"I have a theory that the most important experiences of human life often happen in a profound periphery - in places decentered or even hidden from mainstream attention. The stories and characters in Lucky Tomorrow are like brilliant stars that dropped out of the night sky screaming I exist, I endure, I have a voice. Deborah Jiang-Stein has rearranged the cosmos to give grounded angels their songs back. Every page of this book is a micro supernova of the heart." - Lidia Yuknavitch, author of Thrust and Reading the Waves
"In this panorama of invitingly short stories about people from all walks of life keeping true to themselves while surviving, Deborah Jiang-Steins empathy exudes uncommon valor. These characters live in prisons and in other milieus far from the spotlights enjoyed by the fortunate and the famous, and the clarity of Jiang-Steins prose renders them often starkly yet always compellingly." - Mark Wish, editor and publisher of Coolest American Stories and author of Necessary Deeds
"Lucky Tomorrow is a journey of chance encounters, a series of opportunities to experience the majesty of everyday people, to dip ones toes briefly into the ocean of someone elses inner life, and to be reminded that these small intimacies and the people who carry them are precious. Each of the characters that Deborah Jiang-Stein introduces here will linger long after you close this book." - Brittney Cooper, New York Times best-selling author of Eloquent Rage
"Deborah Jiang-Stein is an eloquent witness to the humanity of our fellow community members who are not only overlooked or unseen but, as Arundhati Roy would say, are the deliberately silenced, or the preferably unheard. Jiang-Steins protagonists grieve, yearn, hope, and love their way in a world that hurriedly pushes them aside." - JaeRan Kim, University of Washington Tacoma
"Jiang-Stein's skillful use of place-making and emotional tone allows her to craft a compelling narrative that quickly draws readers in." - Colors of Influence
"This eye-opening, layered and unforgettable debut collection of over thirty connected stories is drawn from the authors own extraordinary life. " - Ms. Magazine
"In the best of these stories, she makes the invisible in society visible." - The Arts Fuse
"[ Jiang-Stein's] sympathy for the unseen, forgotten and mentally unwell permeates this collection." - Pioneer Press
