In April, I read Our Wayward Fate by Gloria Chao. This romance novel is about a teen girl named Ali Chu, named after her mom’s favorite mountain in Taiwan. This book takes place in the middle of nowhere in the state of Indiana. For a long time, Ali was the only Asian at her school and she encountered racism on a daily basis. That changed when Chase Yu, a Taiwanese boy, moved into town from Queens, NY. Together, Chase and Ali work together to push back against racial discrimination at their school. Ali also discovers many family secrets that her mother has been hiding.

My favorite part of the book is how the author talks about the struggles of not fitting in and feelings of isolation and loneliness. I also love that the author uses one of China’s Four Great Folktales, The Zhu Yingtai, and Liang Shanbo legend, to help tie the story together.

Ali’s great-uncle, Bógōng, is my favorite character because he supports Ali when others are disparaging. One character trait I would use to describe Bógōng would be encouraging. While preparing for dinner, Bógōng says,“‘Regardless of what happens with Chase, don’t lose your sunny demeanor, okay? That sounded sarcastic, but I mean it—don’t change too much…Special. Very special. (304)”’ He is encouraging because he advises Ali that whether or not she goes to the same college as Chase, she should maintain her own identity. Bógōng supports her decisions and brings out the best in everyone. 

My favorite quote is found when they celebrate Chinese New Year with glowing lanterns which light up the night sky, ‘“Happy New Year!’ I[Ali] yelled as Chase lit the firecrackers, the popping indeed scaring the hypothetical monsters and evil spirits away. I glowed like one of the lanterns, thinking about how I’d just said “New Year” and not “Chinese New Year.” To me, this was my New Year, and everybody else could just deal. (311)” This shows that everybody is her own person. We come from different cultures and have different ideas. I love this quote because it shows how Ali has changed from a person who can’t stand up for herself to a confident person who is not afraid to speak her mind. This book teaches me to believe in myself.

This month, I read A Song Called Home by Sara Zarr. This 356-page book is about a ten-year-old girl named Louisa or Lou, later known as Lu. She lives with her older sister, Casey, and her mom in an apartment in the city. Her dad is an alcoholic and Lou misses him even though he can be dangerous as he is often drunk. Now, Lou, Casey, and her mom are moving in with Lou’s mom’s soon-to-be husband, Steve. Steve lives in the suburbs, which means she will have to change schools. 

While dealing with a lot of hardships in her life, Lou receives a birthday gift. The birthday gift is a guitar. Even though it is anonymous, Lou suspects it comes from her dad. She puts a great deal of effort into learning how to play the guitar, hoping to keep a part of her old life, including her dad, in her new home in the suburb. 

My favorite part of this book is how much it connects with me. I am able to experience the emotions experienced by Lou and many of the characters. I can emphasize with the characters because I can relate to the hard changes in life including moving and not seeing my friends as often as I like.

Casey, Lou’s older sister, is my favorite character because she is caring and is always there for her sister even though she is going through some tough changes in life as well. When Lou, Casey, their mom, and Steve were all at home after the talent show and Casey was giving Lou feedback, “She [Casey] showed Lu the pictures and videos she’d taken. ‘I was right about the jeans and T-shirts. You guys[Lou and Kyra] were the coolest. (346)” The amount of attention and advice Casey gives to Lou shows how deeply Casey loves Lou.

My favorite quote is when Lou and Casey were sitting in the back of Steve’s truck while camping and Lou realized why Casey was so annoyed, “Moving. Changing. Starting at a new school… All those things from the past few months that seemed to make Casey difficult and moody and full of complaints… maybe that whole time, she’d just been afraid. (306)” This shows that changes are inevitable. They are often hard to handle as they happen, but it is important to adjust. Everybody adjusts with time. I like the quote because it teaches me that changes and life can be difficult but not impossible.