{"product_id":"book-launch-names-have-been-changed-by-yu-mei-balasingamchow","title":"Book Launch | Names Have Been Changed by Yu-Mei Balasingamchow","description":"\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003ePre-purchase your copy of the featured title to guarantee your signed copy! This helps ensure that everyone who wants a book goes home with one, in case we sell out at the event. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eABOUT THE BOOK\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCatch Me If You Can\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003emeets\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eCounterfeit\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ein this thrilling debut novel about Ophir—not her real name—who starts a confessional podcast about her years on the run around the globe, in an unforgettable story about the costs of freedom and the inescapable pull of home\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOphir’s tale begins in Singapore, where a petty crime spins out of control, estranging her from home and family. Resorting to false identities and forged passports (being mixed-race helps), she crisscrosses the globe from a Paris-themed hostess bar in Tokyo, to a bustling Chinese restaurant in London, to a snowbound mountain town in Colorado and beyond.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBroadcasting from an undisclosed location, Ophir is funny, prickly, tough, and vulnerable, entrancing her listeners with an irresistible, no-holds-barred recounting of not only her crimes (plural) but also her deepest secrets and regrets. Even as she moves seamlessly across class lines and continents, she grapples with the shock of relentless dislocation, a painful reexamination of identity, and a deep yearning for home. She tries to find comfort in new lovers and ill-gotten luxury goods, but she can’t help attracting trouble, and she soon faces an unexpected, high-stakes choice that could change her fate forever.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNames Have Been Changed\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is a stylish, fast-paced debut novel that reveals the complicated paths we take to build a life and a home. Filled with danger and twists, it’s ultimately a story about immigration and belonging—one unlike any you’ve seen before.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eABOUT THE AUTHOR\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"descriptionPanel___wCiv7\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"panelContent___B_vGb\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"flex\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eYu-Mei Balasingamchow\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e was born in Singapore and moved to Boston, where she was a bookseller at Papercuts Bookshop and where she teaches writing workshops at GrubStreet. Her short fiction has received a Pushcart Prize special mention and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"il\"\u003ebeen\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e shortlisted for the Commonwealth Prize. She has an MFA in creative writing from Boston University and has received grants from the Elizabeth George Foundation, Sewanee Writers Conference, and Singapore’s National Arts Council. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan class=\"il\"\u003eNames\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"il\"\u003eHave Been\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"il\"\u003eChanged\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is her debut novel.\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"descriptionPanel___wCiv7\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"acc-font-no-hover medium-small-font bold descriptionHeader___aNBPJ\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiGrid-root MuiGrid-container css-1b1jvye\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiGrid-root MuiGrid-container css-1b1jvye\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIN CONVERSATION WITH\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiGrid-root MuiGrid-container css-1b1jvye\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"MuiGrid-root MuiGrid-container css-1b1jvye\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDaphne Palasi Andreades\u003c\/strong\u003e is an artist and educator from Queens, New York. Daphne’s first novel, \u003cem\u003eBrown Girls\u003c\/em\u003e, was published by Random House in 2022, and was shortlisted for several prestigious awards: the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, the New American Voices Award, and the inaugural Carol Shields Prize for Fiction—the largest prize for women and nonbinary writers in the world. Her work has been taught to students across numerous universities, and has published in over seventy countries. She is a graduate of Columbia University’s MFA Fiction program. Daphne’s second novel, Lucid Dreams, will be out this October 27, 2026.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Yu \u0026 Me Books","offers":[{"title":"Book w\/Ticket","offer_id":48981150793957,"sku":"Yu-Mei  Balasingamchow Event 06.25.26","price":32.66,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"FREE RSVP","offer_id":48981150826725,"sku":"Yu-Mei Balasingamchow Event 06.25.26","price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0709\/2581\/1941\/files\/06.25.26Yu-MeiBalasingamchow.png?v=1778098085","url":"https:\/\/yuandmebooks.com\/products\/book-launch-names-have-been-changed-by-yu-mei-balasingamchow","provider":"Yu \u0026 Me Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}