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kanha's review
4.0
This book stands the test of times.
I'm not american.
Though I am the child of asian refugees, I live in a much more tolerant country where the racism is more underlying, we usually call it "hyggeracisme" it's a form of racism where the person think that they are being funny or unproblematic.
Which did fit perfectly into the teacher and his casual racism towards Ellen.
It was actually really painful to read about those racist remarks towards Ellen, I think it hits me harder since I'm not used to reading about racism against asians.
Ellens teenage struggles also really fit. And the struggles of having strict parents, and trying so hard to make them proud, and always feeling scared of not being good enough, really hits close to home.
The book isn't that long, so in a way it's an easy read, but the topics felt very heavy and personal to me.
I think that this book is definitely worth a read.
mrst's review
3.0
jlo09's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
bookswithmichellee's review
3.0
Going into this novel, I was unsure if it was going to be a memoir or a fictional novel, as I went on, it definitely showed itself as a little bit of both. This novel covered some really important topics such as racism, immigration, and finding one's voice to stand up for themselves. I did not realize this book was released for the first time in the 1990s, they way it handled the topics and how it read, made it seem like it was published recently.
The overall plot for me was ok, nothing super special - a girl in her senior year trying to figure out what school to go to and figuring out her friends, love life, and family. It was great to see the big topics intertwined but I wish there was more to them. I wasn't the biggest fan of the writing in spots, but in others it was great.
heykellyjensen's review
averywindyday's review
5.0
I received an ARC of Finding My Voice by Marie Myung-Ok Lee from a giveaway hosted by Goodreads.
Marie Myung-Ok Lee's Finding My Voice follows Ellen Sung throughout her final year of high school. Despite being written and set in the 90s, the novel tackles many issues and themes that are still relevant to contemporary America. As an Asian American teenager, Ellen Sung deals with the pressures of expectation-- both familial and societal. Ellen's parents expect much from her academically so that she can have a successful and happy life in the United States; whereas, Ellen simultaneously has to survive the racist stereotypes of her small town.
The novel explores the issue of racism thoroughly by highlighting both blatant, outright expressions of racist hate speech and violence and its more insidious form of being a bystander and not fighting against those racist incidents. Furthermore, Finding My Voice clearly gives examples of how both expressions of racism coming from both her peers and teachers-- the adults of authority in her life. Another relevant motif of the novel is Ellen's development as a character. Finding My Voice is a quintessential coming-of-age novel as the protagonist grows and learns how to fight against others' expectations of her.
While the novel is still relevant, its original publication date does reflect the language of its setting as Ellen refers to herself using an outdated, pejorative word-- due to her being raised and saturated in a society that utilizes this terminology-- until she learns of the implications of the term.
This edition features a gorgeous cover, a lovely foreword by Kat Cho, and an insightful afterword by the author.
I truly enjoyed discovering this novel and would recommend it to others for its exploration of othering and adolescence.