The World of Nancy Kwan

The first Asian actress to play a lead role in an American major motion picture tells her story of breaking ground in Hollywood, becoming an icon, and paving the way for future generations—with a foreword by international bestselling author Kevin Kwan.

When Nancy Kwan burst onto the scene in the early 1960s, there were no faces on screen that looked like hers. Asian characters in film were portrayed by white actors in makeup playing “yellowface,” and those minor roles were the stuff of cliché: shopkeepers, maids, prostitutes, servants. When—against all odds—Nancy landed the lead role in the much-anticipated 1960 film The World of Suzie Wong, she became the first Asian superstar and was touted all over the world for her beauty, grace, authenticity and spunk: a “Chinese Garbo,” the “Asian Bardot.” What obstacles did she face, what prejudices did she overcome, and would there be a path for an Asian actress at last?

Set in post-World War II Hong Kong, London, Hollywood and beyond, The World of Nancy Kwan charts Nancy’s journey from bi-racial daughter to global citizen to celebrity to icon, mother, filmmaker, and advocate. Never allowing the fads and fickleness of show business to change her, Kwan persevered in an industry where everything was stacked against her, breaking through barriers and becoming a beacon of hope to generations of Asians who aspired to be seen.

Written with award-winning author Deborah Davis, who has penned eleven books including Tina Turner’s bestselling memoir, and featuring a foreword by international bestselling author of Crazy Rich Asians Kevin Kwan, The World of Nancy Kwan is a multi-faceted personal history of an iconic international actress whose triumphant rise and resilience illuminates the broader Asian American experience in Hollywood. Through this propulsive tale that is simultaneously rich, stylish, clear-eyed, and brave, readers learn how Anti-Asian prejudice has changed, how it hasn’t, and how the only way forward is to stay true to oneself.