Boundless Press | Disorientation: A Novel
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Disorientation: A Novel
Elaine Hsieh Chou
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NYPL Young Lions Finalist
Shortlisted for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award
A New York Times Editors’ Choice Book
A Best Book of 2022 by NPR, Vogue, Jezebel and Book Riot
A Malala Book Club Pick
A Phenomenal Book Club Pick
A Taiwanese American woman's coming-of-consciousness ignites eye-opening revelations and chaos on a college campus in this outrageously hilarious and startlingly tender debut novel. Twenty-nine-year-old PhD student Ingrid Yang is desperate to finish her dissertation on the late canonical poet Xiao-Wen Chou and never read about “Chinese-y” things again. But after years of grueling research, all she has to show for her efforts are a junk food addiction and stomach pain.
When she accidentally stumbles upon a curious note in the Chou archives one afternoon, it looks like her ticket out of academic hell. But Ingrid’s in much deeper than she thinks. Her clumsy exploits to unravel the note’s message lead to an explosive discovery, upending her entire life and the lives of those around her.
What follows is a roller coaster of mishaps and misadventures, from book burnings and OTC drug hallucinations to hot-button protests and Yellow Peril 2.0 propaganda. As the events Ingrid instigated keep spiraling, she’ll have to confront her sticky relationship to white men and white institutions—and, most of all, herself.
A blistering send-up of privilege and power, and a profound reckoning of individual complicity and unspoken rage, in Disorientation Elaine Hsieh Chou asks who gets to tell our stories—and how the story changes when we finally tell it ourselves.
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Posts about this title from Boundless Press
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Jun 12 2023
25+ SUMMER book recs to binge read ☀️📚
Learn a new language with Rosetta Stone's Lifetime Subscription (discounted from $299 to $150 -- 50% off!): https://partners.rosettastone.com/thisstoryaintover/storyj1
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🤍 timestamps ↳ 0:00 intro ↳ 1:22 general fiction ↳ 10:12 romance books ↳ 18:44 hot sad girl books for your healing era ↳ 27:38 outro
socials 🤍 instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisstoryaintover/ 🤍 twitter: https://twitter.com/jananiekvelu 🤍 tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisstoryaintover?lang=en 🤍 storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/thisstoryaintover 🤍 goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/thisstoryaintover
💌 for business/sponsorship inquiries please contact eric@smallscreenmarketing.com 💌 for all other inquiries please contact me at thisstoryaintover@gmail.com
faqs 🤍 how do you pronounce your name? - my name is Jananie—pronounced JEN-nuh-nee (like a knee!)
🤍 what's your background/ethnicity/etc? - both my parents are Sri Lankan Tamil, and I was born and raised in Canada!
🤍 what is your job? - aside from youtube I also work in product marketing!
23 books
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Dec 31 2022
every book i read in 2022 rated & reviewed in 1 sentence
join as a channel member to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJn0v3OAEAX3-V4crjcHtRA/join
socials 🤍 instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisstoryaintover/ 🤍 twitter: https://twitter.com/jananiekvelu 🤍 tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisstoryaintover?lang=en 🤍 goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/thisstoryaintover
💌 for business/sponsorship inquiries please contact eric@smallscreenmarketing.com 💌 for all other inquiries please contact me at thisstoryaintover@gmail.com
faqs 🤍 how do you pronounce your name? - my name is Jananie—pronounced JEN-nah-nee (like a knee!)
🤍 what's your background/ethnicity/etc? - both my parents are Sri Lankan Tamil, and I was born and raised in Canada!
🤍 what is your job? - aside from youtube I also work in product marketing!
63 books
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Dec 29 2022
my top 10 fave books of 2022 💜🏆 5 star reads
Tell me your top 10 fave books of the year in the comments!
