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cass_lit's review against another edition
3.25
I know Sam is a child who wasn’t allowed to have a childhood, but I kind of hate them. I know people are complex and not all bad or good, but I wanted to skip Part III because I didn’t want Ba‘s side of the story. I know it’s probably accurate representation of what Asian immigrants/Asian Americans, especially women and girls, faced in that time but I don’t *enjoy* reading about blatant racism and violence (physical and sexual; references and mentions, not on-page). I sped through abuse (animal abuse included).
All in all, I think this is an important read. As with most historical fiction, you get to know people’s stories and histories. As much as I didn’t like Sam or questioned some of Lucy’s decisions, I loved the sibling relationship. As much as their parents were messed up, I liked the discussions of familial issues and trauma. This wasn’t a time period I’ve read about before, and I certainly wasn’t taught it from an Asian American perspective. It just wasn’t an easy read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Drug abuse
Minor: Child death, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, and Rape
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