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A review by chloesumner1317
The Whole Story of Half a Girl by Veera Hiranandani
2.0
I originally picked this up because I thought it would be great to have a book dealing with a mixed race teen, since I am of mixed race as well. However, a few things left me...unsettled, about it.
First, I didn't realize Sonia would be so young, she was only 11. The issues you face and how you talk about them differ drastically in middle school and high school, so I would have liked to see her a little bit older, in order to relate to her better.
Also, I didn't feel like the addition of the environment change from private to public school was necessary to propel the plot. You could have stuck Sonia into middle school from regular elementary school and it would have been easier for girls to relate to her. We have schools like that in my city, and I'm friends with people that go to them, and when they transferred to public schools it wasn't nearly as bad for them (I'm slightly biased, though, because IB is an international program so most people have more cultural sensitivity. Most people). So I feel like it was unnecessary drama.
And the ending was very frustrating for me. I felt like there was no bridge between who Sonia was and popular American culture, that the author was saying "It's not possible to be true to your roots and also be popular/a cheerleader." Which, in my opinion, is NOT the message this book should send. EMBRACE dual heritage, but do not let it be your defining characteristic in that way. I just really didn't agree with the value I gathered from the author.
I wanted to like this book. I really did.
First, I didn't realize Sonia would be so young, she was only 11. The issues you face and how you talk about them differ drastically in middle school and high school, so I would have liked to see her a little bit older, in order to relate to her better.
Also, I didn't feel like the addition of the environment change from private to public school was necessary to propel the plot. You could have stuck Sonia into middle school from regular elementary school and it would have been easier for girls to relate to her. We have schools like that in my city, and I'm friends with people that go to them, and when they transferred to public schools it wasn't nearly as bad for them (I'm slightly biased, though, because IB is an international program so most people have more cultural sensitivity. Most people). So I feel like it was unnecessary drama.
And the ending was very frustrating for me. I felt like there was no bridge between who Sonia was and popular American culture, that the author was saying "It's not possible to be true to your roots and also be popular/a cheerleader." Which, in my opinion, is NOT the message this book should send. EMBRACE dual heritage, but do not let it be your defining characteristic in that way. I just really didn't agree with the value I gathered from the author.
I wanted to like this book. I really did.