20 Quotes by Crystal Hana Kim

For me, writing is something that I need to do. If I'm not writing, I'm not happy.

By the time I was a teen, I was an expert at scanning people's faces, always in search of eyes like mine. I devoured glossy magazines, ever mindful of the language we used to talk about beauty. The sections on how to apply makeup intrigued me most precisely because their audience never included me.

I'm not writing necessarily for an audience. I think about the audience at the end, once I have a complete book. But, when I'm writing it, I really need to feel like I'm learning, and I'm investigating something that I'm personally interested in.

When I heard that Hollywood was going to make Kevin Kwan's novel 'Crazy Rich Asians' into a movie, I was so ecstatic I nearly cried.

I came from a practical family. The idea of being a writer seemed impossible to me.

Growing up, I fluctuated between wanting to modify my looks and embracing them.

I don't know if it's unique, but I know many Korean American people of my generation who want to know about their grandparents' lives in Korea, but their family members won't tell them because it's too painful. But my grandmother is just a natural storyteller, and she very openly spoke about really difficult times in her life.

When I was almost two years old, my grandmother flew from Hongcheon, South Korea, to Flushing, Queens, to take care of me.

As a major feature film with Asian Americans in leading roles, 'Crazy Rich Asians' is important. We hope that this movie will be our 'Black Panther,' announcing to Hollywood that we are here, we belong, and we are ready for more.