When the coronavirus hits Hong Kong, ten-year-old Knox Wei-Evans’s mom makes the last-minute decision to move him and his siblings back to California, where they think they will be safe. Suddenly, Knox has two days to prepare for an international move—and for leaving his dad, who has to stay for work. At his new school in California, Knox struggles with being the new kid. His classmates thi…
Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang is a sharp and provocative literary thriller that explores the themes of cultural appropriation, identity, and the publishing industry’s biases. The story follows June Hayward, a struggling white author who witnesses the sudden death of her friend Athena Liu, an Asian American literary darling. In a desperate bid for success, June steals Athena's unpublished man…
Pecola Breedlove, a young eleven-year-old black girl, prays every day for beauty. Mocked by other children for the dark skin, curly hair, and brown eyes that set her apart, she yearns for the blond hair and blue eyes that she believes will allow her to finally fit in. Yet as her dreams grow more fervent, her life slowly starts to disintegrate in the face of adversity and strife. A powerful exam…