💜 join as a channel member to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJn0v3OAEAX3-V4crjcHtRA/join
💌 for business/sponsorship inquiries please contact eric@smallscreenmarketing.com 💌 for all other inquiries please contact me at thisstoryaintover@gmail.com
faqs 🤍 how do you pronounce your name? - my name is Jananie—pronounced JEN-nah-nee (like a knee!)
🤍 what's your background/ethnicity/etc? - both my parents are Sri Lankan Tamil, and I was born and raised in Canada!
🤍 what is your job? - aside from youtube I also work in product marketing!
16 books
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Nov 22 2022
📚 buying books to cure my seasonal depression 📚 a massive LAST book haul of the year
Shop Brooklinen’s Black Friday Sale right now and get 20% off your order by clicking my link here https://bit.ly/BrooklinenJananie. Sale runs until the end of the month!
This video is kindly sponsored by Brooklinen.
🤍 timestamps ↳ 0:00 let’s talk about books! ↳ 0:36 I’m Glad My Mom Died ↳ 2:15 Disorientation ↳ 3:49 The World We Make ↳ 5:30 Brooklinen ↳ 8:08 The Atlas Paradox ↳ 9:34 Heart of the Sun Warrior ↳ 10:38 Bloodmarked ↳ 12:18 Gleanings ↳ 14:21 Ponniyan Selvan ↳ 16:40 Shakespeare ↳ 18:35 Rebecca ↳ 19:25 Interview with the Vampire ↳ 20:36 Persephone Station ↳ 21:51 A Dowry of Blood ↳ 22:59 Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove ↳ 24:09 final thoughts :)
📚 join my book club 📚 read books by BIPOC each month and join me during monthly liveshows to discuss! 🤍 announcement Video: https://youtu.be/u-aI8tD1RcQ 🤍 discuss on Fable: https://l.fable.co/readincolour 🤍 discuss on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readincolourbookclub/ 🤍 discuss on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ReadinColorClub
other places to find me 🤍 my website: https://www.jananiekvelu.com/ 🤍 my series # EpicBookRecs on the Epic Reads Channel: https://bit.ly/2XziOfz
discount codes 🤍 get one month FREE on Skillshare using my link: https://skl.sh/MKR96 🤍 use my code STORY to get your first Book of the Month box for only $9.99 https://www.bookofthemonth.com/?utm\_source=youtube&utm\_medium=video&utm\_campaign=This\_Story\_Ain%27t\_Over
💌 for business/sponsorship inquiries please contact eric@smallscreenmarketing.com 💌 for all other inquiries please contact me at thisstoryaintover@gmail.com
faqs 🤍 how do you pronounce your name? - my name is Jananie—pronounced JEN-nah-nee (like a knee!)
🤍 what's your background/ethnicity/etc? - both my parents are Sri Lankan Tamil, and I was born and raised in Canada!
🤍 what is your job? - aside from youtube I also work in product marketing!
15 books
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Oct 26 2022
💖 my 25 favourite standalone books of all time 💖 fantasy books, sci-fi, literary fiction, memoirs
Aardvark Book Club official website: https://aardvarkbookclub.com/ Download the iOS app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/aardvark-book-club/id6443419435 Download the Android app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aardvark.app
I've got everything from fantasy books, to sci-fi, to literary fiction, to memoirs so I hope you enjoy!
