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lighthousebooks's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
๐ช๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐ is YA coming of age fiction set against the historical backdrop of the 1979 Cambodian refugee crisis. The MC Sundara flees Cambodia with her auntโs family to escape the Khmer Rouge army. She struggles to fit into American culture and honor her Cambodian traditions.
๐ญ I thought the author did a great job introducing readers to this time in history and illustrating multicultural challenges. Some may be distracted by the romance, but there is so much more to consider and reflect on. I greatly appreciated the interview with the author at the end of the book which provides some insight into how she came to tell this story.
โ๏ธ Some characters see praying to Buddha, ancestors, or Jesus as the same. Asks why evil exists in the world. Some Cambodian traditions would be seen as superstition in American culture.
๐ Clean teen romance, forbidden love trope. High school scenes reminded me of 80s teen movies ๐
. Challenging family dynamics. Ethnicity/race. Farm/migrant work. Immigration. Cultural differences and misunderstandings. Polygamy. Comfortable life vs. belief in action. Some grim descriptions of death/war: extremely mild compared to First They Killed My Father.
musser22627's review
5.0
Illuminates the complexities of resettling as a Cambodian refugee in the US, with discussions on race, spirituality, cultural customs, identity, romance, family, and class. A beautiful testament to the bravery of refugees.
mrslenzreads's review
4.0
This book presents a view of a different culture. It was interesting to learn about their customs and beliefs.
mbrandmaier's review
3.0
Sundara must adjust to American life in the late 70's after fleeing violence in Cambodia. Her family expects her to keep to the traditional ways, but it becomes much more difficult when she falls in love with an American boy.
perilous1's review
4.0
Culturally rich and poignantly memorable. A young refugee of Cambodia's horrific civil war struggles to assimilate into American culture, and even more courageously, into life at a public high school. A haunting trauma from her past catches up to her, demanding to be faced even as she is otherwise overwhelmed with the possibility of experiencing first love.
This story clung to me for years after I read it, and proved to be a tremendous insight when I encountered a number of Somalian refugee students in the middle of my high school career. While the cultures bare little resemblance, the difficulties of immigration, culture shock, post-traumatic stress, and language barriers all bare the same echo. I don't know if I would have been able to be as empathetic toward their situation if I hadn't previously been introduced to this book.
This story clung to me for years after I read it, and proved to be a tremendous insight when I encountered a number of Somalian refugee students in the middle of my high school career. While the cultures bare little resemblance, the difficulties of immigration, culture shock, post-traumatic stress, and language barriers all bare the same echo. I don't know if I would have been able to be as empathetic toward their situation if I hadn't previously been introduced to this book.
wordyanchorite's review
3.0
Eh. A decent immigrant story, I guess. But for all the guilt that the main character carries through the book, the setup of the Dramatic Moment is so blindingly fast, I was still working on characters' names. The star-crossed lovers were tediously predictable. Not my cup of tea, this one.
jackgoss's review
2.0
YA romance. Not exactly my favorite kind of book.
The kindle edition is riddled with errors. I don't believe these reflect the original source material, but appear to be the kind of thing you get when scanned copies are read by computers (him becomes hirn or mall becomes mail, etc.)
The kindle edition is riddled with errors. I don't believe these reflect the original source material, but appear to be the kind of thing you get when scanned copies are read by computers (him becomes hirn or mall becomes mail, etc.)
leavingsealevel's review
1.0
This is one of the worst books I have ever read and I just noticed it's on one of SPL's recommended booklists. Grrr. One of you who's going to go work at SPL, take care of this ;) Or fight with me if you like the stupid book.
kjw2's review
3.0
Although thus book won the IRA award and it covers a topic that will interact teens, I found it to be way too predictable. I did enjoy reading about Cambodian life. The cultural aspect was intriguiging.
ericaaaaa's review
4.0
We're reading this in a class at school, and even though it's a bit dated it totally pulls at the heartstrings. Man, I should just stick to young adult fiction from now on.