Jennifer Lee was born in Korea, and immigrated to Philadelphia with her parents when she was three years old. She is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Irvine. She is the author of Civility in the City: Blacks, Jews, and Koreans in Urban America. Her most recent book, co-authored with Frank Bean, is the forthcoming The Diversity Paradox: Immigration and the Color Line in 21st Century America. Read more about her below.
Q. What was the last habit you tried to kick?
A. Coffee. That didn’t work.
Q. If you could live in any other time, past or present, when would it be and why?
A. I wouldn’t want to live in any other time. I think of how much progress we’ve made in terms of rights for underprivileged minorities. I couldn’t imagine living in the past.
Q. Who was your childhood hero?
A. I would have to say my parents. They were immigrants. They came here and abandoned everything they knew to start completely fresh. Watching them struggle motivated me to work harder.
Q. What do you believe to be the greatest simple pleasure?
A. I recently learned how to do a pull-up. That is the greatest simple pleasure because I’ve never had that kind of strength before.
Q. What do you do to clear your mind?
A. Meditate.
Q. What music have you listened to today?
A. Mazzy Star.
Q. What is your favorite word?
A. Love.
Q. Who is your favorite fictional character?
A. I just finished reading The Lover, and I would say the girl – who doesn’t even have a name – was my favorite. She was so complicated. Even though it’s a simple story and a short novel I was constantly enthralled by her.
Q. What is your favorite cocktail?
A. A toss-up between an apple martini and a cosmopolitan. Any kind of sweet martini I’m up for, but I can only have one.
Q. What profession would you like to practice in your next life?
A. I would love to be a bartender by night and a writer by day.
Q. Who is the one person living or dead you would most like to meet for dinner?
A. The Little Prince. He was so magical.
To read about Lee’s panel on the Census, click here.
*Photo by Aaron Salcido.