🤍 timestamps ↳ 0:00 Opening Thoughts ↳ 2:08 I’m Glad My Mom Died ↳ 3:22 In Order to Live ↳ 4:10 Know My Name ↳ 5:22 You Can’t Be Serious ↳ 6:35 Aardvark Book Club ↳ 9:10 Days of Distraction ↳ 10:10 An American Marriage ↳ 11:13 Marriage of a Thousand Lies ↳ 12:14 Pride and Prejudice ↳ 12:52 Jane Eyre ↳ 13:42 An Absolutely Remarkable Thing ↳ 14:59 Perks of Being a Wallflower ↳ 15:58 Turtles All the Way Down ↳ 16:52 Yolk ↳ 17:53 The Beautiful Ones ↳ 18:50 A Song of Achilles ↳ 19:51 The Vanishing Half ↳ 20:34 Blue Skinned Gods ↳ 21:55 The Stationery Shop ↳ 22:54 Disorientation ↳ 24:27 A Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires ↳ 25:45 Mexican Gothic ↳ 27:08 All My Rage ↳ 28:26 Pachinko ↳ 29:32 Babel ↳ 31:38 Kaikeyi ↳ 33:25 Final Thoughts
other places to find me 🤍 my website: https://www.jananiekvelu.com/ 🤍 my series # EpicBookRecs on the Epic Reads Channel: https://bit.ly/2XziOfz
💌 for business/sponsorship inquiries please contact eric@smallscreenmarketing.com 💌 for all other inquiries please contact me at thisstoryaintover@gmail.com
faqs 🤍 how do you pronounce your name? - my name is Jananie—pronounced JEN-nah-nee (like a knee!)
🤍 what's your background/ethnicity/etc? - both my parents are Sri Lankan Tamil, and I was born and raised in Canada!
🤍 what is your job? - aside from youtube I also work in product marketing!
28 books
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Sep 16 2022
all 24 books i read this summer ✨ reading wrapup
join me as I breakdown all 24 books I read this summer!! let me know what your favourite book you read this summer was! 🥰
🤍 timestamps ↳ 0:00 intro ↳ 1:17 know my name by chanel miller ↳ 2:29 empire of sand by tasha suri ↳ 2:59 on earth we're briefly gorgeous by ocean vuong ↳ 4:12 blue skinned gods by s. j. sindu ↳ 4:52 this is how you lose the time war by amal el-mohtar & max gladstone ↳ 5:50 the roughest draft by austin siegemund-broka & emily wibberley ↳ 6:43 convenience store woman by sayaka murata ↳ 7:59 book lovers by emily henry ↳ 8:43 violeta by isabel allende ↳ 9:28 the paris apartment by lucy foley ↳ 10:09 daughter of the moon goddess by sue lynn tan ↳ 10:57 this woven kingdom by tahereh mafi ↳ 11:56 crooked hallelujah by kelli jo ford ↳ 12:35 little fires everywhere by celeste ng ↳ 13:24 an american marriage by tayari jones ↳ 14:53 eleanor oliphant is completely fine by gail honeyman ↳ 15:18 the vanishing half by brit bennett ↳ 16:25 red, white & royal blue by casey mcquiston ↳ 17:35 i'm glad my mom died by jennette mccurdy ↳ 18:53 luster by raven leilani ↳ 19:54 disorientation by elaine hsieh chou ↳ 20:53 you exist too much by zaina arafat ↳ 21:43 rosewater by tade thompson ↳ 23:03 the school for good mothers ↳ 24:52 outro
other places to find me 🤍 my website: https://www.jananiekvelu.com/ 🤍 my series # EpicBookRecs on the Epic Reads Channel: https://bit.ly/2XziOfz
💌 for business/sponsorship inquiries please contact eric@smallscreenmarketing.com 💌 for all other inquiries please contact me at thisstoryaintover@gmail.com
faqs 🤍 how do you pronounce your name? - my name is Jananie—pronounced JEN-nah-nee (like a knee!)
🤍 what's your background/ethnicity/etc? - both my parents are Sri Lankan Tamil, and I was born and raised in Canada!
🤍 what is your job? - aside from youtube I also work in product marketing!
