Heart of a Stranger by Angela Buchdahl

HEART OF A STRANGER by Angela Buchdahl is certainly in contention for my favorite book of the year. That is a surprise because this is the story of an Asian American female Rabbi. Other than female, I don’t check any of those boxes, but I truly loved her “Unlikely Rabbi's Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging.” At the end of each section, she offers a mini-sermon of sorts, exploring a concept, like this: “Faith is a noun, something you can have or possess, as ‘I have faith in God.’ Trust, on the other hand, is a verb. It is something you do or act upon. It is a choice and a deliberate response as in ‘I trusted, so I followed.’” HEART OF A STRANGER received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. The Washington Post review says, [our] “nation … has long rewarded those who chase opportunity and embrace pluralism. Today those ideals are more fragile than ever, and Buchdahl’s story now feels like an example of what once worked in America but may soon be lost.” This is an amazing, inspiring story for people of all faiths. Highly recommended.

But What Will People Say? by Sahaj Kaur Kohli

In BUT WHAT WILL PEOPLE SAY? Sahaj Kaur Kohli, founder of Brown Girl Therapy, shares her own journey as a child of immigrants, a college student, a victim of sexual assault, and a therapist. This is a very powerful text which explores “Navigating Mental Health, Identity, Love, and Family Between Cultures.” In a dozen chapters, Kohli writes movingly about topics like “When Things Don't Go According to Plan” (or Reflecting on your achievement behavior); “Where Do My Parents End and I Begin?” (or Learning about boundaries and your values); and “Getting Out of My Own Way” (or Combating self-sabotaging behaviors and mindsets). She points out that “one in three freshman college students (worldwide!) struggles with mental health issues… my struggles were due to a combination of what I call the three E's -- the need for external permission, emotional immaturity, and an expectation of exceptionalism.” By combining her own experiences and therapy training, she offers prompts and insights to both students and parents (e.g., “I wish they would have asked: What can we do to help you? What do you need from us? I wish they would have approached this with: We don't understand, but we're willing to try.”).  An extremely useful guide, especially for older teens, their parents, and mentors. 

This Book Won't Burn by Samira Ahmed

It is World Press Freedom Day and I'm posting a review of a novel which deals with censorship:

THIS BOOK WON'T BURN by Samira Ahmed (Hollow Fires and Internment) is filled with anger. The main character, Noor Khan, is a high school senior whose family circumstances force a change in schools in the last quarter of her senior year (yes, hard to believe that other options would not exist in real life). And Noor is understandably upset when she, her Mom, and her freshman sister move from suburban Chicago to a small town in downstate Illinois where they are one of the very few families who are not white or Christian. It is an adjustment for everyone, but Noor channels some of her anger into publicly reading banned books – and faces detention, multiple threats, and physical violence as a result. Fortunately, she is supported by new friends, Juniper with her girlfriend Hanna, plus Fasi, another student with desi heritage. One of the best aspects of Ahmed’s novel is the way she casually introduces many books that have been challenged such as Anger is a Gift, Monday’s Not Coming, All Boys Aren’t Blue, When the Moon was Ours, Fahrenheit 451, and many more.

Too bad that the preview for THIS BOOK WON'T BURN did not include a list of all of those titles. It also seemed rather unrealistic that 500 books would be simultaneously removed from a single school library. Even in Texas (the state with the dubious honor of hosting the most book challenges recently) where a school district near San Antoino pulled 400 books at one time, it was noted that “Most of those [titles] are appropriate and will stay on our library shelves as is.” Ahmed’s novel is set in Illinois with an activist librarian who would also likely have had a more robust review process in place. Ahmed raises a very important issue, but she tends to employ caricatures (a school board President who would try to run down a student with a car?). For example, she explicitly calls out MAGA supporters and Liberty Moms, but even though the book’s publication coincides with this week’s celebration of the second annual Little Free Library Week, Ahmed does not give her readers any information about groups like Little Free Library or mention recycling a used newspaper kiosk; even AARP offers suggestions to create these yard libraries. THIS BOOK WON'T BURN would benefit from an appendix of related resources -- like the ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom or PEN America (and PEN teaching guides) or the Texas FReadom Fighters or even the lawsuits brought by other publishers who devote web pages to the topic and provide links to an action toolkit.

