Pakistani American actor Taha Mandviwala is now starring as "Pi" in the highly acclaimed theatrical adaptation of the bestselling novel and award-winning film of the same name. As part of the cast that is currently touring stages across America and elsewhere, Mandviwala reveals the depths of his character and what he has to do to come across as a believable teenaged boy. He also unpacks the artistry and athleticism that's required by the puppeteers who bring the zoo animals to life for the audience.

Scholar Dr. Anne Soon Choi has just written L.A. Coroner:Thomas Noguchi and Death in Hollywood, the first-ever biography of Dr. Tsunetomi "Thomas" Noguchi, the Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner of the County of Los Angeles from 1967 to 1982. Throughout his illustrious career, Dr. Noguchi conducted autopsies on some of the most high profile and controversial figures in American history, including Marilyn Monroe, Robert F. Kennedy, Sharon Tate and other victims of the Manson Family, Janis Joplin, John Belushi, and Natalie Wood. His elaborate press conferences, which often generated more controversy than they did answers, catapulted him into the public eye and made him a celebrity in his own right. He was the inspiration for the popular television drama Quincy, M.E. starring Jack Klugman, and penned the bestselling 1983 book Coroner.

Even though New Jersey freshman Senator Andy Kim has already served three terms in the House of Representatives, he still primarily sees himself as a life-long public servant rather than a politician. Prior to becoming a member of Congress, Kim served at USAID, the Pentagon, the State Department, the White House National Security Council, and in Afghanistan as an advisor to Generals Petraeus and Allen. The proud son of South Korean immigrants, Senator Kim also has the distinction of being the first Asian American that New Jersey has elected to the Senate, and the first American of Korean ancestry to be a senator. Many people in the world first came to know about him when a photo of him cleaning up the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, went viral.

With federal agency USAID now struggling to survive after being unfairly demeaned and discounted by Elon Musk and his DOGE crew, it's crucial that you hear the story of how USAID helped a poor Thai student to become a board certified radiation oncologist. Dr. Vitune Vongtama inspired both Roy and his brother Danny to follow in his footsteps. All told, the three of them have saved tens of thousands of people from dying from cancer.

Dr. Roy Vongtama is also a veteran actor. You can learn why and how he continues to juggle both of his passions here: https://asianamericapodcast.com/2019/01/ep-175-roy-vongtama/

Certified leadership coach and consultant Tracey Gee has recently published her first book. Entitled The Magic of Knowing What You Want: A Practical Guide to Unearthing the Wisdom of Your Desires, it's a much-needed resource for knowing who you really are and then identifying and pursuing what you really want. If you'd like to know more about her, her work, and her fantastic new book, simply go to www.traceygee.me.

In this episode Bay Area filmmaker Claudia Katayanagi goes into great detail about the myriad little-known incarceration camps that the federal government created to keep Japanese American "troublemakers" away from those confined in the larger and better known incarceration camps following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, HI. Her first two documentaries--"A Bitter Legacy" and "Community in Crisis" offer a fresh retelling of the courageous efforts of the Japanese Americans to endure terrible injustices and hardships, while fighting back against the forces of anti-Japanese racism. Today, many Japanese Americans are pushing back against the unjust deportation and incarceration policies of the Trump administration aimed at brown-skinned people.

You can find out how you can watch her first two films by going to www.abitterlegacy.com. And you can also learn about her third film "Exiled" by visiting https://www.gofundme.com/f/doj-film-fund-raiser

Sarah Ahn is America's Test Kitchen's social media manager and the creator of the Ahnest Kitchen website (www.ahnestkitchen.com). She records her experiences on Instagram and Tik Tok of living with her Korean immgrant parents, chronicling her mother's cooking, grocery shopping trips, and more. Many of Sarah's posts have gone viral with 10+ million views and they have sold grocery stores out of product. She has been featured on NBC News, ABC News, Yahoo News, and Good Morning America.

Nam Soon Ahn, her mother, is a former restauranteur whose culinary wisdom and recipes from the foundation of Sarah's book Umma: A Korean Mom's Kitchen Wisdom & 100 Family Recipes. Together, they honor their heritage with love, flavor, and authenticity.

You can follow Sarah @ahnestkitchen.

Kaya of the Ocean is a middle-grade fantasy novel by Gloria Lai Huang that explores themes of mental health, the immigrant experience, and self-acceptance. The story follows Kaya, a thirteen-year-old girl who struggles with anxiety and a fear of water, as she discovers her lineage as a descendant of the Chinese water goddess Mazu. This heartfelt adventure combines elements of friendship, humor, and Chinese mythology, set against the backdrop of the beautiful beaches of Hawaii.

It has been named a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection and chosen by the American Booksellers Association as one of the best debuts on the Winter/Spring 2025 "Indies Introduce" list, as well as a great read on the January 2025 "Kids' Indie Next" list.

www.glorialaihuang.com

Bay Area artist and activist Nancy Wang has recently written a captivating fictional historical account of the Chinese who built and worked out of the fishing villages in the Monterey Bay area during the 1850s in California. Entitled Red Altar, her book brings to life the experiences of these early pioneers from China, including her fiesty multilingual ancestor who was the first Chinese American female born in California, and who made a name for herself as "Spanish Mary." If you'd like to buy an autographed copy of Red Altar, just go to www.ethnotec.org.

Whether or not you identify as spiritual or some kind of Christian, I'm pretty sure most of us are quite familiar with the tendency--if not the temptation--to live as if the grass is always greener on the other side of the septic tank. Armed with this mindset, many of us move on, move away, or just keep on moving rather than stay put in hopes of finding what we're looking for where we are.

As you'll soon learn, Rev. Lydia Sohn was preprogrammed by her Korean American immigrant parents to be a nomad. That was her first and most basic instinct. But at some point she was made to consider the potentially greater value of staying, which has long been a spiritual practice of Benedictine monks. Energized by what a difference this made in her life and her work, Sohn eventually wrote Here: A Spirituality of Staying In a Culture of Leaving.

I have no doubt that much of what she shares in our conversation and in her new book will be life-giving, if not life-saving. You can learn more about her at www.revlydia.com.