A cover for a DVD copy of The Farewell, which says "Based on an actual Lie" and the quote "Extraordinary on every level. It'll get you good." (Attribution is indistinct.) In the middle is the picture of a sofa with three women seated of varying ethnicities and generations while five individuals stand behind.

Beyond the Script: Denver Public Library’s Guide to Cowboys and East Indians

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Denver Public Library resources to enhance your experience at Cowboys and East Indians

 

READ

The dust jacket for the book, Sour Heart, and the author's name, Jenny Zhang, on a white background with the image of a bunch of blueberries clipped from a vine with a green leaf.Sour Heart by Jenny Zhang

Similar to Cowboys and East Indians, readers are introduced to a collection of stories centered on the families of immigrants, like the overbearing mother that gives up her artistic aspirations to come to America and her only outlet is karaoke, or families having to dumpster dive for food and scam Atlantic City casino buses to make a buck. Focusing on a community of immigrants in the 1990s who have traded their endangered lives as artists in China and Taiwan for New York City, Zhang shows the many ways that family and history can weigh us down and also lift us up. 

 

 WATCH 

A cover for a DVD copy of The Farewell, which says "Based on an actual Lie" and the quote "Extraordinary on every level. It'll get you good." (Attribution is indistinct.) In the middle is the picture of a sofa with three women seated of varying ethnicities and generations while five individuals stand behind.The Farewell, dir. Lulu Wang (2019)

Since a central theme of Cowboys and East Indians is cultural identity and trying to find one’s home, the first media that came to mind was the 2019 film “The Farewell” directed by Lulu Wang. Like the play, characters in the film are struggling with their cultural identity and traditions as they deal with the mortality of a loved one. Watch the Golden Globe-nominated film by itself or enjoy other films featuring Asian actors in one of our binge boxes. 

 

LISTEN 

An album cover with the words No-No Boy (the artist) and 1975 (name of album) with the profile of a person in a white shirt with abstract images and earthy colors in the background.

1975 by No-No Boy
In an interview, Cowboys and East Indians playwright Nina McConigley says she was inspired partly by the lack of South Asian stories in the American West. No-No Boy is the music and multimedia project of Dr. Julian Saporiti, who tells buried stories of the Asian diaspora through song. His album 1975 blends the historical sources collected for his dissertation, his Vietnamese heritage, and a lifelong love of music across genres.

 

DOWNLOAD 

Wedding Sari Showdown, dir. Kylie Bolton (2005)

This acclaimed documentary echoes many of the themes of Cowboys and East Indians.  A couple weds secretly in Australia without the obligations and cultural expectations of their traditional Indian families. They strive to maintain their independence while learning to appreciate and even enjoy aspects of the old ways as they try to make everyone happy. All Denver residents with your library card can stream this free on Kanopy with your Denver Public Library card.

Denver Public Library logo with abstract blue geometric design and modern text layout.

Resources provided by Denver Public Library

 

 

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