24 books
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Aug 27 2022
Reading That Girl Books from TikTok
For 16 free meals with HelloFresh across 7 boxes AND 3 free gifts, use code JANANIE16 at https://bit.ly/3vEXTqV
Go check out the creators I mentioned 💗 @MinaReads @alyxandriaang
🤍 timestamps ↳ 0:00 Intro ↳ 7:10 The books ↳ 9:43 Luster ↳ 15:18 Disorientation ↳ 20:38 You Exist Too Much ↳ 26:09 Defining what a hot sad girl book is
other places to find me 🤍 my website: https://www.jananiekvelu.com/ 🤍 my series # EpicBookRecs on the Epic Reads Channel: https://bit.ly/2XziOfz
💌 for business/sponsorship inquiries please contact eric@smallscreenmarketing.com 💌 for all other inquiries please contact me at thisstoryaintover@gmail.com
faqs 🤍 how do you pronounce your name? - my name is Jananie—pronounced JEN-nah-nee (like a knee!)
🤍 what's your background/ethnicity/etc? - both my parents are Sri Lankan Tamil, and I was born and raised in Canada!
🤍 what is your job? - aside from youtube I also work in product marketing!
3 books
Posts about this book from across Bindery
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • May 21
Why Do Readers HATE Satire Novels? The Origins of Satire & How It's REALLY Used in Fiction
Hello everyone! By popular demand I have brought you the first in a series of video essays on various topics in the book community, literature, and art. Today, we are discussing satire novels and their literary tradition and how they are often misunderstood in our current day. I also recommend several of my favourites that you can grab below with my affiliate links!
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Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Apr 2
\ \ Upgrade for $25 or login](https://boundless.binderybooks.com/item/JhjpNKSC8D0DF6zwLiCI/)
FEB GALAXY EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: How I Conduct Research for My Book
Let me know if you have any questions y'all!
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Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Nov 9 2025
what makes a good dark academia book? 🕯️🕰️ defining the genre and it's potential
let me know what your favourite dark academia books are!
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Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Oct 2 2025
\ \ Join for free or login](https://boundless.binderybooks.com/item/Bir1FefdRRtacro5RIHP/)
it's my birthday! here are 28 books that have shaped my life 🫶🏾
open for book recs <3
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Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Jul 8 2024
If you like this, read this book! BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
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Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Nov 13 2023
tier ranking every book i've rated five stars ⭐️ in the past three years
we love a good tier-ranking video! let me know your faves!
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Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Jun 12 2023
25+ SUMMER book recs to binge read ☀️📚
#rosettastone, @rosettastone, #rosettastonepartner
🤍 timestamps ↳ 0:00 intro ↳ 1:22 general fiction ↳ 10:12 romance books ↳ 18:44 hot sad girl books for your healing era ↳ 27:38 outro
💌 for business/sponsorship inquiries please contact eric@smallscreenmarketing.com 💌 for all other inquiries please contact me at thisstoryaintover@gmail.com
faqs 🤍 how do you pronounce your name? - my name is Jananie—pronounced JEN-nuh-nee (like a knee!)
🤍 what's your background/ethnicity/etc? - both my parents are Sri Lankan Tamil, and I was born and raised in Canada!
🤍 what is your job? - aside from youtube I also work in product marketing!
23 books
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Dec 31 2022
every book i read in 2022 rated & reviewed in 1 sentence
join as a channel member to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJn0v3OAEAX3-V4crjcHtRA/join
💌 for business/sponsorship inquiries please contact eric@smallscreenmarketing.com 💌 for all other inquiries please contact me at thisstoryaintover@gmail.com
faqs 🤍 how do you pronounce your name? - my name is Jananie—pronounced JEN-nah-nee (like a knee!)
🤍 what's your background/ethnicity/etc? - both my parents are Sri Lankan Tamil, and I was born and raised in Canada!
🤍 what is your job? - aside from youtube I also work in product marketing!
63 books
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Dec 29 2022
my top 10 fave books of 2022 💜🏆 5 star reads
Tell me your top 10 fave books of the year in the comments!
💜 join as a channel member to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJn0v3OAEAX3-V4crjcHtRA/join
💌 for business/sponsorship inquiries please contact eric@smallscreenmarketing.com 💌 for all other inquiries please contact me at thisstoryaintover@gmail.com
faqs 🤍 how do you pronounce your name? - my name is Jananie—pronounced JEN-nah-nee (like a knee!)
