Shirley Le is a Vietnamese-Australian writer from Yagoona whose words pulse with wit, reflection, and a deep love for community. For Le, writing is more than just a craft, it’s a sanctuary, and a love letter to the vibrant, messy, and unapologetically real world she inhabits.
Her debut novel, Funny Ethnics, introduced readers to her sharp, unapologetically honest voice and cemented her place as one of Australia’s most exciting literary talents. Balancing humour and depth like salt and vinegar popcorn with a spoonful of vanilla bliss, capturing the unvarnished spirit of a second-generation migrant simply navigating the push and pull of heritage, belonging, and the unsteady rhythm of finding oneself in a world.
Her bookshelf brims with powerful voices, from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah to Bernardine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other. Through working with the Sweatshop Literacy Movement, Le has witnessed raw talent transform into powerful storytelling, reinforcing her the community-building power of words. From her formative days devouring Matilda to the transformative experience of Michael Mohammed Ahmad’s The Tribe performed in Bankstown, Le understands storytelling as a force for connection.
Below, we speak with Shirley Le on her favourite books and the book that changed her life.
The last book I read …
Winnie Dunn’s Dirt Poor Islanders. Dunn’s book is a gorgeously complex story that gifts readers with so much knowledge about life in a Tongan-Australian community in Western Sydney.
On my bedside table: I am currently reading …
And very much enjoying an advance reading copy of Steve MinOn’s First Name Second Name coming out in March. This is an incredible story tracing four generations of Chinese-Australian identity.
My favourite book of all time …
As a gemini moon, I don’t even have a favourite ice-cream flavour of all time! I have books that I revisit during different seasons of my life. For example, I open Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for the times in my life where I want to keep believing in romance and tenderness. And for the times where I wanna delete Hinge, Coffee Meets Bagel or whatever other devil app that compresses my humanity into a couple of prompts and photos, I turn to Sheena Patel’s roaring I’m A Fan. To be clear, when I’m reading Americanah, I’m probably eating Sara Lee’s Heavenley Strawberries and Cream (double Lacteeze beforehand baby). And when I’m reading I’m A Fan, I am shoving fists full of salt and vinegar popcorn into my face alongside half-melted spoonfuls of So Good’s Vanilla bliss.
The literary character I most identify with is …
Hey, is it cringe to talk about my own book for this? Because I’m not about to say one of the Pride and Prejudice chicks. Sylvia Nguyen in Funny Ethnics is an anxious Viet girl from Da Area who overthinks and binge eats. I did an author talk recently where a lady came up to me and told me “I HATE how Sylvia just procrastinates”. And I was like “Ok. Babes, I feel you. But also, maybe we’re so used to these Hollywood heroes who do, do and do. Sometimes it’s ok to just reflect, have a Krispy Kreme and keep existing. Sylvia is anti-Hollywood like that.”
The book that changed my life is …
I’m going to pretend your question is “books” not book! Every time I read a book that I cannot put down, it changes my life, literally, because I do need to put things in the airfryer for dinner. Let me give you a list: Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo, America Is Not The Heart by Elaine Castillo, Shuggie by Douglas Stuart. I’m drawn to voices that intentionally defy the conventions of language and genre.
The best book I ever received is…
The Architects of Dignity: Vietnamese Visions of Decolonisation by Kevin D Pham. I learned about Vietnam’s history through the modern history unit in high school and through the mouths of my parents, aunts and uncles. And I am living that history today. Pham’s book is such a special and empowering read as it brings to light how Vietnamese thinkers have long challenged Western conventional wisdom.
The book I would give as a gift is …
Professor Ghassan Hage’s The Racial Politics of Australian Multiculturalism. This is a groundbreaking collection of works by one of Australia’s leading anthropologists and cultural critics. Author and painter Amani Haydar did the cover. She also wrote a must-read book titled The Mother Wound. So that’s the next gift all sorted!
Growing up, the best book on my bookshelf was …
Roald Dahl’s Matilda. Sure, I developed a staring problem after reading that book but I quickly learned not to look anyone in the eye on the streets of Bankstown and Cabra.
A writer I admire the most is….
The star writers at the Sweatshop Literacy Movement who I have the privilege of working with inspire me all the time. I think there is a romanticisation of writing that frames the craft as raw and natural talent only afforded to a special few. What I have understood throughout my ten years at the collective is that the writers who are open to learning and willing to put in the hard work of going through multiple editing rounds come out with stronger stories and deeper knowledge of who they are as storytellers.
My favourite living author is …
Ok so obviously as a Venus in Leo, I have love for everyone but I also need to put in a word about Viet Thanh Nguyen. His talk with fellow king Benjamin Law at last year’s Sydney Writers Festival has really stayed with me, particularly his observation on how the attitude towards refugees hasn’t changed, but attitudes towards certain refugees do. As a second-generation Vietnamese-Australian, I have seen and felt the attitudes towards my community shift over time, and as a storyteller, I am fascinated by the ways these attitudes shape the people I am in community with.
A book everyone should read at least once is…
Michael Mohammed Ahmad’s The Tribe. In 2015, I attended a very moving live reading of the story, performed by Hazem Shammas in the backyard of a house in Bankstown, as part of a street festival. Until that point, I’d never seen a story about Bankstown, written by someone from Bankstown and performed in Bankstown. It made me feel for myself the power that storytelling has in building community.
