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A review by bickie
Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park
Beautiful writing and excellent depiction of anti-Asian racism (specifically, anti-Chinese) and its effect on a 14-year-old girl. There is a lot that will be familiar to readers who experience racism in their own lives, including the mental gymnastics Hanna goes through when deciding how to act and her ability to erase her face of all emotion. Hanna learns, also, that "unfairness" is not only about "how white people treated Chinese people" but also "about how white people treat anybody who isn't white." The book also shows the effects of people working to be white allies.
The author consciously worked to depict Native people respectfully and to critically address some of the issues with "westward expansion" such as "This was Indian land until a few years ago - no. It still is Indian land. Stolen by white people. You steal something, that doesn't make it yours." However, there were some cringy statements early on, and I'm not sure the interactions with Wichapiwin and the other women and children (unnamed) were relatable for Native readers. I wish this had been done a little better because otherwise, it's a 5-star book.
CW:
The author consciously worked to depict Native people respectfully and to critically address some of the issues with "westward expansion" such as "This was Indian land until a few years ago - no. It still is Indian land. Stolen by white people. You steal something, that doesn't make it yours." However, there were some cringy statements early on, and I'm not sure the interactions with Wichapiwin and the other women and children (unnamed) were relatable for Native readers. I wish this had been done a little better because otherwise, it's a 5-star book.
CW: