Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.58 AVERAGE
4.58 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Oof, that's quite a punch in the heart. My mother passed away 20 years ago and the reminder of those forgotten memories is potent.
This was so beautifully written. I was not expected to sob like I did. Very moving.
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This story made me cry quite a bit because of this quote proclaiming one of the saddest feelings in the world to be "...for a child to finally grow the desire to take care of his parents, only to realize that they were long gone."
It's been a few years since I've no longer been "a kid" but it doesn't feel like I am an adult. In fact, every time I go home I feel like I retrograde into a less mature version of myself. Yet this is only the case if your parents are alive and you have a home to go back to. No matter how old we become, we can feel like children again if at least one of our parents is still alive. But while we may still feel like children, they are growing older and older by the day...
I do not want to think about them growing older as I do not yet feel ready or capable to give them a better life or something better than they have been able to provide me. There have been rocky moments and fights and resentment and all these somewhat toxic things in a parent-child relationship in my life but at the end of the day they are the ones who love me unconditionally. It is so easy to dismiss their advice, to think they are annoying, or to think they don't understand us when we are young. It's so sad that often, by the time we get old enough to really appreciate it all and to know how hard it is to take care of a kid, we don't know if they will still be there.
This story was a reminder that our parents are complex human beings with so many experiences and fascinating life stories in their own right, and we should slow down and take the time to understand them. Every moment with the older generations matter and it is unfortunate that this is often only realized when we are well into adulthood ourselves.
It's been a few years since I've no longer been "a kid" but it doesn't feel like I am an adult. In fact, every time I go home I feel like I retrograde into a less mature version of myself. Yet this is only the case if your parents are alive and you have a home to go back to. No matter how old we become, we can feel like children again if at least one of our parents is still alive. But while we may still feel like children, they are growing older and older by the day...
I do not want to think about them growing older as I do not yet feel ready or capable to give them a better life or something better than they have been able to provide me. There have been rocky moments and fights and resentment and all these somewhat toxic things in a parent-child relationship in my life but at the end of the day they are the ones who love me unconditionally. It is so easy to dismiss their advice, to think they are annoying, or to think they don't understand us when we are young. It's so sad that often, by the time we get old enough to really appreciate it all and to know how hard it is to take care of a kid, we don't know if they will still be there.
This story was a reminder that our parents are complex human beings with so many experiences and fascinating life stories in their own right, and we should slow down and take the time to understand them. Every moment with the older generations matter and it is unfortunate that this is often only realized when we are well into adulthood ourselves.
dark
emotional
sad
Ohmygosh. Ohmygosh. I wanna cry. This short story was SO good. The relationship between Jack and his mother is so heartbreaking. The scene where he keeps telling her to speak in English (when it's clear she cannot) and all she wants to voice is her confusion and love for him—that hit me in the gut. The distance growing between mother and son is palpable; first linguistically, then physically, and finally emotionally. I feel for the mom who lost her sense of identity through her son refusing to acknowledge her culture, language, and acts of service towards him. Jack’s lack of sympathy during the hospital scene made my jaw drop—I couldn't believe how dissociated he was, not even wanting to touch his mothers hand or let her tell him she loves him, only thinking of himself in a college atmosphere. Perhaps for him, it was his chance to “start fresh” and finally fit in somewhere, severing the link tying him to his Chinese identity.
A wonderful short story that forced me to remember the times in which I was ashamed of or tried to distance myself from my own ethnicity. It’s only a few pages long but still manages to bring forth a magical essence and also, an emotional impact.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
reflective
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
