Journey To The Heartland
Second Edition
Official Website of Author, Including the Book
BOOK
Journey To The Heartland: Second Edition
"An honest life, fully lived, is itself a political act"
Author: Xiaolong Huang
Illustrator: Andy Bridge - Life of Pi
Development editor: Vanessa Curtis - The Earth Is Singing
Editors: Danielle Anderson - Mokita, Donald Weise - Tilt-a-Whirl
Print length: 282 pages (Original), 316 pages (Second Edition)
Paperback ISBN: 979-8-218-00614-3
Ebook ISBN: 979-8-9863563-4-1
Publishing Date: July 2022 (Original), May 2026 (Second Edition)
Fans of The Kite Runner and When Breath Becomes Air will be moved by this courageous memoir — told with the intimacy of fiction — about family secrets, LGBTQ identity, and one man's pursuit of an honest life.
Growing up in 1980s China, Hanwei endures a childhood shaped by his father's hidden life and its long shadow over their family. Sustained by his mother's love and his own fierce drive, he strives toward a life of his own. As he makes his way to America, the people he meets — their struggles, their losses, their stubborn acts of love — shape his pursuit of intellect, love, and humanity, challenging him to live up to what his previous generation could not.
The Second Edition goes deeper into the father's story and introduces Rick, an American man losing ground to addiction and a changing country, whom Hanwei refuses to abandon.
A rare and unflinching story about what it costs to live honestly — and what becomes possible when you finally do. If you are drawn to stories of cultural identity, family complexity, and social justice, Journey to the Heartland belongs on your shelf.
Editorial Review:
Self-Publishing Review: ★★★★½
"A sprawling but delicate story of personal evolution, Journey to the Heartland by Xiaolong Huang expertly navigates the fine line between heartbreaking and inspiring. This story is woven together on multiple levels, with themes of sexuality, cultural pressure, academia, and personal exodus, for a poignant meditation on freedom. The tone of the writing is unique and striking, boasting unexpected flourishes of description that make the prose vivid, yet understated. Huang captures the intersection of personal autonomy, conscious liberation, and critical thinking in a timely and undeniably powerful read."
AUTHOR
Xiaolong Huang is a Chinese-American immigrant holding a PhD from UCLA. He is an engineer in Silicon Valley's high-tech sector. His debut book, "Journey to the Heartland," aims to foster cultural and intellectual impact while honoring social justice pioneers who their lives to creating a better world.
"Don’t miss Journey to the Heartland – based on the true story of a man’s pursuit of happiness, justice and healing in the face of discriminations today."
