Susan Lieu
Susan Lieu
Susan Lieu, a Vietnamese-American author, playwright, and performer, tells stories that refuse to be forgotten. A daughter of nail salon workers, she took her autobiographical solo theater show 140 LBS: How Beauty Killed My Mother on a 10-city national tour with sold out premieres and accolades from L.A. Times, NPR, and American Theatre. Eight months pregnant, she premiered her sequel Over 140 LBS as the headliner for ACT Theatre’s SoloFest. Within one year she held 60 performances to over 7,000 people. Her award-winning work has featured at Bumbershoot and Wing Luke Museum. It has also been featured prominently at The Moth Mainstage, On The Boards, and The World Economic Forum.
The Manicurist’s Daughter
Her debut memoir, The Manicurist’s Daughter (Celadon), received accolades from The New York Times, NPR Books, ELLE Magazine, and The Washington Post, and is an Apple Books Pick of the Month. Creator of Vagina Monologues, V (formerly Eve Ensler) calls The Manicurist’s Daughter “a stunning, raw, brave memoir that wouldn’t let me go.”
Speaking Engagements and Community Outreach
A captivating speaker on intergenerational healing, vulnerability, and courage, Susan has given her signature energizing talks at The Smithsonian, TEDx, The Moth Mainstage, Harvard, Google, and Salesforce. With humor and heartbreak, she inspires her audience to live like they’re (actually) mortal.
Speaking at more than a dozen universities, Susan Lieu has also delivered talks to Harvard, Brown, Tufts, UCLA, Mills College, the Claremont Colleges, and more. In addition, Susan has given talks at Google, Salesforce, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle Public Library Foundation, and the Dent Conference as their Artist-in-Residence.
Also, Lieu is the co-host of The Model Minority Moms podcast and board member for international NGO Asylum Access. She worked with Consumer Watchdog to pass a law to raise medical malpractice caps to protect low-income BIPOC women. Susan and her sister co-founded Socola Chocolatier, an artisanal chocolate company based in San Francisco. She is a proud alumnus of Harvard College and Yale School of Management. She’s also a proud alumnus of Coro, Hedgebrook, Mineral School, Millay Arts, and Vashon Artist Residency.
Susan lives with her husband and son in Seattle where they enjoy mushroom hunting, croissants, and big family gatherings. The Manicurist’s Daughter is her first book. Follow her on Instagram @susanlieu
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Trade Paperback
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An emotionally raw memoir about the crumbling of the American Dream and a daughter of refugees who searches for answers after her mother dies during plastic surgery.
Susan Lieu has long been searching for answers. About her family’s past and about her own future. Refugees from the Vietnam War, Susan’s family escaped to Californ...
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Hardback
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An emotionally raw memoir about the crumbling of the American Dream and a daughter of refugees who searches for answers after her mother dies during plastic surgery.
Susan Lieu has long been searching for answers. About her family’s past and about her own future. Refugees from the Vietnam War, Susan’s family escaped to Californ...
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Fireside Conversation with The Manicurist’s Daughter
With vulnerability and humor, Susan discusses her memoir about grief, trauma, body image, and finding your own place in the world.
Heal the Past, Own the Future
Susan’s mother died from a botched tummy tuck when Susan was just 11 years old. For the next two decades, her family never spoke of the matriarch ever again. On the brink of motherhood herself, Susan decides to avenge her mother’s death by processing her unresolved grief into a critically-acclaimed one-woman show, a memoir, and a new law. A lonely journey of solitary healing takes a turn when thousands come out to deal with their own trauma with her.
How to Make Peace with Your Belly Fat
For years Susan was disgusted with her belly fat until her ancestors smacked some sense into her in a sweat lodge. Hear about how Susan’s experience in losing her mother to plastic surgery at a young age changed her perspective on beauty, self-love, and forgiveness. (As featured on TEDx)
Live Like You’re Mortal
Fired from Corporate America and a failed comic, Susan was at a crossroads: keep applying to jobs that maximize income or follow that dormant voice of becoming a performer. With a mortgage and graduate school loans, Susan makes the irrational choice–and changes her life forever.
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“The Best Books of 2024, as Chosen by Smithsonian Scholars”
“Courage, Confidence, and Craft: A Conversation with Susan Lieu”.
The Manicurist’s Daughter is featured as the Lemonda Media’s April 2024 pick and author/narrator Susan Lieu appeared on Lemonada Media’s podcast ADD TO CART to talk about the audiobook.
“3 new memoirs tell stories of struggle and resilience”
“Lost to beauty standards in 140 LBS”
“Susan Lieu’s time at Sonoma County Office of Education in celebration and recognition of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month was greatly appreciated. Her moving personal story, filled with moments of humor and heartfelt anguish, invited the audience to reflect on their own journey and the role of culture and society in shaping identity. Susan graciously invited the listeners into her own life’s story so they could ultimately reflect on the human condition, its challenges, and its moments of liberation. Her energy and passion were infectious and we feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to host her at the Sonoma County Office of Education for this wonderful event.”
