American Panda by Gloria Chao
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction
Blurb (on back of book):
An incisive, laugh-out-loud contemporary debut about a Taiwanese-American teen whose parents want her to be a doctor and marry a Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer despite her squeamishness with germs and crush on a Japanese classmate.
At seventeen, Mei should be in high school, but skipping fourth grade was part of her parents' master plan. Now a freshman at MIT, she is on track to fulfill the rest of this predetermined future: become a doctor, marry a preapproved Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer, produce a litter of babies.
With everything her parents have sacrificed to make her cushy life a reality, Mei can't bring herself to tell them the truth--that she (1) hates germs, (2) falls asleep in biology lectures, and (3) has a crush on her classmate Darren Takahashi, who is decidedly not Taiwanese.
But when Mei reconnects with her brother, Xing, who is estranged from the family for dating the wrong woman, Mei starts to wonder if all the secrets are truly worth it. Can she find a way to be herself, whoever that is, before her web of lies unravels?
MY OPINION: ****
It's majorly refreshing to get to see Asian diversity in Young Adult novels in the age of 2018. I, as an Asian, find it lacking when looking among the different Young Adult books for Asian protagonists or anything related to Asian culture. I found this book humorous, relatable, and an accurate depiction of the traditional Asian families that we have today.
Mei Lu comes from a very traditional, old-fashioned, and strict Asian family. Her parents disowned Mei's brother, Xing, because the girl he wanted to marry has a hard time getting pregnant, something that is a highly important thing when choosing a proper spouse. Seventeen-year-old Mei has been pushed and pressured her whole life. She's in MIT despite being a year younger than everybody else. Her mother already has picked out a proper Taiwanese husband for her. She's being bred to become a doctor, a respectable position for "an Asian girl" because the salary is good and she won't be shunned for her job. However, Mei has a problem: she doesn't want to be a doctor because of her huge fear of germs.
Mei is a girl who is afraid to fight back against her parents. I definitely understand why she couldn't speak up because from the way I interpreted it, her parents were a little over-the-top when it comes to being overprotective and controlling. They're sticking to old Chinese beliefs, despite being residents in America. Mei meets a boy, Darren, who just so happens to be Japanese and not Taiwanese like her parents want. Darren and her fear of germs and her love and loyalty to her brother help her to find the strength that she needs to stand up for herself against her parents.
I honestly loved how this book was written. Some of the harsher sides of Asian culture was displayed in a realistic and accurate way.
1) Grades. Grades were a portion of this book that many people can relate to. Extreme "tiger" parents show no pride for their kids unless it's around the 101% range. (As Christine says, "none of this is racist because I have Asian immunity!" so please don't take offense if you don't relate to some of these things.) It's a common stereotype for Asian parents to expect their children to have straight-A's, perfect grades, and the ability to get into a really good college and earn a strong living for themselves. It's a thing and many of us have come to accept it (I, for one, have a strong independent feeling about my grades which is why I am so picky about that 93%).
2) Marriage. Asian families are known for the old old tradition of arranged marriages. I'm not saying this is only Asian families or that every Asian family is like this (I am definitely not going through with an arranged marriage) but it's a thing that exists. I think it's unfair for your parents to choose who you should marry because I'm a huge believer in love and finding your soulmate, etc. Just because somebody is the same race as you or has the ability to produce kids that are not only male and strong but are also good-looking doesn't mean you have to force yourself to like that person.
3) Comparisons. I feel like every kid, not just Asian kids, is compared to somebody else at some point in their life. It's like "Why don't you have straight-A's when ____ over there does!" or "Why are you so slow? Look at _____. She can run a five-minute mile!" or whatnot. It's a thing that we are forced to live with: it's a part of human nature. Ying-Na is a prime example of this (I found her entire character very humorous and strong and I loved how her character and personality was written). Ying-Na is constantly being used as the bad example or the "don't-follow-this" example for the other Asian families.
Darren was so swoon-worthy and I loved his quirky cuteness.
I don't want to be a doctor after reading this book. :D I applaud doctors.
I found this book very empowering and eye-opening. I would strongly encourage everyone to pick it up to just see how it is to be a part of a hard, overbearing family. I definitely want to thank my family for letting me do what I want to do with my life (aka writing) and choose who I want to marry.
The writing was definitely hooking and I loved how it was all written. I could just relate so much with a lot of it and I pitied people for others.
I would recommend this book to all readers looking for an eye-opening read about Asian culture and strong female protagonists.
Main Character: Mei
Sidekick(s): Darren, Nicolette, mother, Xing, etc
Villain(s): Tradition, overprotective parents, bossiness, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book was very real to life.
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