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4.46 AVERAGE
4.46 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
An insightful look into how the model minority ideal is perpetuated in America and how it shaped the author’s life. A biographical story told in the format of a letter from the author to her mother.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
This was, without a doubt, the most powerful book I read this year. Raw, profound, and utterly unforgettable — an extraordinary memoir. It broke my heart, but somehow left me hopeful too. For the first time, I saw my own experiences mirrored so vividly in a story. Nearly every sentence felt like it carried the weight of a lifetime, demanding to be highlighted, revisited, and reflected on for hours. It’s packed with lessons for immigrant families navigating the silent burdens of trauma, mental illness, tradition, and abuse. Months later, I’m still struggling to articulate the depth of its impact. A book to read, reread, and cherish forever.
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting
The writing is excellent but I cannot recommend it.
In reality, it’s 2 stars for me; however, I’m rating it as between 3-4 stars because it’s a memoir and the author’s personal story. It’s not a bad or even a mediocre story, it’s a disturbing one. At the same time, it felt somewhat superficial and lacking in substance. The amount of toxicity in her family is really tough to read about. It’s not necessarily unique, but in some ways it seems worse than other such memoirs about family dysfunction. Maybe it’s the just-beneath-the-surface quality of the abuse. Her voice is important and the story is quite relevant, it’s just hard to swallow whole and at face value.
In reality, it’s 2 stars for me; however, I’m rating it as between 3-4 stars because it’s a memoir and the author’s personal story. It’s not a bad or even a mediocre story, it’s a disturbing one. At the same time, it felt somewhat superficial and lacking in substance. The amount of toxicity in her family is really tough to read about. It’s not necessarily unique, but in some ways it seems worse than other such memoirs about family dysfunction. Maybe it’s the just-beneath-the-surface quality of the abuse. Her voice is important and the story is quite relevant, it’s just hard to swallow whole and at face value.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault