4 stars

I really like how Ng wrote this book, very different and created a different experience while reading. I particularly like her focus on the Asian American experience and the tension between similar experiences between Black Americans and Asian Americans, while still recognizing racism. She does a really wonderful job of displaying the nuance there and exploring prejudice to anyone and everyone.

Another thing I particularly enjoyed was the resistance and information gathering efforts of librarians. This often feels like a job that gets overlooked for importance and I think Ng does a fantastic job of demonstrating how valuable libraries are in general, but also how they are powerful forces of good in a world where injustice is prevalent, and how librarians do much, much more than simply shelve books.

I will say I was not particularly thrilled with the ending, it did not truly fit with what I had hoped for, but the book is beautifully written so it still is a 4/5 for me.