“The Brightest Star” by Gail Tsukiyama

Anna May Wong’s fascinating rise to fame is fictionalized in “The Brightest Star”

If you are a nerdy, pop culture obsessed member of the AAPI diaspora, you probably remember the first time you learned about Anna May Wong.  Born Wong Liu Tsong in Los Angeles' Chinatown in 1905, young Anna May was fascinated by the world of Hollywood --- and determined to make her way onto the Silver Screen. She'd grow up to become a legendary actress in the 20s and 30s and star in such films as The Toll of the Sea (the first film in color!) and Douglas Fairbanks' The Thief of Bagdad (1924).