Author: Gloria Chao
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: February 6, 2018
Pages: 311
Format: Hardcover/Own
An incisive, laugh-out-loud contemporary debut about a Taiwanese-American teen whose parents want her to be a doctor and marry a Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer despite her squeamishness with germs and crush on a Japanese classmate.
At seventeen, Mei should be in high school, but skipping fourth grade was part of her parents' master plan. Now a freshman at MIT, she is on track to fulfill the rest of this predetermined future: become a doctor, marry a preapproved Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer, produce a litter of babies.
With everything her parents have sacrificed to make her cushy life a reality, Mei can't bring herself to tell them the truth--that she (1) hates germs, (2) falls asleep in biology lectures, and (3) has a crush on her classmate Darren Takahashi, who is decidedly not Taiwanese.
But when Mei reconnects with her brother, Xing, who is estranged from the family for dating the wrong woman, Mei starts to wonder if all the secrets are truly worth it. Can she find a way to be herself, whoever that is, before her web of lies unravels?
Review: Ok, so I ended up listening to the audiobook of this instead of reading my hardcover of it and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought the narrator did great! So I'll be using Chinese/Taiwanese in my review since they were used interchangeably in the story. I thought it was incredibly interesting to see Chinese/Taiwanese culture in this book! The first thing I have to ask though, are Chinese/Taiwanese parents really like this?? Because I really genuinely feel for kids if they are. I can't imagine have to deal with this kind of life. Having your future husband, career, life picked out for you. I just can't imagine.
I really felt for Mei. Her parents are pushing the life they think she needs to be successful when its not even close to the life she wants. The idea of becoming a doctor makes Mei uncomfortable. She even tries shadowing some doctors, to see if its something she could get used to and all she can think about is how disgusting and germy it is. She also likes Darren. Who is actually a really cool guy. But all her parents see is doctor, marry Eugene, bring honor to our family. They literally don't care what Mei wants. Whenever she's tries to tell them they ignore her. They say, you'll get used to it, you'll be a great doctor. On top of that, her brother has already been disowned by the family because he fell in love with someone who has issues getting pregnant. I really disliked Mei's family for what they were doing to Mei and Xing. Just because you had to work hard to make a life for your family doesn't mean you can control what they do. You chose to have kids, you can't use your life against them.
I was also incredibly angry at all the lies Mei was being told. Don't use tampons because they deflower you. Um, no. It's literally to soak up menstrual blood. Sex doesn't feel good for women. It's only for making babies. Don't even get me started on this one. Like seriously. You don't lie about sex. Just tell them the freaking truth. And then don't take birth control, it'll make it hard to get pregnant. Again. Don't get me started. Taking birth control doesn't cause fertility issues if you take it. This can happen to some people whose bodies react badly to it, but for the majority of people who take it, it's literally for preventing babies until your ready. This goes right along with the sex thing. You tell your daughter not to take birth control and then lie to her about sex. She will find out the truth about everything. Either by it happening or from doctors or from friends or her damn boyfriend. But no, instead of letting her be prepared for any of these things with the right knowledge you use scare tactics and lying. Yeah. Great parenting. Oh, and then disowning Xing because he's with someone who has Endometriosis. Yes, it makes it harder to get pregnant. But that doesn't mean its impossible. But apparently to Mei's parents harder = impossible. I just can't. I cringed everything something like this came out.
I really liked that Mei stood up for herself and did what she wanted. Not what her parents demanded. She wanted a relationship with her brother so she reconnects with him. She tries to stay on track with what her parents want but its too much. She knows she can't be a doctor. She knows she doesn't want to marry Eugene. She finally stands up for herself and tells them. And of course they disown her too. But through the whole ordeal she learns a lot. She finds out the lies the Chinese/Taiwanese community has been spreading about those like her. She finds out those that chose their own paths are doing just fine. Doing what they love instead of being miserable to uphold outdated traditions. Mei also confronts her parents and tells them start up how she's not just Taiwanese. She's also American. She was born in the US. Things are not the same for her as they were for her parents and grandparents. Times are changing. I thought it was great how by the end of the book, Mei's mom was willing to reconcile with Mei and Xing after Mei called her out on her weaknesses and not standing up for herself. It was great seeing her mom start accepting what Mei wants to do and Xings new wife. I also thought it was great her mom was willing to meet Darren and actually found she really likes him. She even sees how Mei's genuine relationship is different than her forced marriage. And she likes seeing that. Mei's dad refuses to acknowledge his wrongs though.