— Tim Zalunardo, Director, Teaching & Learning Department, Equitable Education Services Division, Sonoma County Office of Education
“My college students who identify as immigrants, first-in-their family to attend school in the US and/or working or middle class see their own selves in Susan’s work. Susan can draw students in because of her ability to create growth from the noise of having the experience of generational trauma, of being bi-cultural and navigating different worlds on a constant basis. Susan’s narrative reduces the isolation that results from these tensions and creates a path to healing. If you work with college students, her story will resonate and inspire others to share their own narratives of healing and growth.”
— Varsha Ghosh, Director, Student Engagement & Leadership, Center for Public Service and Engaged Scholarship, Harvard College“It was wonderful working with Susan! She is such a dynamic speaker and did an amazing job of tying our organization’s mission to her life experience and story. The feedback from attendees was incredibly positive. Many folks who have been to multiple versions of this event over the years have said Susan was on our best keynote speaker ever!”
— Roxanne Gossard, Director of Development, Neighborhood House“It was such an honor to host Susan during the Smithsonian’s AANHPI festival, to create awareness around mental health and well being in Asian and Asian American communities. Her deeply engaging storytelling drew audiences from across generations and backgrounds into an empowering space to laugh, cry, and feel all the feelings in between. During the Q&A, audience members expressed gratitude for Susan’s vulnerability both onstage and in her book, that opened the possibility of conversation within their own families and relationships. From her emotional and moving talk about intergenerational healing to her bright personality, it was an unforgettable experience and privilege to have Susan at the Smithsonian!”
— Janis Woodward, Public Program Coordinator, Smithsonian National Asian Art Museum“It was a pleasure having Susan speak to us for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month at Gusto. Her story was moving, inspirational, and uniquely intimate, unlike any other speaker session I’ve attended. Her book delves into profound and seldom-discussed topics, making it a truly refreshing experience.”
— Andrew Choi, Engineering | Risk Engineering, Gusto“Susan Lieu’s story is not only engaging but also empowering! Her powerful storytelling and insightful discussions on resilience, identity, and healing, left attendees inspired, enlightened, and deeply moved, fostering an unforgettable experience that resonates long after the event.”
— Joanna Carmona, Program Manager, Digital Ethics Center, Yale University“The amount of people who reached out to me after our time together to tell me how much it meant to have you here, how your story resonated with them and how important it was to have your story told was mind blowing—seriously my email and Teams were blowing up so much I had to take a break!”
— Amy Kaname, Senior Executive Business Partner, Chief Strategy Office, Pivotal Venture“Susan Lieu is a remarkable force! I highly recommend her as a speaker. She touched everyone with her heartfelt and hilarious stories about family, loss, and healing. Students lined up afterwards to share how much Susan’s presence and life wisdom meant to them. She has the ability to deeply connect, name pain, and move us collectively towards reconciliation.”
— Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, University of California, Irvine“It was such a joy to host Susan Lieu at UCLA in celebration of her hot-off-the-press memoir, The Manicurist’s Daughter, which addresses beauty standards, gendered labor, Vietnamese refugee resilience, and complicated relationships to food. Susan wow-ed our students with her all-emotions-bared, heart-to-heart talk/performance. We are so appreciative of her bravery and generosity!”
— Evyn Lê Espiritu Gandhi, Associate Professor, Department of Asian American Studies, University of California, Los Angeles“Susan Lieu is by far the most compelling author we have hosted, when it comes to why libraries matter and how they bring forward a sense of belonging. Thank you for sharing your incredible story. It was a magical moment.”
— Jonna Ward, CEO of Seattle Public Library FoundationPraise for The Manicurist’s Daughter
“Lieu’s candor about her mother’s faults (body-shaming chief among them) and righteous anger at the surgeon who killed her set this apart from similar fare. It’s a generous portrait of grief that will touch those who’ve struggled with loss.….a stirring debut.”
— Publishers Weekly“An intimate Asian American memoir about family, memory, and grief.”
— Kirkus“Lieu’s resulting memoir is a stunning feat of investigation, introspection, wit and candor; it braids together family history, grief, body image, food, class, race, and resilience for insight that must not be missed.”
— ELLE“[A] well-paced, panoramic memoir… her family story does not represent an irretrievable demise of the American Dream, but its radical, open-ended evolution.”
— NPR.org“[Lieu] penned a beautifully written, poignant, and, at times funny, book about grief, body image and self-awareness — arriving at a place of healing and acceptance of herself and her family.”
— The Seattle Times“Lieu is a dynamo, spouting humor, profanity and wisdom in the same breath.”
— LA Times, “6 Books for Lunar New Year”
