Saying Goodbye to Yang

Weinstein, Alexander. "Saying Goodbye to Wang." Originally published, possibly in different form, in Zahir #22 (April 2010), an online journal. Coll. Children of the New World. New York: Picador, 2016: pp. 1-22.[1]

Summarized by Anthony D'Alessandro, reporting on "Theresa Park’s Pow! Developing Alexander Weinstein Short Story ‘Saying Goodbye To Yang’ For Big Screen" in Deadline on line.[2]

Saying Goodbye to Yang is set in a world where robotic children are purchased as live-in-babysitters. The story follows Yang, a robotic Chinese “Big Brother,” programmed to help his little sister learn about her cultural heritage. When Yang malfunctions, it means the loss of a babysitter, and even more importantly, the loss of what the family has come to see as a member of their family, perhaps even a son.

See for nicely handled overlap on robotics and race/nationality and what it means when a robot "dies."

The film adaptation AFTER WANG is in postproduction and expected for release in 2021. IMDb notes, "The film follows a father and daughter as they try to save the life of their robotic family member."[3]

RDE, Finishing up, 5Aug20