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A review by coocoobird
The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang
5.0
I came into this series expecting romance but walked away with much more.
I learned more about autism than I expected and think this has helped me empathize better with people I may not have realized we’re on the higher functioning side of the spectrum.
As a first generation Asian American, I really appreciated how this book in particular went more in depth, highlighting cultural aspects that play a role in many Vietnamese and Chinese families - expectations set when it comes to how to act “appropriately” around family, friends of the family, respect towards elders (even if it’s an older sister), the conflict and what it’s like to care for someone elderly as they are in those last months / weeks of life
I watched my mom and her siblings care for both of my grandparents for months until they passed at home.
I learned terms I never knew like “masking,” which I think whether or not someone is autistic is something many Asian women I know do because we are taught to be a certain way, react / respond a certain way, force a smile bc that’s what is expected, etc.
I appreciated that in the end Priscilla and Anna didn’t patch things up only bc this is realistic to some stubborn family members who are unwilling to apologize or change and thus cut off ties to others
I learned more about autism than I expected and think this has helped me empathize better with people I may not have realized we’re on the higher functioning side of the spectrum.
As a first generation Asian American, I really appreciated how this book in particular went more in depth, highlighting cultural aspects that play a role in many Vietnamese and Chinese families - expectations set when it comes to how to act “appropriately” around family, friends of the family, respect towards elders (even if it’s an older sister), the conflict and what it’s like to care for someone elderly as they are in those last months / weeks of life
I watched my mom and her siblings care for both of my grandparents for months until they passed at home.
I learned terms I never knew like “masking,” which I think whether or not someone is autistic is something many Asian women I know do because we are taught to be a certain way, react / respond a certain way, force a smile bc that’s what is expected, etc.
I appreciated that in the end Priscilla and Anna didn’t patch things up only bc this is realistic to some stubborn family members who are unwilling to apologize or change and thus cut off ties to others