Synopsis
From the renowned director of Crazy Rich Asians and Wicked comes a powerful, inspiring memoir of belonging, creativity, and learning to see who you really are.
“[Jon M. Chu] is a visionary. . . . He makes you believe you can do the impossible. He coaxes what he needs out of us to help him tell stories, to push boundaries, and then he elevates our voices, bringing joy to the millions who love his films.”—Michelle Yeoh, on Jon M. Chu for the TIME 100 Most Influential People of 2025
“A must-read for aspiring artists and dreamers of all kinds.”—Ava DuVernay
Long before he directed Wicked, In The Heights, or the groundbreaking film Crazy Rich Asians, Jon M. Chu was a movie-obsessed first-generation Chinese American, helping at his parents’ Chinese restaurant in Silicon Valley and forever facing the cultural identity crisis endemic to children of immigrants. Growing up on the cutting edge of twenty-first-century technology gave Chu the tools he needed to make his mark at USC film school, and to be discovered by Steven Spielberg, but he soon found himself struggling to understand who he was. In this book, for the first time, Chu turns the lens on his own life and work, telling the universal story of questioning what it means when your dreams collide with your circumstances, and showing how it’s possible to succeed even when the world changes beyond all recognition.
With striking candor and unrivaled insights, Chu offers a firsthand account of the collision of Silicon Valley and Hollywood—what it’s been like to watch his old world shatter and reshape his new one. Ultimately, Viewfinder is about reckoning with your own story, becoming your most creative self, and finding a path all your own.
About the Author
Jon M. Chu is known for his visually stunning blockbuster films, including Wicked, In the Heights, and Crazy Rich Asians, which was nominated for numerous awards, including two Golden Globe Awards, one for Best Motion Picture—Musical or Comedy; a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble; a PGA Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures; and four Critics Choice Awards, winning one for Best Comedy. Born the youngest of five children in Los Altos, California, Chu continues to use the influences of his childhood (family, technology, food, music, and movement) to tell personal stories in a variety of mediums that connect with audiences from around the world. In 2025, he was named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People.
Jeremy McCarter is the co-author, with Lin-Manuel Miranda, of the #1 New York Times bestseller Hamilton: The Revolution. He is the author of Young Radicals, the founder of the acclaimed audio storytelling company Make-Believe Association, and the literary executor of the novelist and playwright Thornton Wilder.
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