Simon Tam from The Slants and how a reader found him

I follow Simon Tam on LinkedIn and was so touched to read this:

While waiting at the airport recently, an older Asian man approached and asked if I was “Simon from The Slants” — something that doesn’t happen much, especially since the band mostly retired seven years ago.

He was a violinist, and he’d been trying to get his grandchildren excited about music instead of video games. Then he came across Mia Wenjen‘s book, ‘We Sing From the Heart,’ an illustrated portrait of my life. He’d always assumed themes like Asian American identity and fighting racism would be too mature for young kids. But his grandkids were immediately drawn in by the artwork by Victor Bizar Gomez, and then they told him something that broke his heart a little: my story of being bullied for being Asian resonated with them. They were only in 1st grade. It wasn’t something they felt comfortable telling their teachers or even their parents.

Then, they asked for a guitar for Christmas because they wanted to express themselves through music too. The man asked to take a photo to share with his family and a recommendation for a first guitar, then ran to catch his flight.

Yes, I sometimes miss the concert halls and festival stages. But it’s these moments that make me feel all of the sacrifices, including that decade-long legal battle to secure First Amendment protections for marginalized artists, were worth it. You never fully know how you impact others. I just hope to live up to it, and to inspire more kids to make good trouble…guitars in hand.

p.s. Related posts:

Activities for We Sing From the Heart

WE SING FROM THE HEART is a Pennsylvania Mountain Laurel Book Award Nominee 2026-27

WE SING FROM THE HEART at the 2025 NCTE Book Awards Luncheon

We Sing From the Heart Wins Social Justice Literature Award

Julia Ward Howe Award Presentation for We Sing From the Heart

We Sing From the Heart wins Julia Ward Howe prize for children’s literature!

WE SING FROM THE HEART is Carter G. Woodson Book Award Honoree!

We Sing From the Heart makes Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year 2025!

WE SING FROM THE HEART is an ALSC Notable Children’s Book!

We Sing From the Heart is a Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Winner!

WE SING FROM THE HEART is Orbis Pictus Recommended Book

WE SING FROM THE HEART wins California Eureka! Nonfiction Children’s Book Award

We Sing From the Heart on SLJ The Best of the Best from Small Presses!

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My books:

Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me

Barbed Wire Between Us by Mia Wenjen, illustrated by Violeta Encarnación

⭐ Starred review from Kirkus
⭐ Starred review from Publishers Weekly
⭐ Starred review from School Library Journal
Kirkus: The Most Anticipated Children’s Books of Spring 2026

Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me

Fortune Cookies for Everyone! (Smithsonian): The Surprising Story of the Tasty Treat We Love to Eat

California Eureka Non-Fiction Gold Award
Junior Library Guild Gold Selection
Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Winner (from National Council for the Social Studies and Children’s Book Council)

The Traveling Taco: The Amazing and Surprising Journey of Many of Your Favorite Foods

California Eureka Non-Fiction Silver Award
Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Winner (from National Council for the Social Studies and Children’s Book Council)
Reading Rockets’ Summer Reading Guide 2025

Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me

We Sing from the Heart: How the Slants® Took Their Fight for Free Speech to the Supreme Court

ALSC Notable Children’s Book
2025 Carter G. Woodson Book Award Middle Level Honoree
Orbis Pictus Recommended Book for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children
2024 Julia Ward Howe Prize for Children’s Literature Winner
California Eureka Non-Fiction Award Honor Book
Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Winner (from National Council for the Social Studies and Children’s Book Council)
Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year 2025
Recommended Reading for the Social Justice Literature Award 2025 (International Literacy Association)
Pennsylvania Mountain Laurel Book Award Nominee 2026-27
Junior Library Guild Gold Selection