, physical abuse (parents spanking children), poverty, profanity, racism, religion (Christianity), residential schools, self-harm, sexism, sexual assault, sexual harassment, sexual intercourse, slut shaming, starvation, suicidal ideation, targeted harassment, war
PREORDER TODAY
CANADA (OCT. 27, 2026)
U.S. (APR. 27, 2027)
U.K. (JUN. 10, 2027)
PRAISE FOR
THAT ASIAN GIRL IS A PROBLEM
“This book is a must-read for recovering good girls everywhere. Rachel Phan spoke to my soul with her eloquent and honest essays about the unrelenting pressures of being the right kind of Asian girl—a prospect that is neither rewarding nor tenable. Phan’s writing is full of insights on race, sexuality, religion, publishing, and friendship, all weaved together by one powerful and defiant proclamation: ‘This is me.’ Phan’s escape from the good girl trap and what she discovers along the way remind us that being your most genuine self is where true joy lies.”
– Mai Nguyen, author of Sunshine Nails and Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead
“Simultaneously introspective and cheeky, Phan’s candid writing will be relatable to anyone—especially Asian girls—striving to break expectations. This book is an important reminder for us all to live authentically and freely.”
- Cindy Pham, #1 NYT bestselling author of The Secret World of Briar Rose
“Every part as compelling, honest, and relatable as her debut memoir, Rachel Phan returns with a bold collection of essays that highlights the contradictory nature of existing as an Asian girl in modern society. That Asian Girl Is a Problem achieves the herculean feat of addressing a wide-range of topics through essays that are innovative, witty, and incredibly breezy to read. It’s a book that everyone will see themselves in, whether they’re a problematic Asian girl or not.”
– Liann Zhang, author of Julie Chan is Dead
“With her funny, expansive and revealing memoir, Rachel Phan becomes the big sis we all need. This book is for anyone who has ever tried to measure up to impossible expectations. If you grew up yearning for attention at home, only to grapple with the stereotypes of Asian femininity out in the world, this book is written for you. Read it. Laughing, healing and raging together is so much better than doing it alone.”
– Hannah Sung, writer and culture commentator
“When the Asian diaspora girls get together, these are exactly the topics that we talk about, but with her signature honesty and wit, Rachel Phan elevates the conversation to include so many things that often go unsaid. Rachel writes, ‘We live in an increasingly chaotic world, and what’s beautiful is that we get to decide what matters,’ but what matters to her certainly matters to us.”
– Jennilee Austria-Bonifacio, author of Reuniting with Strangers
“That Asian Girl Is a Problem is a smart and searing exploration of the ways that Asian women are asked to minimize our rage. Sharp, provocative, and deeply relatable, Phan’s collection is a love letter to all of us who have been called “too much.” That Asian Girl Is a Problem parses the heavy weight of mental health challenges amidst familial and cultural tensions with a keen and empathetic eye. Phan's voice is an essential reminder that what we carry is not just our own.”
– Leanne Toshiko Simpson, author of Never Been Better
“Thoughtful, intimate, and raw, That Asian Girl Is a Problem bravely examines the discomfort of growing up and being a Chinese woman in Canada. In candid vulnerable prose, Phan’s essays skillfully showcase how western and eastern culture has shaped her personal experiences, fusing historical examination and feminist critique to skewer colonial and racist views on the model minority myth. Either too outspoken, too passive, too curvy or too skinny, there is no acceptable standard for Asian women in the west.
To be a diasporic woman of colour in Canada is to experience ongoing systemic factors of exotification and fetishization, and Phan’s second nonfiction book is both a vulnerable invitation to readers as well as a critique of unrealistic societal expectations such as female desirability and ambition, familial belonging, broken language, and conflicting social norms. Readers will feel as if they are sharing a meal with the author despite her struggles and gravitas of the topics explored. This is an important and timely contribution to Asian-Canadian literature.”
– Lindsay Wong, author of Villain Hitting for Vicious Little Nobodies