zinelib's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
In her coming-of-age memoir, Vietnamese-American (of Chinese descent) Ly Tran shares her story of childhood poverty, and mental and physical challenges that were viewed as weaknesses to overcome. Tran's telling, despite the lonely and grueling experiences it reveals, is full of empathy. Too bad she doesn't have much for herself
I must have been an awful person in my past life to be born into this one, I thought.
She writes this as her vision continues to deteriorate, impacting her ability to complete her schoolwork. Whenever she brings up her eyesight, her father responds with violence, and her mother tells her to keep it to herself--to avoid the violence.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
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