I thought this was a great book acknowledging the culture gaps and the generational differences in those cultural gaps. It really showed just how different the younger generation is being brought up in the states compared to the older generation born back home. It was an incredibly good read even if I didn't understand everything like someone born into this culture would.
I really felt for Mei. Her parents are pushing the life they think she needs to be successful when its not even close to the life she wants. The idea of becoming a doctor makes Mei uncomfortable. She even tries shadowing some doctors, to see if its something she could get used to and all she can think about is how disgusting and germy it is. She also likes Darren. Who is actually a really cool guy. But all her parents see is doctor, marry Eugene, bring honor to our family. They literally don't care what Mei wants. Whenever she's tries to tell them they ignore her. They say, you'll get used to it, you'll be a great doctor. On top of that, her brother has already been disowned by the family because he fell in love with someone who has issues getting pregnant. I really disliked Mei's family for what they were doing to Mei and Xing. Just because you had to work hard to make a life for your family doesn't mean you can control what they do. You chose to have kids, you can't use your life against them.
I was also incredibly angry at all the lies Mei was being told. Don't use tampons because they deflower you. Um, no. It's literally to soak up menstrual blood. Sex doesn't feel good for women. It's only for making babies. Don't even get me started on this one. Like seriously. You don't lie about sex. Just tell them the freaking truth. And then don't take birth control, it'll make it hard to get pregnant. Again. Don't get me started. Taking birth control doesn't cause fertility issues if you take it. This can happen to some people whose bodies react badly to it, but for the majority of people who take it, it's literally for preventing babies until your ready. This goes right along with the sex thing. You tell your daughter not to take birth control and then lie to her about sex. She will find out the truth about everything. Either by it happening or from doctors or from friends or her damn boyfriend. But no, instead of letting her be prepared for any of these things with the right knowledge you use scare tactics and lying. Yeah. Great parenting. Oh, and then disowning Xing because he's with someone who has Endometriosis. Yes, it makes it harder to get pregnant. But that doesn't mean its impossible. But apparently to Mei's parents harder = impossible. I just can't. I cringed everything something like this came out.
I really liked that Mei stood up for herself and did what she wanted. Not what her parents demanded. She wanted a relationship with her brother so she reconnects with him. She tries to stay on track with what her parents want but its too much. She knows she can't be a doctor. She knows she doesn't want to marry Eugene. She finally stands up for herself and tells them. And of course they disown her too. But through the whole ordeal she learns a lot. She finds out the lies the Chinese/Taiwanese community has been spreading about those like her. She finds out those that chose their own paths are doing just fine. Doing what they love instead of being miserable to uphold outdated traditions. Mei also confronts her parents and tells them start up how she's not just Taiwanese. She's also American. She was born in the US. Things are not the same for her as they were for her parents and grandparents. Times are changing. I thought it was great how by the end of the book, Mei's mom was willing to reconcile with Mei and Xing after Mei called her out on her weaknesses and not standing up for herself. It was great seeing her mom start accepting what Mei wants to do and Xings new wife. I also thought it was great her mom was willing to meet Darren and actually found she really likes him. She even sees how Mei's genuine relationship is different than her forced marriage. And she likes seeing that. Mei's dad refuses to acknowledge his wrongs though.
I thought this was a great book acknowledging the culture gaps and the generational differences in those cultural gaps. It really showed just how different the younger generation is being brought up in the states compared to the older generation born back home. It was an incredibly good read even if I didn't understand everything like someone born into this culture would.
This sounds great. I think every child needs to find their own way and it requires them to communicate with their family. Communication overall can be difficult but it's a necessary skill. Anne - Books of My Heart
ReplyDeleteOh definitely! I really liked this because it showed just how difficult that communication can be in other cultures. It was eye opening!
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