King of the Armadillos, Wendy ChinTanner
King of the Armadillos, Wendy ChinTanner
List: $26.99 | Sale: $18.89
Club: $13.49

King of the Armadillos
A Novel

Author: Wendy Chin-Tanner

Narrator: Feodor Chin

Unabridged: 12 hr 42 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/25/2023


Synopsis

This program features a bonus conversation between the author and her father, the inspiration for the story.

A transcendent debut novel about family, love, and belonging, set against the backdrops of 1950s New York City and a historical leprosarium in Louisiana, following one young man’s quest to not only survive, but live a full and vibrant life

"A triumph." —Lidia Yuknavitch, bestselling and acclaimed author of The Book of Joan

Perfect for fans of Jacqueline Woodson’s Red at The Bone, Netflix’s Atypical, and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

Victor Chin’s life is turned upside down at the tender age of 15. Diagnosed with Hansen’s disease, otherwise known as leprosy, he’s forced to leave the familiar confines of his father’s laundry business in the Bronx – the only home he’s known since emigrating from China with his older brother – to quarantine alongside patients from all over the country at a federal institution in Carville.

At first, Victor is scared not only of the disease, but of the confinement, and wants nothing more than to flee. Between treatments he dreams of escape and imagines his life as a fugitive. But soon he finds a new sense of freedom far from home – one without the pull of obligations to his family, or the laundry business, or his mother back in China. Here, in the company of an unforgettable cast of characters, Victor finds refuge in music and experiences first love, jealousy, betrayal, and even tragedy. But with the promise of a life-changing cure on the horizon, Victor’s time at Carville is running out, and he has some difficult choices to make.

A groundbreaking work of historical fiction, King of the Armadillos announces Wendy Chin-Tanner as an extraordinary new voice. Inspired by her father’s experience as a young patient at Carville, this tender coming-of-age novel is a captivating look at a forgotten radical community and a lyrical exploration of the power of art.

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.

About Wendy Chin-Tanner

Wendy Chin-Tanner is the author of the poetry collections Turn and Anyone Will Tell You, editor of Embodied: An Intersectional Feminist Comics Poetry Anthology, and copublisher at A Wave Blue World, an independent publishing company for graphic novels. Born and raised in New York City, she lives in the Hudson Valley with her family. King of the Armadillos is her first novel.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Emily on July 11, 2024

I really enjoyed this story. I did not know that there had ever been a leprosy colony in the US and it was a fascinating look into one part of US history. This was a lovely example of how incredibly resilient humans are.......more

Goodreads review by johnny on August 31, 2023

i have a newfound fear of being diagnosed with leprosy now.......more

Goodreads review by Meg on August 23, 2023

I think I’m the outlier here, but I wasn’t fully gripped by this story. It felt like a YA novel at times. I did, however, learn a lot about Hansen’s disease and I did enjoy getting to know the characters. I’ll take the blame for not getting enough out of this story because I feel like I was not enti......more

Goodreads review by Amyruszkiewicz on August 28, 2023

Kind of like weak tea. Just, unsatisfying......more

Goodreads review by Erika on July 22, 2023

Hey! I blurbed this, but the blurbs don't really give you the opportunity to talk about the book, and this book was wonderful. It's a unique coming of age story about a boy whose parents are separated, his father is raising him in the United States, his mother is still in China. And his father is wi......more


Quotes

"King of the Armadillos pulses with the miraculous: the power of art and heart to heal a body from the inside-out. Excavating a history that comes at an important moment in the present tense, the novel asks: how do we want to treat each other in the face of dangerous tensions around otherness and illness? Wendy Chin-Tanner answers with her art. A triumph." —Lidia Yuknavitch, bestselling and acclaimed author of The Book of Joan

Engrossing, rich with emotion, and loaded with unforgettable characters, King of the Armadillos is a mesmerizing work of historical fiction.” —Alex Segura, bestselling and acclaimed author of Secret Identity

"A beautifully written story of a young man struggling with Hansen’s disease that captures both the tragedy and triumph of Carville." —Pam Fessler, author of Carville’s Cure: Leprosy, Stigma, and the Fight for Justice

"This remarkable, brilliant book shows us the power of exile—and the dreams of freedom. Wendy Chin-Tanner pulls back the veil on a federal leprosarium in the 1950s, with a rich cast of characters who find refuge in art and love. Inspired by her own family history, it rings with authenticity and delight, finding great joy even in sorrow. An absolute treasure of a book." —Rene Denfeld, bestselling author of The Child Finder

"Wendy Chin-Tanner’s King of the Armadillos is both a moving coming-of-age story and a fiercely intelligent love letter to the author’s father. It is beautifully written and entertaining, but doesn’t shy away from questions of race, class, and belonging. A fantastic debut." —Cari Luna, author of The Revolution of Every Day