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"[Our perspective] is like the moon. We can see it differently by climbing a mountain, but we can not outrun it."

The last two sentences will absolutely break you. I completely lost it. It's like I was holding Mercy's journey and could finally let go.

Lee's command of historical fiction and diversity here and in her other works remain consistently wonderful. This book took me far longer to read because I continuously looked up events or cultural references that intrigued me. Even though I live right outside of San Francisco, I still have so much to learn about the city's diverse population and deep culture. Outrun the Moon kept me going down the Google hole, learning more than I ever could in any history class.

Mercy Wong is one of the strongest female characters you'll ever have the pleasure of meeting. She's determined but not stubborn, setting her own course in order to better her situation as well as her family's. She meets and surrounds herded with a group of people who each have their own strengths and she helps them develop into the people I imagine they later become.

Outrun the Moon is a story of hope in a time of extreme adversity. There's racial tension and discrimination which isn't thrown to the wayside or unfairly represented. History is not ignored but rather this is a story of what could be.

***I won a copy of Outrun the Moon on GR Giveaways and while I feel SUPER lucky, it did not impact my opinion of the book.