Jon M. Chu’s Book Recommendations

Welcome to Shelf Life, ELLE.com’s books column, in which authors share their most memorable reads. Whether you’re on the hunt for a book to console you, move you profoundly, or make you laugh, consider a recommendation from the writers in our series, who, like you (since you’re here), love books. Perhaps one of their favorite titles will become one of yours, too.

Viewfinder by Jon Chu

$32 at penguinrandomhouse.com $28 at Walmart $32 at Barnes & Noble

It’s a big second half of the year for filmmaker Jon M. Chu. First up: his debut book, Viewfinder: A Memoir of Seeing and Being Seen (Random House) on coming up in Silicon Valley as a budding cineaste. Then, the release of part I of Wicked on Nov. 22, the big-screen version of the Tony-Award-winning musical, which he directs, about Glinda the Good Witch (played by Ariana Grande here) and the Wicked Witch of the West (Cynthia Erivo) before The Wizard of the Oz. Part II is planned for a 2025 release.

The son of Chinese and Taiwanese immigrants who ran Chef Chu’s, the Palo Alto, CA-born, Bay Area-raised, Los Angeles-based Chu is the youngest of 5 children (he was named after Jonathan Hart from TV’s “Hart to Hart”); took tap dancing for 12 years; made his first “movie” by splicing together film on a family vacation to Boston; directed 2018’s Golden-Globe-winning “Crazy Rich Asians,” which was made for $30 million, had a global box office of $240 million (among the highest-grossing romantic comedies in history), and was the first movie featuring an all-Asian cast since 1993’s “The Joy Luck Club”; went to USC School of Cinematic Arts, where a short he made caught the eye of Steven Spielberg; has a first look feature film deal at Warner Bros. with his Electric Somewhere Co.; is chief creative officer of Asian and Hispanic grocer Weee!; did a TED talk on representation in film; and was an extra on Nickelodeon’s “The Secret World of Alex Mack.”

His other films include 2 Step Up sequels, 2 Justin Bieber concert documentaries, G.I. Joe Retaliation, Now You See Me 2, and In the Heights (3 of his 4 kids are named for projects he has been a part of: Willow, Heights, and Ruby Chu; he calls his brood the Chuniverse Space Academy), which have collectively brought in more than $1.3 billion. He also executive produced the limited series “Thai Cave Rescue” for Netflix; executive produced and directed a few episodes of “Home Before Dark” for AppleTV+; and produced the hybrid live action 30th anniversary special of Beauty and the Beast for ABC, starring H.E.R. as Belle.

He is at work on an animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go and a stage version of “Crazy Rich Asians.” His book recs below are worth a read.

The book that…

…is a master class in dialogue:

Permanent Record by Mary H.K. Choi. I’ve never read a book where I’ve had to look up so many words. Reading Mary H.K. Choi is like literally transporting yourself into a New York teenager’s brain. A MUST experience.

…I read in one sitting it was that good:

Mother, Nature by Jedidiah Jenkins. Jedidiah Jenkins is the voice of this generation as we all try to find answers in the messy adult world around us. This book is about a road trip with his mother, where their generational, philosophical, and spiritual differences come to a head. Jed writes with such clarity and truth that he makes it a page turner, and yet you’ll think about it for weeks.

…I’d give to a new graduate:

Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making by Tony Fadell. Tony has had an extraordinary life (creating the iPod and Nest), but it was built one step at a time. He sees the world through an engineer’s eyes and solves problems in the same way. I am obsessed with process, and this is an amazingly honest book that looks at his personal and professional journey.

…should be on every college syllabus:

My Broken Language: A Memoir by Quiara Alegría Hudes. Delicious, and full of life. I have a journal full of quotes from this book because Quiara (who also wrote In The Heights) writes with such mic-drop specificity. I also love stories about big, beautiful families steeped in culture. Every young person would benefit from living a day in the words of this book.

…I last bought:

Lies and Weddings: A Novel by Kevin Kwan. I had the honor of working with Kevin when I directed the movie version of his classic Crazy Rich Asians. Every time I read a Kevin Kwan book, I feel like I’m on the most joyous and dramatic vacation.

…I’ve reread the most:

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The one. The only. It’s my greenlight.

…sealed a friendship:

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg. Van Allsburg at his best. Each illustration and log line in this short but sweet picture book evokes hours worth of conversation. It’s a book that actively conjures creativity, and my best friend gave it to me at a time when I needed that kind of magic in my life the most.

…fills me with hope:

Rise: A Pop History of Asian America From the Nineties to Now by Jeff Yang, Phil Yu, and Phillip Wang. A written record of all the great contributions of Asian Americans to pop culture, written by some of the most influential among them. So inspiring and a keeper of all time. It’s also a beautifully designed book to experience.

…features the coolest book jacket:

Of Muppets and Men: The Making of The Muppet Show by Christopher Finch. The cover is a photograph taken during the taping of “The Muppet Show.” Revealed beneath the puppet sets are the bodies of the puppeteers. So human. So magical. It says everything.

…I’d want signed by the author:

The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. I mean…it’d be pretty cool to have.

…broke my heart:

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears. I’m a fan. I always have been. And this story broke me. If you think you know Britney and her life, you really don’t. Also…if you get a chance to listen to Michelle Williams reading it— I mean come on! It’s art.