Review by Booklist Review
Maybelline Chen's brother, Danny, a fun young man who has just been admitted to Princeton, is the shining star of the family. But when Danny suddenly ends his life, the Chen family is thrown into endless shock and grief. Their pain is compounded when an overly privileged white businessman blames the recent spate of teen suicides on parents who pressure their children academically, specifically calling out Chinese families, which include the Chinese Taiwanese American Chens. So angered by this overt racism, Maybelline and her friends mount a Take Back the Narrative campaign at school, despite parental and administrative admonishment to leave it alone. Inspired by the recent rise in hate crimes against AAPI and a rash of teen suicides in Palo Alto, CA, Ho's story of inclusion, diversity, and social action rings true. Maybelline is a multifaceted narrator whose drive to right wrongs and stand up to injustice deserves applause. Ho illuminates both activism and mental health in marginalized communities, showing that even a bright, young achiever can experience depression without anyone knowing.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A grieving Chinese American teen combats the model minority myth and its harm in Ho's (Eyes That Kiss in the Corners) potent YA debut. Unlike her accomplished older brother Danny, Maybelline Chen, who wants to be a writer, feels as if she falls short of her parents' expectations. It's a shock to the entire family when Princeton-bound Danny dies by suicide. Their pain intensifies when local white Silicon Valley mogul Nate McIntyre publicly denounces "tiger moms and dads," accusing May's parents of pressuring Danny about academics, and potentially driving him to take his own life. Appalled, May pens a poem in response that's published in Sequoia Park's local paper, provoking debate within her community. Surprisingly to May, Chinese American classmate Alvin Lo condemns her for seemingly speaking for their town's Chinese population at large. When May's burgeoning notoriety threatens her mother's job, May and Haitian best friend Tiya Marie Duverne rally their classmates to take back their narratives. With a layered, sensitive voice, May confronts her parents' silence surrounding Danny's depression and their complacency around maintaining the status quo. Using complex characterizations and intense dialogue, Ho's weighty novel delves into themes of racism, classism, loss, and healing. Ages 14--up. Agent: Caryn Wiseman, Andrea Brown Literary. (June)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up--Maybelline Chen's beloved older brother Danny is dead. He went to a party and never returned. No one even knew he was depressed. And then a white, powerful businessman parent takes the mic during a school meeting and accuses Asian families of creating the competitive environment that's caused the recent uptick in student suicides--his racist remarks directly target the Chen family. Maybelline can't stay silent, publishing a scathing response in the local paper. Even as her parents fear backlash, Maybelline--and her closest friends--organize to "Take Back the Narrative." As if recognizing this is Maybelline's journey, Wong reads with consistent, crisp delivery rather than distinctively performing the extensive cast. When Maybelline finally opens Danny's left-behind shoebox, empathic Wong ensures hearts will shatter--perhaps even her own. VERDICT Ho's YA debut--in all formats--offers a timely antidote for anti-Asian racism plaguing too many communities nationwide.
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Review by Horn Book Review
This sensitive novel does an impressive balancing act, examining mental illness and its stigma among Asian Americans while weaving in themes of racism and grief. San Francisco area teen Maybelline Chen's world is shattered when her beloved older brother, Danny, dies by suicide weeks before high-school graduation. Compounding the tragedy, a white classmate's rich venture capitalist father publicly blames Danny's death and other recent teen suicides on academic pressure from Asian "tiger moms and dads." Tension builds when Maybelline, an aspiring writer, pushes back through poetry and by organizing a school-wide protest -- activities that jeopardize her mother's job. Ho admirably captures Maybelline's pain and sorrow as she deals with so many conflicting emotions. At the same time, she highlights the protagonist's naivete and myopia when she doesn't support her Black best friend at a police brutality protest and is forced to evaluate her own biases and limited understanding of anti-Black racism. The novel runs a bit long, and the plot raises several minor logic questions. However, in picture-book author Ho's (Eyes That Kiss in the Corners; Playing at the Border, rev. 9/21) debut young adult novel, the overarching messages -- working through issues via conversations, listening with empathy, and seeking help -- ring loud and clear. Michelle Lee July/August 2022 p.123(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A Chinese American teenager learns that silence can bind families together but also prevent them from standing up for larger causes. Maybelline Chen is mourning the death of Danny, her beloved older brother who struggled with depression and died by suicide right after being accepted to Princeton. Her family's deep pain is compounded when local Silicon Valley magnate Nate McIntyre publicly blames Asian families for the hypercompetitive school environment, attributing Danny's suicide to what he claims are widespread Asian parental pressures. Infuriated and hurt, May writes an impassioned poem for the local paper in response, sparking a heated discussion about racism. But when her mother's job working for Mr. McIntyre's friend is imperiled by her activities, May must make a choice between speaking out and honoring her parents' fear of making waves. With the help of her best friend, a daughter of Haitian immigrants, May rallies her classmates to reclaim the narrative while embarking upon a journey of recognizing her own complicity and complacency about racism. She acknowledges Asian discrimination against Black people, faces prejudice from other Asians, and comes to understand the harm of Asian silence and the model minority myth. The array of issues in this story is sensitively and beautifully handled, and May is an appealing character who moves through a complicated range of realistic emotions, including anger, fear, guilt, and jealousy. A grieving teen fights Asian hate by finding her voice in this complex, timely story. (Fiction. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
