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midsummernightsread 's review for:
American Panda
by Gloria Chao
actual rating 3.75
I received this E-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks! American Panda is a book about finding yourself and standing up for your beliefs despite strict cultural beliefs. It wasn't a contemporary with a cheesy love story thrown in there just for the heck of it, and I definitely appreciated that. I don't know a lot about Taiwanese culture, but I feel like after reading this story I have learned more than I may have without it. The pronunciation guide included at the front of the book was helpful as there is a lot of use of the language and it made me feel less like I was butchering the language in my mind. It was a fun and quirky story that follows Mei, as she makes the transition into college and finding her own path despite her parents strong objections to anything besides what they have planned for her. Mei finds herself in a situation where she realizes she cannot be a doctor like they have planned; her passion of dance calls for her to find a different career. Where I struggled with this book was the way Mei's family treats her. In the beginning her mother is constantly criticizing her and making her feel like she is not pretty enough and her father is a whole other story. After finding out the reason for Xing's disowning I couldn't look at them the same way again. Despite all of this, Mei does stand up for herself and is able to accept the consequences of it. With the help of her brother she comes to find her own path and it made me quite proud of how she far she comes by the end of the story. I don't want to get too much into the story, that might spoil it for those looking to read it when it comes out. Unrelated to the actual story, the chapter headings were the cutest thing, I love how they're going to match the finished hardcover of this book. I will always love books with chapter titles, its so reminscent for me. Overall, I did enjoy this story a lot. It was very informative, but at the same time enjoyable to read. Besides the issue with her parents, I found that it skipped around too much for my liking. It was very much many stories combined into one and it was a bit hard to keep track. Its definitely a book we need more of, the representation of strong Asian women was wonderful to read and I definitely will keep my eyes open for any Gloria Chao books that come out in the future. It has a strong message, that you should do what makes you happy, and not what makes other people happy. Keep your eyes peeled for American Panda when it hits shelves on February 6th. Happy Reading!
I received this E-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks! American Panda is a book about finding yourself and standing up for your beliefs despite strict cultural beliefs. It wasn't a contemporary with a cheesy love story thrown in there just for the heck of it, and I definitely appreciated that. I don't know a lot about Taiwanese culture, but I feel like after reading this story I have learned more than I may have without it. The pronunciation guide included at the front of the book was helpful as there is a lot of use of the language and it made me feel less like I was butchering the language in my mind. It was a fun and quirky story that follows Mei, as she makes the transition into college and finding her own path despite her parents strong objections to anything besides what they have planned for her. Mei finds herself in a situation where she realizes she cannot be a doctor like they have planned; her passion of dance calls for her to find a different career. Where I struggled with this book was the way Mei's family treats her. In the beginning her mother is constantly criticizing her and making her feel like she is not pretty enough and her father is a whole other story. After finding out the reason for Xing's disowning I couldn't look at them the same way again. Despite all of this, Mei does stand up for herself and is able to accept the consequences of it. With the help of her brother she comes to find her own path and it made me quite proud of how she far she comes by the end of the story. I don't want to get too much into the story, that might spoil it for those looking to read it when it comes out. Unrelated to the actual story, the chapter headings were the cutest thing, I love how they're going to match the finished hardcover of this book. I will always love books with chapter titles, its so reminscent for me. Overall, I did enjoy this story a lot. It was very informative, but at the same time enjoyable to read. Besides the issue with her parents, I found that it skipped around too much for my liking. It was very much many stories combined into one and it was a bit hard to keep track. Its definitely a book we need more of, the representation of strong Asian women was wonderful to read and I definitely will keep my eyes open for any Gloria Chao books that come out in the future. It has a strong message, that you should do what makes you happy, and not what makes other people happy. Keep your eyes peeled for American Panda when it hits shelves on February 6th. Happy Reading!