My grandfather had immigrated to the US in the 1940s, leaving behind his home, his culture, and his mom. Devoting his life to running a Chinese restaurant so that his children could enjoy the American dream he began, my grandfather never had the chance to go back to China to see his mother before she died. My mom recalls seeing him burn the fake money, lamenting her passing. His eyes welling up with guilt as he stared at her photograph he kept on his night stand. Being one of the many female products of the One Child Policy, I understood the importance a Chinese son held, but it wasn't until now that I put two and two together... My grandfather held guilt not only because of his failure to visit his mother, but because his position as an America father removed him from his role as a Chinese son.

It's possible. 25 years ago, on November 2nd, 1997, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella premiered on TV. In the past, there were many adaptations of the beloved tale, but it was Whitney Houston’s TV production that truly made the magic come to life.

While the original film revealed what it meant to be a mother, the anticipated sequel will follow the four daughters into their journeys of motherhood. To help tell this next chapter of mothers and daughters (and now grandmothers), original screenwriter Ronald Bass will be reuniting with Tan to bring to life the next generation of these four families.

Assimilation was a vocabulary term I’d only read in history books and therefore only used in essays. It was presented as a prehistoric idea. A concept that was long gone– I mean, this is America for goodness sake. I’d been so used to following the latest trends and accepting that that was all I was doing. I hadn’t noticed the limitations I had so quietly placed on myself.

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