Kumi Taguchi: The Good Daughter

Kumi Taguchi will appear in conversation with writer and broadcaster Benjamin Law.

In a beautifully written memoir of captivating emotional honesty, the SBS Insight host sets out to find her dad, and herself.

The death of her estranged father made Kumi Taguchi realise how little she had known him and how ambivalent she had been about the Japanese side of her life. Growing up, Kumi Taguchi thought her father was just difficult: reserved to the point of silence, obsessively frugal, and – after her parents’ divorce – almost entirely absent. At several points, Kumi decided to cut their few remaining ties, each time learning that denying a piece of your identity is no simple task.

But just because a parent has gone doesn’t mean they’re absent. Over time Kumi came to understand more about what made her father as he was, including his harrowing experiences as a child in wartime Japan and, above all, the culture she both loved and felt burdened by.

In this highly evocative journey of understanding, Kumi explores her divided self: the tension between duty and freedom; the people she’s felt drawn to and lost; and how to find your place when caught between two worlds.

Kumi Taguchi  was born in Melbourne to her to her Japanese father and Australian mother. Growing up in rural New South Wales, she studied violin from the age of five, later winning a scholarship to study music at the University of Wollongong. A journalist, broadcaster and natural storyteller, Kumi is the host of SBS television’s award-winning program Insight.

Nab a book bundle and save!

Prepurchase your copy of The Good Daughter when booking your ticket and save a bundle on the cover price. Orders will be available for collection at the venue from the team at Gertrude & Alice Bookstore.

Event information

Refreshments will be available from the Theatre Bar from 5.30pm.

Tickets are General Admission. Seats are not allocated.

To book accessible seating, please complete the Accessibility Requirements section when registering for your ticket.