THIS BOOK WON'T BURN received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus summarized it as follows: “A timely story about silence as complicity, defending freedom, and the courage to fight against hate.” Readers may also wish to investigate The Asian American Foundation and their annual STAATUS Index Report.  

Our Hidden Conversations by Michele Norris

OUR HIDDEN CONVERSATIONS by Michele Norris, an award-winning journalist, offers an excellent and fascinating look at “What Americans Really Think About Race and Identity.” As described in this Washington Post article, she began The Race Card Project several years ago, using postcards to collect people’s 6 word comments on race. Her book is filled with those statements, often with accompanying stories, background context, and photos; at one point, she refers to it as a scrapbook. Some content will seem familiar, perhaps, and other chapters will surprise, maybe even shock, readers. As Norris writes, “the people who spend time with The Race Card Project might not find common ground, but they are exposed to new ideas and worlds beyond their realms.” Due to the uniqueness of each contributor's experience and the willingness to show vulnerability, OUR HIDDEN CONVERSATIONS is inspiring, honest, and thought-provoking. One of the most haunting comments: “after all, if you've paid any attention to how minorities have been treated in this country over centuries, you might reasonably be concerned about becoming one.” OUR HIDDEN CONVERSATIONS received a starred review from Booklist (“an eye-opening read and …. wide-angle look at others' thoughts on race”). Highly recommended.

Norris points out that she is compiling a piece of the American story that we normally don’t get to hear; in addition to her amazing book, you can hear and see more on NPR’s special series site from roughly ten years ago. And, for those intrigued by Norris’ postcard project, Six Word Memoirs have been with us from Not Quite What I was Planning (2008) to I Can't Keep My Own Secrets (from teens in 2009) to A Terrible, Horrible, No Good Year (filled with pandemic reflections in 2021). Concise yet clever opportunities for reflection.  

PLEASE NOTE: Michele Norris will be speaking on January 19 at 11:30 Central time on Washington Post Live. More details are available at this link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live/2024/01/19/michele-norris-our-hidden-conversations-about-race-identity/

Added: Here is an interview with her from PBSNewsHour

  

Accountable by Dashka Slater

ACCOUNTABLE by Dashka Slater (The 57 Bus) is subtitled “The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives It Changed” and relates events that occurred in 2017 in Albany, California (liberal Bay Area) when a Korean American high school junior posted racist and misogynist memes on Instagram. Even though he initially had only 13 followers, many of the posts dealt with classmates and people they knew, especially Black and biracial girls. The New York Times recently published a lengthy article written by Slater who described, “competing narratives about how exactly the events should be interpreted, with some seeing them as a calamity that occurred despite Albany’s particular virtues (small, liberal, educated, interconnected) and others as a consequence of Albany’s particular shortcomings (too white, too insular, too wealthy, too obsessed with academic achievement).” Clearly, there is MUCH opportunity for teaching, for reflection (e.g., Am I racist? What makes someone racist? Why had no-one said anything earlier?) and for discussion (e.g., Does not taking action imply approval of content? How could the account followers and its subjects attend school together? Do the statistics Slater share correspond to our school? Are these events about race, gender or both?) with adolescent students. ACCOUNTABLE received a starred review from Booklist which says in part that this text “should be required reading for any teen before they create, comment, or even like a media post.” 

