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 fulfil 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?
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[THE STENCH OF THE RESTAURANT'S specialty walloped my senses as soon as I entered]***
(Simon Pulse, 6 February 2018, 428 pages, ebook, A Year Of @EpicReads 2019, a book set in college, ebook from @GlasgowLib via @OverDriveLibs)
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I really loved this book. American Panda is different from other YA fiction I've read, in a good way. I loved Mei as a character. Mei's experiences are vastly different from my own. Her controlling parents clearly want what they feel is best for her and the sacrifice she makes is heart-breaking. I couldn't even imagine being in her shoes. The hardest thing I've ever had to tell my parents is that I'm gay and they were fine with this as long as I was happy. I wanted to hug Mei and tell her things would be okay. I love the way Mei blossoms throughout the book as she gradually develops her own identity. American Panda has a perfect combination of light / dark and happy / sad moments. I loved every page.
