Rebecca Lim is a writer, illustrator, editor and lawyer. She is the author of over twenty books and has been nominated for multiple awards. She is  a co-founder of the Voices from the Intersection initiative to support emerging young adult and children's authors and illustrators who are First Nations, People of Colour, LGBTIQA+ or living with disability, and is a co-editor of Meet Me at the Intersection, a groundbreaking anthology of YA #OwnVoice memoir, poetry and fiction. Today, we are discussing her latest novel for younger readers, Tiger Daughter. 

Our interview begins at 26 minutes.

Mini book club: The Burning by Laura Bates

We both loved this novel, but it left us feeling so angry at the state of the world and the work we still have to do in dismantling rape culture. It weaves a historical tale of witch-burning with a compelling contemporary story about a young woman at the centre of a revenge porn attack that disrupts her entire life. 

Michelle mentions the Everyone's Invited initiative, which has gained widespread media attention in the UK this week. It is a space for school students to report instances of harassment and abuse in UK schools, with over 11,000 reports submitted at the time of posting. Read testimonies of survivors here. 

In this interview, we chat about:

• How her daughter’s English reading list sparked Rebecca’s desire to write Tiger Daughter
• Exploring the migrant experience of learning the English language and a young friendship in the novel
• Why Tiger Daughter is one of Rebecca’s most personal novels and why she wanted to explore certain cultural parenting styles
• Multi-layered storytelling in children’s fiction and why Rebecca believes it’s never too early to talk about painful subjects with readers
• How Rebecca’s skills as a lawyer have translated to her writing career
• The Voices from the Intersection initiative and the Meet Me at the Intersection collection
   

Books and other things mentioned

• The Men Who Hate Women by Laura Bates
• Asking For It by Louise O’Neill
• You’re Wrong About (podcast)

Follow Rebecca on Instagram @rebeccalim_writer

Follow us on Instagram @betterwordspod

Tiger Daughter is available now in Australia. It will be available in the UK in June.

Michelle and Caitlin received PR copies of Tiger Daughter from Allen & Unwin.