The Book

“Honest, refreshing and, at times, gut-wrenching… Dong’s coming-of-age snapshots remind us that life is beautiful, no matter how messy growing up can be.”

Vivian Giang, The New York Times

Two decades of living is not nothing. It is everything we know.

In Twenty-One Years Young: Essays, author Amy Dong examines the uncertainty, absurdity, and beauty in growing up. This poignant collection of essays is unabashedly intimate, drawing the reader into Dong's life as if they were a close friend. She masterfully evokes humor, nostalgia, melancholy, and euphoria to create scenes that are as vivid as they are profound.

Twenty-One Years Young: Essays by Amy Dong

What Readers Are Saying

“Engaging, forthright essays that explore issues of identity and freedom as they search for elusive truths—by a writer wise beyond her years.”

Robert DiYanni, author of One Hundred Great Essays and Handbook for the Humanities

“Amy Dong’s raw, poignant honesty is liberating. Readers of all ages will feel honored by the intimacy and truth-telling of this beautiful collection of essays.”

Dolly Chugh, psychologist, Top 25 TED Talks of 2018, author of The Person You Mean to Be

“Dong takes you through the kaleidoscope of emotions of what it means to be coming-of-age in today’s chaotic and beautiful world that most importantly, is filled with hope.”

Belinda Lei, author of Not THAT Rich

“Her lessons are relevant not only to her own generation but also to people in middle age and in their twilight years. I hope there will be more books in her future—and ours.”

Susan Blumberg-Kason, Undomesticated Magazine

“A must-read for all young adults.”

Hanh Linh, author of Smart Patient: What You Need to Know About the US Healthcare System

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