Futureface

October 15, 2019
Television journalist Wagner steps into the world of nonfiction for young readers with this adaptation of her 2018 adult memoir of the same title. Growing up as a half-Burmese and half-white mixed-race child, Wagner rarely felt strong ties to any particular identity or heritage. When extended family lets slip their suspicions that her father's side of the family may have Jewish roots, Wagner latches onto the possibility, which sends her on a deep dive into her roots on both sides of her family. In the vein of the now-ubiquitous celebrity genealogy shows, Wagner first traces her mother's roots in Burma, a country her family fled during political upheaval in the mid-20th century. Later she turns to her father's purported roots in Luxembourg before finally testing the waters of commercial DNA testing. Along the way she discovers that family stories of heroes and villains are rarely so clearly defined; rather, nuance is the order of the day regardless of one's roots. Families and cultures are composed of generations of fallible human beings who make both brave and opportunistic decisions with wonderful and terrible results. Whether this young readers' adaptation will have broad appeal among its intended middle-grade and YA audience is debatable. Nevertheless, it is well written and personable. To those intrepid young readers with a genuine interest in genealogy, family history, and the interplay of the two with larger cultural and historical events, this will be a welcome addition. A truly human story for those with a keen interest. (Memoir. 10-16)

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December 1, 2019

Gr 9 Up-Journalist Wagner's interest in the subject of immigration is not just a professional endeavor, but a personal one: her mother emigrated from Burma and married a white man from Iowa before settling down in Washington, DC. Longing to connect with her ancestors and learn the truth about her family history, Wagner researched and traveled extensively to find a place to belong. Her journey took her to Burma (now called Myanmar) and Luxembourg, and eventually she investigated her own DNA before she began to see the ineffectiveness of labels. This adaptation of an adult work is occasionally disjointed. However, the study of immigration within a historical and geographical context is relevant to today's youth. Readers will be rewarded with incisive observations on race and realistic acknowledgments of the work still to be done around discussions concerning culture and ethnicity. VERDICT Readers will learn much from this thought-provoking memoir, but may be better served by reading the original.-Casey O'Leary, Meredith Nicholson School 96, IN

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2020
Grades 7-12 When a 1993 cover of Time magazine sported The New Face of America with a woman computer-generated from a mix of several races, journalist Wagner wondered if she too was the futureface of America. Instead of looking forward, however, Wagner, the product of a Burmese immigrant mother and an Irish and Luxembourger American father, found herself wanting to know more about her past. In this YA adaptation of her original memoir, the author chronicles her search for identity. As Wagner interviews family members, travels to Burma and Europe, messages ancestry websites and experts, and sends saliva to DNA-based ancestry tests, she often uncovers more mysteries than answers. At each stage, she asks thought-provoking questions that not only drive her research but can also steer readers on their own quests. In the process, the author reveals that identity is a messy and complicated concept open to personal interpretation. Since the search for identity is often the hallmark of adolescence, teen readers, especially, will be inspired by Wagner's enlightening discoveries.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)