About las Crosses: An Unwavering Journey to a New Life in America:
If you crave stories of resilient people who follow their heads, hearts, and dreams, and if you like light-hearted humor and fast-paced page-turners, then you’ll love Apple An’s inspirational account.
Fleeing the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989 and fueled by a burning desire for a better life, Apple embarks on a daring journey to pursue her doctoral education in America. With no backup plan, Apple must make this journey work. But she has no idea that her starting place, Las Cruces, NM, is a quiet desert town – a far cry from the bustling metropolis she envisioned.
Anxious, ignorant, and homesick, Apple faces challenges she never had before. But she is determined to be open-minded. Excited and curious, will she simply survive the fish-out-of-the-water situation many immigrants experience, or will she thrive in this unexpected American adventure?
“Las Crosses” is a mesmerizing Asian American memoir that chronicles Apple’s first eight months in America. Filled with humility, humor, honesty, and vulnerability, Apple invites readers on a journey of cultural adaptation, self-discovery, and the transformative power of facing new challenges.
Buy “Las Crosses” now to be captivated today!
*** A finalist for the “Women’s Non-Fiction” and “Multicultural Non-Fiction” awards at The 2023 IAN Book of the Year Awards
*** Fun fact: The title “Las Crosses” has several meanings: (1) The story occurred in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Las Cruces is Spanish for “The Crosses.” The title is to honor the location and its Spanish-English heritage. (2) The story is about the cross-culture experience, and (3) cross-geological locations via the Pacific Ocean. (4) The moment in the story was at a cross point in Apple’s life. (5) This book is the author’s debut book. It marks her intellectual exploration crossing from academic research & publishing to literary publishing.
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Author Bio:
Apple An is a professor at Syracuse University. She was a historian in her profession and a founding editor-in-chief. Over almost 30 years, she has published 200+ academic articles and three books. Her research has been cited more than 15,500 times by scholars from many disciplines. She has been recognized 23 times for teaching, research, and service.
Apple started her literary journey in 2017 by taking courses at the YMCA’s Downtown Writers Center in Syracuse, New York. In 2023, she published her debut memoir, Las Crosses: An Unwavering Journey to a New Life in America. The book has been among Amazon’s best sellers in several categories including Biographies & Memoirs of Asian & Asian Americans, History of China, Asian American Demographic Studies, and Biographies of Educators. It is selected as the finalist for the 2023 Annual IAN Book of the Year Awards for two categories: Women’s Non-Fiction and Multicultural Non-Fiction.
Apple has kept a busy, productive, and mindful life with the help of her self-designed journal notebook that utilizes BuJo ideas. To benefit others with her own experience, she published her journey notebook as a self-help time management or life management tool, All-in-One Dotted Journal Notebook, in 2023.
With short stories and books about her life and those of people she knows, Apple’s goal is to enrich Asian American cultural heritage and history and to enhance cultural understanding and acceptance among all people. She also wants to help other authors to have their voices heard. After witnessing the struggles of many writing buddies, she established the Voices Heard Anthology Series. The first volume, 28 Voices, is co-edited with Georgia A. Popoff and includes short pieces from 28 contributors.
Apple grew up during China’s Cultural Revolution and came to the US in 1989 in her 20s. She is the mother and guardian of five children. She is a USTA-rated tennis player and an award-winning amateur ballroom dancer. Apple loves hiking, traveling, movies, concerts, books, and cultural events. She lives in Baldwinsville, NY.