A review by melindagallagher
American Panda, by Gloria Chao

4.0

Mei is Taiwanese-American and her parents are extremely traditional. Mei is a young freshman at MIT but cannot shake her parent's plans for her. Their verbal and emotional abuse causes Mei to feel guilty and afraid about everything. When she meets Darren, a Japanese boy who her parents do not approve of because he is Japanese, she begins to wonder if she can be true to herself. Mei doesn't really know where she belongs. After reaching out to her estranged brother, she begins to see that she must live her life and be true to herself. An eye-opening, bittersweet, humorous, and enjoyable read.