Hello, my name is Kelsey and I was not prepared for how emotionally invested in this book I’d become. I mean, wow. This amazingly researched and nuanced piece of historical fiction  is a queer coming of age story about first love that also explores the experiences of Chinese Americans at the height of McCarthyism. I learned so much reading this and the bibliography and author’s note at the back made me want to learn even more.

Lily Hu is a 17 year old Chinese American living in San Francisco’s China Town during America’s Red Scare. Lily Hu is also in love with Kathleen Miller (Kath). As Lily and Kath explore their relationship under the neon lights of the Telegraph Club, a lesbian bar that becomes their sanctuary, Lily grapples with the very real danger this love poses to both herself and her family, including arrest and deportation. 

I loved Lily and Kath so much. They are the only girls in their advanced math class and they both are obsessed with flight and space. Lily dreams of majoring in math or engineering and working for the Jet Propulsion Lab, while Kath yearns to become a pilot. 

This book explores so much of Lily’s identity in the 1950’s: A woman interested in math and science, a Chinese American, a lesbian, a daughter, a friend, and a lover. 

I could not get enough of this book and recommend everyone read it.