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A review by gayathiri_rajendran
American Panda by Gloria Chao
3.0
A solid 3.5 stars from me.American Panda is a contemporary young adult novel about Mei,a Taiwanese-American college student at MIT who struggles to carve her own path and keep up a good relationship with her family.
The book is mainly Mei's voice and it is very multifaceted. Her voice is so believable and this book balances between explaining the cultural differences and issues that arise and the struggle with strict parents. The story of American Panda is one we've heard a lot of times and it actually works because it feels so natural. The author says in the personal note that this book is based on her own experiences as well as a few friends of hers.
There is great development in the lead character as the story progresses. There is a good balance between comic and serious elements in the story. The story is a bit slow in the beginning but it picks up the pace after a while.I liked the way the author focused on Mei's relationship with her brother,Xing and her mother. I love how the character of her mother was not one dimensional but rather layered and complicated.
The only thing I did not like was how extreme Mei's parents were. The voice messages from her mother gave me the chills. I don't want to discount the experiences but it felt very harsh.
Overall,this book was good. It was a quick,fun and an enjoyably diverse read.
The book is mainly Mei's voice and it is very multifaceted. Her voice is so believable and this book balances between explaining the cultural differences and issues that arise and the struggle with strict parents. The story of American Panda is one we've heard a lot of times and it actually works because it feels so natural. The author says in the personal note that this book is based on her own experiences as well as a few friends of hers.
There is great development in the lead character as the story progresses. There is a good balance between comic and serious elements in the story. The story is a bit slow in the beginning but it picks up the pace after a while.I liked the way the author focused on Mei's relationship with her brother,Xing and her mother. I love how the character of her mother was not one dimensional but rather layered and complicated.
The only thing I did not like was how extreme Mei's parents were. The voice messages from her mother gave me the chills. I don't want to discount the experiences but it felt very harsh.
Overall,this book was good. It was a quick,fun and an enjoyably diverse read.