At age 17, Mei Lu is already a freshman at MIT, on her way to fulfilling her parents' dreams of her becoming a doctor. Unfortunately, Mei is terrified of germs and is nearly certain that becoming a doctor would kill her. However, she is even more terrified of what her Taiwanese family would do if she chose another major. Her older brother, who is attending medical school at Dartmouth, has already been disowned because he fell in love with a Taiwanese girl her parents didn't approve of. Mei knows admitting her true feelings about becoming a doctor may produce the same result. She can't even imagine their reaction if she told them that she also has a crush on a cute Japanese American boy. Mei loves her parents and her brother, but the rigid traditions that control their lives are destroying her. This Taiwanese/American girl will have to find her voice to fight for her dreams and rebuild the family she loves. Chau's debut novel made me aware of the rigid expectations that the kids of some first generation immigrants still have to follow today. I also appreciated how she pointed out that this was one girl's experience and that all families are different. There is not a single story for all Taiwanese immigrants. Although I got as stressed as Mei as she was being destroyed by her parent's rules, the second half of the book was a breath of fresh air as Mei found her voice to fight for her dreams. An important new story in our expanding diverse literature renaissance.
American Panda by Gloria Chao
At age 17, Mei Lu is already a freshman at MIT, on her way to fulfilling her parents' dreams of her becoming a doctor. Unfortunately, Mei is terrified of germs and is nearly certain that becoming a doctor would kill her. However, she is even more terrified of what her Taiwanese family would do if she chose another major. Her older brother, who is attending medical school at Dartmouth, has already been disowned because he fell in love with a Taiwanese girl her parents didn't approve of. Mei knows admitting her true feelings about becoming a doctor may produce the same result. She can't even imagine their reaction if she told them that she also has a crush on a cute Japanese American boy. Mei loves her parents and her brother, but the rigid traditions that control their lives are destroying her. This Taiwanese/American girl will have to find her voice to fight for her dreams and rebuild the family she loves. Chau's debut novel made me aware of the rigid expectations that the kids of some first generation immigrants still have to follow today. I also appreciated how she pointed out that this was one girl's experience and that all families are different. There is not a single story for all Taiwanese immigrants. Although I got as stressed as Mei as she was being destroyed by her parent's rules, the second half of the book was a breath of fresh air as Mei found her voice to fight for her dreams. An important new story in our expanding diverse literature renaissance.
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AuthorMs. Smith has been the librarian at Washington HS in Sioux Falls, SD, since 2005. She enjoys reading, watching K-Dramas, Harry Potter and hanging out with her family. Archives
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