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The Wangs vs the World
Young person comes to America with nothing. They leave everything including their family and home. They make a better, more prosperous life here. That is how the American Dream is supposed to work. But what happens when you achieve your dreams against all odds, and still lose? Charles Wang is that person. A Chinese immigrant…
When the Emperor was Divine
Over night, Japanese Americans went from citizens to “enemy aliens”, regardless of whether they were born in America. World War ll was a horrific period, marked by violence, prejudice, and genocide. Although we tend to focus on the placement of Jews in concentration camps, history should never forget the more than one hundred thousand Japanese…
I Was Their American Dream
Hard work, adversity, the search for a better life. It’s a story as old as time. It’s the story of immigrants. Heritage months are marked by these humble and sometimes heartbreaking stories. Malaka’s story is no exception to hard work and trial but she also teaches us a humorous, compassionate, and honest way of looking…
The Magical Language of Others
How would you feel if your parents left you at fifteen, for a different country? Scared? Elated? Ambivalent? Eun Ji is both terrified yet resigned when she discovers that her Korean immigrant parents will be returning to their homeland for her father’s job. They decide to leave Eun Ji, who has grown up a Californiagirl,…
Never Let Me Go
Never Let Me Go follows best friends Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy at their boarding school, Hailsham in late 90s England. It is a tranquil, almost idyllic school where the students are educated in everything from poetry to painting and their artwork is highly sought after by a mysterious woman named Madam. Unfortunately, like many seemingly…
A Girl Like That
Adolescence is trademarked by hanging with friends, dealing with the stresses of school, and learning to nurture relationships outside of family. Sometimes, even romantic relationships. This is common in western countries like the US, even expected, but what happens when a natural part of growing up is suppressed? When sneaking out with boys cannot only…
Peter Pan
“All you need is faith, trust, and pixie dust!” These iconic lines were just for the movie. This is just one example of the way Disney changed the story of Peter Pan. And before he was the adventurous, mischievous boy “who never wanted to grow up”, he was the baby who fell out of his…
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Four red cars in a row means it’s a Good Day. Five red cars in a row means it’s a Super Good Day. So goes the thinking of Christopher Boone. Whip smart, observant, and Sherlock-Holmes obsessed teen, Christopher Boone, must solve a classic crime of who-dunnit when his neighbor’s dog is killed in the night.…
When Breath Becomes Air
What would you do if you had a terminal illness? How would you face death? These are the questions Paul Kalanithi grapples with in his memoir, “When Breath Becomes Air”. Talented, kind, intelligent and funny, Paul was always destined for success. The reader follows him on his journey from a precocious and angsty teen to…
Haben
Haben follows the true story of Harvard’s first Deafblind student, Haben Girma. The child of Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrants, she was faced with the paradoxical task of living up to her parents unimaginable bravery while also being sheltered by them because of her “disability”. The book follows Girma from a young child visiting her grandparents…
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