Pyae Moe Thet War’s debut anthology, You’ve Changed, publishes in hardback courtesy of Catapult in the US.

With a string of incredible reviews paving its way into the world, You’ve Changed is a collection of hilarious, relatable, and an unforgivingly honest essays by Myanmar native Pyae Moe Thet War. Her experience of growing up between the UK, US and Myanmar is as unique as her voice is captivating and we guarantee readers will fall in love with her as much as we have.

Excitingly, the anthology has been chosen by Malala as her Literati Book Club pick for May.

You’ve Changed also featured in Shondaland’s Women’s History Month reading round up and Ms. Magazine’s most anticipated books.

Here are just a few of the wonderful reviews received so far:

‘A must for your bookshelf, War’s collection is incisive and exciting.’

Shondaland

‘Picking up this book feels like a great laugh and a giant hug from a big sister I’ve never had.’

Cosmos Book Club

‘Perfect for fans of the podcast Armchair Expert and the Netflix show Never Have I Ever . . . You’ve Changed is a portrait of someone who is mostly unapologetically—though sometimes mildly apologetically—herself . . . There should be way more books by relatable people who describe themselves as “pretty average,” and who celebrate “fluff,” but who don’t shy away from heavy topics—and Pyae Moe Thet War does just that.’

Bust

‘No reader would be able to flatten this memoir down to just one dimension of Pyae Moe Thet War’s identity—the richness of intersectionality is built into the DNA of the piece. Representation matters, and You’ve Changed is a testament to that.’

Porter House Review

If you’re keen to find out more, read on…

In this electric debut essay collection, a Myanmar millennial playfully challenges us to examine the knots and complications of immigration status, eating habits, Western feminism in an Asian home, and more, guiding us toward an expansive idea of what it means to be a Myanmar woman today.

What does it mean to be a Myanmar person—a baker, swimmer, writer and woman—on your own terms rather than those of the colonizer? These irreverent yet vulnerable essays ask that question by tracing the journey of a woman who spent her young adulthood in the US and UK before returning to her hometown of Yangon, where she still lives.
 
In You’ve Changed, Pyae takes on romantic relationships whose futures are determined by different passports, switching accents in American taxis, the patriarchal Myanmar concept of hpone which governs how laundry is done, swimming as refuge from mental illness, pleasure and shame around eating rice, and baking in a kitchen far from white America’s imagination.
 
Throughout, she wrestles with the question of who she is—a Myanmar woman in the West, a Western-educated person in Yangon, a writer who refuses to be labeled a “race writer.” With intimate and funny prose, Pyae shows how the truth of identity may be found not in stability, but in its gloriously unsettled nature.

Happy Publication Day, Pyae!