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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
the characters are a little flat and 2D but that’s expected for a YA novel. It think the other attempts to include some political elements but doesn’t commit to them and they come off very drab and milktoast. regardless, the ending is sweet and I like it
the story was beautiful and i couldn’t put the book down! 400 pages seemed daunting to me because i hadn’t read a book that long since the start of the school year, but this one did not disappoint me. it was a wonderful book.
the history and politics incorporated was fascinating. how asian american people tried to fit into society but never fully managed to be “true” americans. the blatant racism can even be seen today with the lack of respect towards asian and chinese culture. i read the authors note about the true history of gay bars and chinese culture and it made me sad. the communism suspicion and the McCarthyism was so strong in the united states and the wars were so scary.
the story really moved me because lily was just a girl. and she sees all the consequences to actions, like her father being deported, especially because she’s not white. homosexuality was associated with communist tendencies.
lily felt understood at these clubs and it made me so happy when she realized she loved kath. it was pretty genius to incorporate things that even teenagers can notice, like not being able to kiss in public because it’s so wrong. lily’s parents and friends not accepting her and telling her to say it’s a mistake made my heart stop. it was so sad. society wanted to keep her like this perfect pristine china doll because that’s what she’s ‘meant’ to be. societal expectations and the pressures of leading a good life haunt me.
shirley made me so fucking mad but i’m able to see the genius in putting her character in the story. she was there from the beginning, a childhood best friend! so it’s hard to let go of all those memories. it was interesting to see shirley struggle with her parents having financial trouble or encountering racism, because shirley was always depicted as this perfect little chinese girl that she’s supposed to be.
the parents also made me sad. seeing grace and joes story in flashbacks reallt humanized them and made their lives seem more than just being parents. instead of making me mad, it made me so sad to see grace (lily’s mother) keep denying her own daughter. i guess it’s just the culture and the prejudice that society beats into you.
even like women in general being seen as inferior was just so prominent even in the fifties. it’s scary to think this was less than 100 years ago. when lily’s mom says “girls can’t fly planes!” i almost killed myself. she was raised to believe women can’t be anything but cooks and nurses (never doctors) and seeing her daughter do things she never could’ve done is heartbreaking.
kath in general was also an amazing character. i liked how lily and kath both realized what life and love was together. tommy and lana, paula and claire, all these women made me so happy. i can’t even explain it. it’s just nice to know there are people like me.
“no you’re not listening to me! i’m like them!” dead.
i loved the book so much. i would recommend to anyone i see. it gave me senses of warmth and belonging in almost every scene. i loved the vibe. aside from being beautiful, it showcased the 1950’s brilliantly. it was eye opening to racism and the political injustices of minorities, as well as a glimpse into feminism and lesbianism being oppressed. but it was also just the story of a girl who had her first love, and wasn’t what she was supposed to be. she was different. and she found herself. that’s the beauty of it all. i loved it. great book. 5/5, couldn’t put it down.
the history and politics incorporated was fascinating. how asian american people tried to fit into society but never fully managed to be “true” americans. the blatant racism can even be seen today with the lack of respect towards asian and chinese culture. i read the authors note about the true history of gay bars and chinese culture and it made me sad. the communism suspicion and the McCarthyism was so strong in the united states and the wars were so scary.
the story really moved me because lily was just a girl. and she sees all the consequences to actions, like her father being deported, especially because she’s not white. homosexuality was associated with communist tendencies.
lily felt understood at these clubs and it made me so happy when she realized she loved kath. it was pretty genius to incorporate things that even teenagers can notice, like not being able to kiss in public because it’s so wrong. lily’s parents and friends not accepting her and telling her to say it’s a mistake made my heart stop. it was so sad. society wanted to keep her like this perfect pristine china doll because that’s what she’s ‘meant’ to be. societal expectations and the pressures of leading a good life haunt me.
shirley made me so fucking mad but i’m able to see the genius in putting her character in the story. she was there from the beginning, a childhood best friend! so it’s hard to let go of all those memories. it was interesting to see shirley struggle with her parents having financial trouble or encountering racism, because shirley was always depicted as this perfect little chinese girl that she’s supposed to be.
the parents also made me sad. seeing grace and joes story in flashbacks reallt humanized them and made their lives seem more than just being parents. instead of making me mad, it made me so sad to see grace (lily’s mother) keep denying her own daughter. i guess it’s just the culture and the prejudice that society beats into you.
even like women in general being seen as inferior was just so prominent even in the fifties. it’s scary to think this was less than 100 years ago. when lily’s mom says “girls can’t fly planes!” i almost killed myself. she was raised to believe women can’t be anything but cooks and nurses (never doctors) and seeing her daughter do things she never could’ve done is heartbreaking.
kath in general was also an amazing character. i liked how lily and kath both realized what life and love was together. tommy and lana, paula and claire, all these women made me so happy. i can’t even explain it. it’s just nice to know there are people like me.
“no you’re not listening to me! i’m like them!” dead.
i loved the book so much. i would recommend to anyone i see. it gave me senses of warmth and belonging in almost every scene. i loved the vibe. aside from being beautiful, it showcased the 1950’s brilliantly. it was eye opening to racism and the political injustices of minorities, as well as a glimpse into feminism and lesbianism being oppressed. but it was also just the story of a girl who had her first love, and wasn’t what she was supposed to be. she was different. and she found herself. that’s the beauty of it all. i loved it. great book. 5/5, couldn’t put it down.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
3:34am bc couldn’t put it down. beautiful tender heartbreaking story set in 50s about Chinese American teenager who doesn’t feel quite Chinese enough or American enough. Lily befriends Kath, another girl who loves math and space and wants to fly airplanes and they adventure into the night attending a nightclub for “sexual deviates” if u will. this book is jarring in a good way, explores family control and acceptance (or lack of), queer chosen family and grief, hiding, shame, anger, love and it hurts. so bad.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It gave me a glimpse into life experiences that I will never be subject to.
