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A review by jlennidorner
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
5.0
This debut book deserves every award it received. It’s a story about life. The book centers on a “mixed race” family as they struggle to determine what lead to the oldest daughter drowning in a lake. The story ebbs and flows back and forth through time, but it’s done to perfection. I feel that this book should be required reading, as it can give the reader a real perspective. There’s a part where a character trades a lifelong dream for reality. “This is what you have. Accept it.”
If you’ve ever wanted, needed, or tried to escape from someone in your life, or from your whole family, there’s a part of the book to which you can relate. “You could stop taking their phone calls, tear up their letters, pretend they never existed. Start over as a new person with a new life.” (It’s near the end.)
For those debating feminism (#HeForShe), there’s a line where, in 1952, the Marilyn character is told she cannot take a certain class because, “having a girl like you in the classroom would be very distracting to the boys in the class.” (Thankfully we’ve grown past this ridiculous mindset… oh wait, #fail.)
Here’s another quote in the book from way long ago:
“America was a melting pot, but Congress, terrified that the molten mixture was becoming a shade too yellow, had banned all immigrants from China.” (We no longer have a debate like this in America… oh wait, #TrumpsWall.)
There were several parts of the book that hit home for me, personally. The part where young James realizes he’s supposed to be embarrassed by questions about being different (his eyes), for example. I didn’t start out in a “standard” school. Then, when I was in one, I didn’t know or understand how often people said mean or offensive things very casually. How quick people are to jump to conclusions based on a glance at someone’s appearance. The book has a wonderful section that discusses what it feels like to look different from the majority of people around you. How one can sometimes forget for a moment, until the stares start. This is the main reason why I believe everyone should read this book.
If you’ve ever wanted, needed, or tried to escape from someone in your life, or from your whole family, there’s a part of the book to which you can relate. “You could stop taking their phone calls, tear up their letters, pretend they never existed. Start over as a new person with a new life.” (It’s near the end.)
For those debating feminism (#HeForShe), there’s a line where, in 1952, the Marilyn character is told she cannot take a certain class because, “having a girl like you in the classroom would be very distracting to the boys in the class.” (Thankfully we’ve grown past this ridiculous mindset… oh wait, #fail.)
Here’s another quote in the book from way long ago:
“America was a melting pot, but Congress, terrified that the molten mixture was becoming a shade too yellow, had banned all immigrants from China.” (We no longer have a debate like this in America… oh wait, #TrumpsWall.)
There were several parts of the book that hit home for me, personally. The part where young James realizes he’s supposed to be embarrassed by questions about being different (his eyes), for example. I didn’t start out in a “standard” school. Then, when I was in one, I didn’t know or understand how often people said mean or offensive things very casually. How quick people are to jump to conclusions based on a glance at someone’s appearance. The book has a wonderful section that discusses what it feels like to look different from the majority of people around you. How one can sometimes forget for a moment, until the stares start. This is the main reason why I believe everyone should read this book.