American Panda by Gloria Chao
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Genre: YA Contemporary
Source: Library
Summary
At seventeen, Mei should be in high school, but skipping fourth grade was part of her parents' master plan. Now a freshman at MIT, she is on track to fulfill the rest of this predetermined future: become a doctor, marry a preapproved Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer, produce a litter of babies.
With everything her parents have sacrificed to make her cushy life a reality, Mei can't bring herself to tell them the truth--that she (1) hates germs, (2) falls asleep in biology lectures, and (3) has a crush on her classmate Darren Takahashi, who is decidedly not Taiwanese.
But when Mei reconnects with her brother, Xing, who is estranged from the family for dating the wrong woman, Mei starts to wonder if all the secrets are truly worth it. Can she find a way to be herself, whoever that is, before her web of lies unravels?
With everything her parents have sacrificed to make her cushy life a reality, Mei can't bring herself to tell them the truth--that she (1) hates germs, (2) falls asleep in biology lectures, and (3) has a crush on her classmate Darren Takahashi, who is decidedly not Taiwanese.
But when Mei reconnects with her brother, Xing, who is estranged from the family for dating the wrong woman, Mei starts to wonder if all the secrets are truly worth it. Can she find a way to be herself, whoever that is, before her web of lies unravels?
(Courtesy of Goodreads)
My Review
At first I was skeptical about a book featuring MIT, my alma mater, so prominently. How could someone who never went there accurately depict what life is like at such a unique university? And then I found out the Gloria Chao is an alum, class of 2008, and I was immediately sold. Mei is a and a year younger than her classmates. She has parents that push her toward a career path she isn't sure she even wants to pursue. While I was blessed to have parents that were happy to support whatever path I chose, I knew too many people that had parents like Mei. I am no a few years removed from my time at MIT, but reading American Panda brought right back to those early days and I could empathize so deeply with Mei. It's been a while since I picked up a YA contemporary, but this one hit so close to home and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
At the forefront of American Panda is Mei's relationship with her immigrant parents and her struggle relating her own identity with her culture. I think this is what makes the story relatable, regardless of what stage in life you are in. I love Chao gives a story that shows how a family can be so intertwined and that within a family, everyone's choices affect others. As someone who comes from an immigrant family, I think this is much more prevalent in that environment. There is always an underlying urgency to protect your heritage and culture of origin. And it is usually at odds with the second generation, who are trying so hard to fit in with their American-born friends.
There were a few things that took me out of the narrative, like Chao's explanation of a lot of MIT's oddities regarding building and class numbering, but that's completely on me since I know those numbers like the back of my hand. I'm sure that without it most readers would have been utterly confused. I also felt that the pacing wasn't on point at times and I found myself skipping over parts of the story that just didn't seem relevant.
Finally, without getting too spoiler-y, I think it was so important to show that people can change. It's not always easy for anyone involved when it's your own family that is struggling to adapt to the change. Mei's own growth throughout the book affects more than just herself.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book. The own voices narrative of an immigrant family struck a chord with me. While I am not Asian-American, I also struggle with pleasing my family and upholding the culture of my country of origin and the culture I grew up in for almost my entire life. One is not better than the other, but sometimes it feels like they are in competition with each other. I was able to see myself in Mei's character and identify with her struggles. I hope that this story can show others what the experience is like.
At the forefront of American Panda is Mei's relationship with her immigrant parents and her struggle relating her own identity with her culture. I think this is what makes the story relatable, regardless of what stage in life you are in. I love Chao gives a story that shows how a family can be so intertwined and that within a family, everyone's choices affect others. As someone who comes from an immigrant family, I think this is much more prevalent in that environment. There is always an underlying urgency to protect your heritage and culture of origin. And it is usually at odds with the second generation, who are trying so hard to fit in with their American-born friends.
There were a few things that took me out of the narrative, like Chao's explanation of a lot of MIT's oddities regarding building and class numbering, but that's completely on me since I know those numbers like the back of my hand. I'm sure that without it most readers would have been utterly confused. I also felt that the pacing wasn't on point at times and I found myself skipping over parts of the story that just didn't seem relevant.
Finally, without getting too spoiler-y, I think it was so important to show that people can change. It's not always easy for anyone involved when it's your own family that is struggling to adapt to the change. Mei's own growth throughout the book affects more than just herself.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book. The own voices narrative of an immigrant family struck a chord with me. While I am not Asian-American, I also struggle with pleasing my family and upholding the culture of my country of origin and the culture I grew up in for almost my entire life. One is not better than the other, but sometimes it feels like they are in competition with each other. I was able to see myself in Mei's character and identify with her struggles. I hope that this story can show others what the experience is like.
Happy reading!
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