🤍 what's your background/ethnicity/etc? - both my parents are Sri Lankan Tamil, and I was born and raised in Canada!
🤍 what is your job? - aside from youtube I also work in product marketing!
16 books
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Nov 22 2022
📚 buying books to cure my seasonal depression 📚 a massive LAST book haul of the year
This video is kindly sponsored by Brooklinen.
other places to find me 🤍 my website: https://www.jananiekvelu.com/ 🤍 my series # EpicBookRecs on the Epic Reads Channel: https://bit.ly/2XziOfz
💌 for business/sponsorship inquiries please contact eric@smallscreenmarketing.com 💌 for all other inquiries please contact me at thisstoryaintover@gmail.com
faqs 🤍 how do you pronounce your name? - my name is Jananie—pronounced JEN-nah-nee (like a knee!)
🤍 what's your background/ethnicity/etc? - both my parents are Sri Lankan Tamil, and I was born and raised in Canada!
🤍 what is your job? - aside from youtube I also work in product marketing!
15 books
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Oct 26 2022
I've got everything from fantasy books, to sci-fi, to literary fiction, to memoirs so I hope you enjoy!
other places to find me 🤍 my website: https://www.jananiekvelu.com/ 🤍 my series # EpicBookRecs on the Epic Reads Channel: https://bit.ly/2XziOfz
💌 for business/sponsorship inquiries please contact eric@smallscreenmarketing.com 💌 for all other inquiries please contact me at thisstoryaintover@gmail.com
faqs 🤍 how do you pronounce your name? - my name is Jananie—pronounced JEN-nah-nee (like a knee!)
🤍 what's your background/ethnicity/etc? - both my parents are Sri Lankan Tamil, and I was born and raised in Canada!
🤍 what is your job? - aside from youtube I also work in product marketing!
28 books
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Sep 16 2022
all 24 books i read this summer ✨ reading wrapup
join me as I breakdown all 24 books I read this summer!! let me know what your favourite book you read this summer was! 🥰
other places to find me 🤍 my website: https://www.jananiekvelu.com/ 🤍 my series # EpicBookRecs on the Epic Reads Channel: https://bit.ly/2XziOfz
💌 for business/sponsorship inquiries please contact eric@smallscreenmarketing.com 💌 for all other inquiries please contact me at thisstoryaintover@gmail.com
faqs 🤍 how do you pronounce your name? - my name is Jananie—pronounced JEN-nah-nee (like a knee!)
🤍 what's your background/ethnicity/etc? - both my parents are Sri Lankan Tamil, and I was born and raised in Canada!
🤍 what is your job? - aside from youtube I also work in product marketing!
24 books
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Aug 27 2022
Reading That Girl Books from TikTok
For 16 free meals with HelloFresh across 7 boxes AND 3 free gifts, use code JANANIE16 at https://bit.ly/3vEXTqV
Go check out the creators I mentioned 💗 @MinaReads @alyxandriaang
🤍 timestamps ↳ 0:00 Intro ↳ 7:10 The books ↳ 9:43 Luster ↳ 15:18 Disorientation ↳ 20:38 You Exist Too Much ↳ 26:09 Defining what a hot sad girl book is
other places to find me 🤍 my website: https://www.jananiekvelu.com/ 🤍 my series # EpicBookRecs on the Epic Reads Channel: https://bit.ly/2XziOfz
💌 for business/sponsorship inquiries please contact eric@smallscreenmarketing.com 💌 for all other inquiries please contact me at thisstoryaintover@gmail.com
faqs 🤍 how do you pronounce your name? - my name is Jananie—pronounced JEN-nah-nee (like a knee!)
🤍 what's your background/ethnicity/etc? - both my parents are Sri Lankan Tamil, and I was born and raised in Canada!
🤍 what is your job? - aside from youtube I also work in product marketing!
3 books