Lily is an amazing character. I love how we experience her awakening through her eyes and how her queerness manifests in the illicit keeping of magazine clippings and books. It paints this vivid emotional picture of how queer life was in the 50's. Her relationships are complex, grounded in realism, and endlessly emotionally painful. The best part about this book to me was experiencing her coming to an actualization of who she wants to be in a society that doesn't accept her.
The two main themes in this book that I interpreted were this theme of multiculturalism, largely explored through her parent's flashbacks, and the nature of being queer/lesbian. I was initially begrudging of the flashbacks of her parents, but as the book went on I understood their function. Showing her parents undergo a great struggle to integrate into an alien society and their desperate want for a good life for their children makes it significantly more saddening when they react to Lily the way they do. While empathy of course is not restrictive to time period (her mother could stand to learn) their position on Lily's lesbianism in regards to keeping citizenship is sadly an absolutely valid concern. This is not me agreeing with her parent's reactions, but at least the façade of reason they give makes logical sense in context of the story. Her parents are fighting a battle between American and Chinese culture, and Lily's existence threatens their attachment to both. It's horrifically sad and unjust, but I think Lo does a good job of painting it as such.
Shirley was emblematic of this struggle. She is the foil to Lily in many ways, the outward persona she has is exactly what Lily's parents want from her. Lily's ultimate refusal to play along with Shirley is the stories way to say that Lily will not be burdened by the expectations of either culture she is a part of.
Tommy then is the symbol of Lily's queerness. She serves as a representation of her journey of discovery, being the tantalizing object of curiosity in the beginning, uncomfortable figure in her first night at the Telegraph club, and ultimately the reason she realizes she loves Kath (and Kath loves her). Tommy is arrested, an act showing society's predatory nature towards Lily and those like her.
Kath is a great love interest. She is a mentor of sorts as well as a romantic companion. She has been in this world longer than Lily and can guide her through it, and her arrest signifies to Lily that she has to find her own place in the world outside of the context of those she loves.
My only complaint is that I am not entirely happy with the ending. It is certainly sweet, but I felt like it came on somewhat fast and also wasn't as emotionally poignant as I think it could have been. It is sweet she and Kath got to meet again, but I think the tragedy of Lily's experience could have been emphasized in her actual separation from Kath and could've come full circle to the conversation she has with Lana about first loves. Learning that Kath was that for her at the end of the book and yet still being separated from her leaves the story on a very punching note in my opinion.
But I don't hate the ending. It's an ending that shows society can't beat people out of who they are, and ultimately "love wins," as the colloquial saying goes. It's a pretty message and think it rings true for many people who have more similar life experiences than me to Lily.
A great great book. Worth reading for sure.
Lily is an amazing character. I love how we experience her awakening through her eyes and how her queerness manifests in the illicit keeping of magazine clippings and books. It paints this vivid emotional picture of how queer life was in the 50's. Her relationships are complex, grounded in realism, and endlessly emotionally painful. The best part about this book to me was experiencing her coming to an actualization of who she wants to be in a society that doesn't accept her.
The two main themes in this book that I interpreted were this theme of multiculturalism, largely explored through her parent's flashbacks, and the nature of being queer/lesbian. I was initially begrudging of the flashbacks of her parents, but as the book went on I understood their function. Showing her parents undergo a great struggle to integrate into an alien society and their desperate want for a good life for their children makes it significantly more saddening when they react to Lily the way they do. While empathy of course is not restrictive to time period (her mother could stand to learn) their position on Lily's lesbianism in regards to keeping citizenship is sadly an absolutely valid concern. This is not me agreeing with her parent's reactions, but at least the façade of reason they give makes logical sense in context of the story. Her parents are fighting a battle between American and Chinese culture, and Lily's existence threatens their attachment to both. It's horrifically sad and unjust, but I think Lo does a good job of painting it as such.
Shirley was emblematic of this struggle. She is the foil to Lily in many ways, the outward persona she has is exactly what Lily's parents want from her. Lily's ultimate refusal to play along with Shirley is the stories way to say that Lily will not be burdened by the expectations of either culture she is a part of.
Tommy then is the symbol of Lily's queerness. She serves as a representation of her journey of discovery, being the tantalizing object of curiosity in the beginning, uncomfortable figure in her first night at the Telegraph club, and ultimately the reason she realizes she loves Kath (and Kath loves her). Tommy is arrested, an act showing society's predatory nature towards Lily and those like her.
Kath is a great love interest. She is a mentor of sorts as well as a romantic companion. She has been in this world longer than Lily and can guide her through it, and her arrest signifies to Lily that she has to find her own place in the world outside of the context of those she loves.
My only complaint is that I am not entirely happy with the ending. It is certainly sweet, but I felt like it came on somewhat fast and also wasn't as emotionally poignant as I think it could have been. It is sweet she and Kath got to meet again, but I think the tragedy of Lily's experience could have been emphasized in her actual separation from Kath and could've come full circle to the conversation she has with Lana about first loves. Learning that Kath was that for her at the end of the book and yet still being separated from her leaves the story on a very punching note in my opinion.
But I don't hate the ending. It's an ending that shows society can't beat people out of who they are, and ultimately "love wins," as the colloquial saying goes. It's a pretty message and think it rings true for many people who have more similar life experiences than me to Lily.
A great great book. Worth reading for sure.