Tom Lin knew from an early age that he wanted to write books. While still a Ph.D. student at the University of California, Davis, he published his first novel, The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu, which received the 2022 Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction for its bold reimagining of the classic Western from the perspective of a complex Chinese American protagonist. Named one of Time Magazine’s Most Anticipated Books of 2026, his new book, Babylon, South Dakota, is a sprawling American West epic about an immigrant family and the extraordinary ways in which America’s global ambitions change their lives.
In both of his novels, Lin combines his personal experiences as an Asian American immigrant with meticulous research to craft powerful stories that center the long-neglected role of Chinese immigration in building modern American myths. His work gives readers an exciting glimpse into aspects of history they may never have thought about before and weaves in elements of science fiction and technology.
Lin works as an assistant professor of English and creative writing at the University of Iowa.