Yellowface by R. F. Kuang

YELLOWFACE by R. F. Kuang is a new novel about a young white writer, June Hayward, who usurps a draft novel named The Last Front from a suddenly deceased friend, Athena Liu. June edits the novel and publishes it, using Juniper Song (her middle name) as a nom de plume. Eventually, Twitter and social media explode with charges of plagiarism and June struggles to deal with the consequences. She is an amazing “spin doctor” and creatively shifts the story around repeatedly, believing “The truth is fluid. There is always another way to spin the story, another wrench to throw in the narrative.” However, June is not a likeable character and it was very difficult to feel sympathy for her. Kuang’s writing, though, is excellent, particularly as she satirizes the publishing industry, which can feel disturbing. For example, June says, “‘Quirky, aloof, and erudite’ is Athena’s brand. ‘Commercial, compulsively readable, yet still exquisitely literary,’ I’ve decided, will be mine.” Or “Author efforts have nothing to do with a book’s success. Bestsellers are chosen. Nothing you do matters. You just get to enjoy the perks along the way.” YELLOWFACE appears on the LibraryReads list for May 2023 and received starred reviews (which “don’t actually mean anything … but artificial hype is still hype,” per June) from Booklist and Publishers Weekly.

A Living Remedy by Nicole Chung

A LIVING REMEDY by Nicole Chung (All You Can Ever Know) is a heartfelt memoir that readers will not want to miss. Chung essentially eulogizes both of her parents while exploring her relationship with them and her feelings about their illnesses and death. Yes, this is heavy reading at places, but it is beautifully written. Although especially relevant to mixed race adoptees and children of immigrant parents, Chung succeeds in portraying universal experiences in a way which will not be easily forgotten. She is unflinching in writing about the impact of Covid resulting in her “attention and energies divided between the family I was raising and the one that raised me.” And there is consolation, too, when reflecting on her mother: “I know that some part of her isn’t gone, because I feel her love and experience her care like a living thing. I hear her voice speaking to me. And though my father felt so far from me after he died, he no longer feels so distant, lost beyond my reach – it’s as if she has given a part of him back to me now that they are wherever they are …” A LIVING REMEDY received a starred review from Booklist. Highly recommended.

You are Here: Connecting Flights

I do not often write about books for late elementary and middle school, but this one is so exceptional it deserves the effort: YOU ARE HERE: CONNECTING FLIGHTS edited by Ellen Oh. In this collection, twelve authors (including award winners like Traci Chee, Linda Sue Park, and Randy Ribay to name a few) have crafted an interconnected set of short stories. They take place at fictional Chicago Gateway International Airport during a storm that results in numerous delays. The young characters are all Asian American, with travel plans and family backgrounds related to a variety of countries (China, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam). Each child or teen faces some sort of discrimination and/or rude comments from other passengers or airport employees, BUT each grows and steps up to confront the racist situation. That repetition felt potentially triggering for young readers, although it clearly was empowering, too. I think it would be fascinating to know more about the Zoom planning sessions between these very talented authors – many of the stories occur simultaneously and refer to a central character of another story which is intriguing and could be a fun puzzle for student readers to display graphically. In addition to their geographic cultural heritage, the characters are diverse in terms of religion, learning differences like autism or musical ability, and family situation (e.g., two dads, grandparents, only child, sibling responsibilities, etc.) – reflecting the life circumstances of the intended audience as well as a theme of belonging and connection. YOU ARE HERE: CONNECTING FLIGHTS received starred reviews from Booklist (“consistently engaging and rewarding”), Kirkus (“compelling and nuanced”), and Publishers Weekly (“artfully conceived and executed”).

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng

OUR MISSING HEARTS by Celeste Ng (Little Fires Everywhere) should not be missed, even though it is an emotionally difficult read. Ng sets this dystopian novel in the near future; it occurs after the Crisis (a period of economic upheaval) and subsequent passage of PACT (Preserving American Culture and Traditions Act). Desperate leaders sought a common enemy and Asian Americans suffer the consequences of anti-Chinese feelings. One of them is a young mother and poet named Margaret Miu. She becomes a target when a poem that she wrote transforms to a rallying cry for those protesting as more and more children are taken from their supposedly subversive families and “re-placed” in foster care as a form of re-education. Margaret flees, leaving behind her husband Ethan Gardner, and their mixed race, pre-teen son called Bird. This story - with literal and figurative journeys by Bird and by Margaret - allows Ng to explore the characters’ feelings and dawning comprehension while also encouraging readers to reflect. At one point, she writes, “Would one person be compelled? One out of eight million, a fraction of a fraction. But not nothing. … saying to others at last: Listen, this isn’t right.” Book banning and suppression of dissent is repeatedly referenced, as is the quiet resistance and strength of librarians (e.g., “the brain of a librarian was a capacious place”).

