Our Wayward Fate

August 15, 2019
When the new student in town happens be Taiwanese just like her, Ali Chu's world is turned upside down--and not in the ways she might have imagined. Ali is used to being different: Since moving to Indiana, she's been the only Asian in her whole school. Her classmates can't pronounce her name, and she has to drive to another town for kung fu lessons--where she's still the only Asian. Things aren't much better at home, with parents who won't address any of their problems or family secrets. Instead, they don't talk at all. Then Chase Yu arrives, and suddenly Ali has someone who understands her jokes and has her back when she stands up to teachers. The problem of Ali's family remains. To move forward, Ali has to uncover what their past means for her future. Chao (American Panda, 2018) brings readers a witty protagonist who breaks stereotypes of Chinese Americans by simply being herself. At the same time, she faces problems, including casual racism and balancing commitments to family and self, that she experiences in culturally specific ways. Interspersed throughout are scenes from "The Butterfly Lovers," a folktale that at first seems a perplexing addition to Ali's story but becomes relevant in the end. A spirited novel exploring the clash between Midwestern America and the expectations of immigrant parents. (note about Mandarin, author's note) (Fiction. 13-18)

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September 1, 2019

Gr 8 Up-Ali Chu knows the key to survival is not saying what's on her mind-at home where her parents act like strangers toward her and each other, and at school where she is the only Asian person. So what if no one can pronounce her name and people made fun of the Chinese food she used to bring for lunch, at least she has friends with whom to eat her disgusting peanut butter sandwiches. She is content to merely survive until she goes to college-until she discovers a new kid has started at school. He's cute, Asian, and may be the answer to questions Ali didn't even know she needed to ask. However, when Ali's mother forbids her from spending time with Chase, will she be able to go back to just surviving or will she discover the freedom that comes from not holding her tongue? This is more than a coming-of-age novel, and readers will fall in love with Ali. Chao includes Chinese within the story with perfect context but no translation, allowing readers to embrace what Ali may have felt as she converses in daily life. The settings and interactions feel real, and the alienation and parental conflict she and others experience is relatable. Chao also weaves in her take on a traditional Chinese myth, an interesting perspective on what might seem like a "typical" teen love story. VERDICT A great purchase for school and public libraries looking to enhance their modern YA fiction collections.-DeHanza Kwong, Butte Public Library, MT

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 23, 2019
As the sole Asian-American at her small-town Indiana high school, Taiwanese-American Ali Chu is used to playing unperturbed in order to fit in, letting microaggressions go uncontested, and eschewing engagement with her culture in front of her white friends. But when Chase Yu moves to Plainhart from Flushing, N.Y., Ali questions her complacency, finding in him an ally, a kung fu sparring partner, and a boyfriend. Ali believes Chase’s Taiwanese-American identity should please her difficult mother, so she’s surprised when her mother insists that Ali break up with him. Family friends Ali doesn’t remember, a long-lost relative on the Chus’ doorstep, and Chase’s own mysterious past complicate the narrative, and Ali has her work cut out for her as she investigates her family’s enigmas. Chao (American Panda) treads familiar paths in regards to intergenerational miscommunication between immigrant parents and their children, but a reinterpretation of a classic Chinese romantic tragedy, “The Butterfly Lovers,” and the perspective of a park freshen the novel with varying degrees of success. Though readers versed in Asian-American literature will recognize some well-worn dynamics, this contemporary romance will find likely find appreciative readers. Ages 12–up. Agent: Kathleen Rushall, Andrea Brown Literary.

September 15, 2019
Grades 8-11 As the only Asian student at her very white Indiana high school, Ali has learned to blend. She keeps her head down when classmates and teachers casually make hurtful or offensive comments, like pronouncing her name Allie instead of Ah-lee or thinking she's great at math. When Chase, who's also Taiwanese American, starts at school, Ali is annoyed but not surprised when people just assume they'll date. She is surprised, though, when she actually does find herself attracted to Chase, their common experiences providing a foundation that quickly blooms into a romance. But when Ali's overbearing, emotionally distant mother reacts poorly to their relationship, Ali digs into her family's history and her parents' own fractured marriage. Interspersed with Ali's story is a retelling of the Chinese folktale The Butterfly Lovers, another story about a young woman creating her own identity. A slow-moving beginning soon gives way to a faster paced back half in this inventive, deeply heartfelt love story that explores connections of many kinds.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)