From Little Tokyo, with Love

April 1, 2021
Rika sets out to find the truth about her mother. Rika Rakuyama has never felt like she wholly belonged anywhere. Being half Japanese and half White, Rika doesn't feel completely accepted in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo, where tradition is everything. Her mother's sister took her in when her teenage mom died, and now Rika lives with Auntie Suzy and her wife, Auntie Och. Rika is not #TeamPrincess like her cousins; she feels full of rage like a nure-onna or mythological Japanese snake-woman...until she meets popular rom-com actress Grace Kimura in a bizarre encounter and becomes convinced that Grace is actually her long-lost mother. With the help of cute Chinese Filipino rising star Hank Chen, Rika sets off on a whirlwind adventure through Los Angeles, hoping to learn more about her mother; the book highlights the magic of various locations around the city. As she and Hank spend more time together and unravel the truth, Rika gets drawn into the life she could have, but she struggles to open up fully to her own happy ending. Rika and other characters struggle with who they are because people gossip about and comment on their race, sexuality (Rika's cousin Belle is pansexual), and mental health and judge them according to ethnic stereotypes. Written like a modern fairy tale, this is a thoughtful exploration of finding one's full identity and sense of place and community. A beautiful and entertaining blend of family, romance, and self-discovery. (Fiction. 14-18)

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