A LibraryReads selection for October, OUR MISSING HEARTS received starred reviews from Booklist (“utterly stupendous tale”), Kirkus (“sensitive, nuanced, and vividly drawn”), Library Journal (“beautiful yet chilling tale”), and Publishers Weekly (“remarkable”). Ng is an extremely gifted writer; consider this description of a rainstorm: “The rain hisses as it falls, like a thousand tiny snakes, and where it hits, the ground writhes. It needles the dirt, punching holes that widen to craters that fill and swell into ponds.” Her wordplay (“Spirare, Bird hears his father say. To breathe. Con: together. So conspiracy literally means breathing together”) and emphasis on fables and the art of storytelling is amazing. Start reading for yourself or with others – this title would make an excellent book group or literature circle selection. For more reaction, see Stephen King’s review in the New York Times. He says, “Governments are right to fear words. They can change hearts and topple tyrannies.”

This Place is Still Beautiful by Xixi Tian

THIS PLACE IS STILL BEAUTIFUL by XiXi Tian is a debut young adult novel which deals with an anti-Asian hate crime in a mostly White Illinois town. The two narrators, Annalie and Margaret, are mixed-race sisters who live with their Chinese mother after their White father has disappeared. Annalie is soon to be a senior in high school and dealing with issues related to popularity and dating. Margaret is older, more independent, and has gone off to school at NYU, but she returns for the summer after a racial slur is painted on their property. Tian emphasizes that the two sisters are quite different in appearance and personality while also raising questions about the “model minority” stereotype as well as unconscious bias. Students will find quite a bit to discuss in this book about race, about family relationships, and about the transition to college. One concern, though is that Annalie’s angst over her first boyfriend feels overly naïve and repetitive fairly quickly. Still, this title will likely appear on future state award nominee lists and would be an excellent book club or literature circle option. THIS PLACE IS STILL BEAUTIFUL received well-deserved starred reviews from Booklist (“an impressive first novel”), Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly.

My Life: Growing up Asian in America

MY LIFE: GROWING UP ASIAN IN AMERICA is edited by CAPE, the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment, a non-profit whose focus is on “creating opportunities and driving Asian and Pacific Islander success in Hollywood.” They have gathered essays, poems, and comics from over two dozen people, including novelists such as Melissa da la Cruz and Marie Lu, business leaders like Ellen K. Pao, plus journalists and TV and film writers. Each story centers on some aspect of growing up Asian American. In “A Pair of Shorts” Kao Kalia Yang (The Latehomecomer), for example, reflects on an incident form her childhood and tells readers, “I want to please both of them, my mother and my grandmother. But I also want to look like the other kids at school, the ones whose legs climb into the sky when they swing high and move fast ahead of me after balls in the school yard. … And by the end of the school day, I come to the conclusion that it doesn’t matter what I wear; I’ll never fit in, be a regular American kid.”  PBS NewsHour’s Amna Nawaz shares “The Ring” which begins shortly after 9/11 and in which she says, “I hid part of myself, minimized part of myself. I did all this to avoid the scrutiny, the questions, and the hostility of others.” There is much to contemplate and discuss: Nawaz reflects on her ancestors who “chose to believe that America could be as good and great as she says she is. My girls will know the work it takes, and will continue to take, for their generation and the next, to make that true for everyone.” I know our students will appreciate the hope these authors share as they speak to their younger selves and to their own children.

A short biography of each of the contributors appears at the end of MY LIFE: GROWING UP ASIAN IN AMERICA and quotes from other Asian Americans are dispersed between selections. I saw only the digital preview, but hopefully the print edition has a Table of Contents to assist readers as they sample different selections. I am encouraging teachers to do that this summer as they prepare curriculum choices for next year. This collection received starred reviews from Booklist and Kirkus.

The Loneliest Americans by Jay Caspian Kang

THE LONELIEST AMERICANS by Jay Caspian Kang is about the “desperate need to find oneself within the narrative of a country that would rather write you out of it.” In his introduction, Kang says that the assimilating Asian “wants to become as white as white will allow” and “the loneliness comes from the realization that nobody, whether white or Black, really cares if we succeed.” Drawing on his own family’s experience, Kang reflects frequently on the differences in attitudes and experiences between generations. He comments, too, on the impact of class disparities between a multicultural elite and working-class immigrants and he muses about “a rarely discussed, but overlapping, history of how Jews and Asians have been treated by the elite institutions they hope to join.” Returning to the concept of assimilation he describes an idea that transcends race: “the other paradox at the heart of immigrant strivers is that we work so that our children will become the spoiled children we despise.” THE LONELIEST AMERICANS is a thought-provoking treatise worth reading. Kang, a regular New York Times contributor, has also written eloquently about disinformation, citing a recent Stanford study on the benefits of lateral reading.

Here are links to some related resources: Last month New York Times’ Learning Network published a Lesson of the Day about Asian Americans Grapple With Tide of Attacks. And, like many other organizations, the New York Public Library provides a list of recommended titles for Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Joan Is Okay by Weike Wang

JOAN IS OKAY by Weike Wang (Chemistry) is one of those novels that you read relatively quickly because you care about the main character and want to know what happens to her. At the same time, you want to savor the clever writing and the many perceptive comments. Wang, an award-winning author and a “5 Under 35” honoree of the National Book Foundation, introduces readers to a 30-something female doctor who is defined by her work in a large urban hospital. Joan (or Jiu-an, her Chinese name, or Joan-na, as her mother calls her) is the child of Chinese immigrants and the distance between cultures as well as the distance between family members is hurtful and puzzling to her. For example, she asks, “Was it harder to be a woman? Or an immigrant? Or a Chinese person outside of China? And why did being a good any of the above require you to edit yourself down so you could become someone else?” Kirkus calls her an “idiosyncratic character,” and in many ways Joan does appear to have trained herself to suppress feelings about other people, to be somewhat neurodivergent in her ability to process social cues. That makes for some humorous interactions in this present-day story.  Wang also includes numerous references to the early days of the pandemic which will heighten awareness and emotions for readers. This excellent novel centers around a key question: “Who really wanted to be different? I wondered. And to be treated differently for things about them that couldn’t be changed. Most people who were different just wanted to be the same.” 

JOAN IS OKAY is a fabulous Book Group Choice since it will prompt much discussion – here is the guide provided by the publisher. Other favorite comments: “If learning required mistakes then teaching required watching different people make the same mistakes.” OR “I had become that daughter, the overprotective and possibly annoying kind, the daughter who believes that she is also the parent to a parent who doesn’t like being a child.” OR “And even if I hadn’t been born here, had I been one of those kids brought over by her parents at age two, five, twelve, then naturalized, what made them and their families any less American if they were the most American of all things, an immigrant in search of better days?”

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu

INTERIOR CHINATOWN by Charles Yu is the 2020 National Book Award Winner for Fiction. This title is also the One Book Everyone Reads title for 2021 at the Wilmette Public Library. We have many students who are researching about xenophobia and Asian Americans and they will find much to explore in the programming which the public library has coordinated – a full list is here, including a chance to meet the author (via Zoom) on April 14 at 7:00pm. Called “a delicious, ambitious Hollywood satire” by The Washington Post, INTERIOR CHINATOWN is the story of a young Asian actor, Willis Wu, who dreams of becoming a star, the Kung Fu Guy. Instead he and his parents (old Asian woman and old Asian man) are forced to play stereotypical and generic roles. Yu shares Wu’s inner dialogue as well as the script of a cop show in which the actor is appearing, cleverly tying the two together. Amongst its many accolades, INTERIOR CHINATOWN received a starred review from Booklist.