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Banned Book Review: Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

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Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

Last Night at the Telegraph Club
Malinda Lo
Dutton Books for Young Readers
Published January 19, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Last Night at the Telegraph Club

“That book. It was about two women, and they fell in love with each other.” And then Lily asked the question that had taken root in her, that was even now unfurling its leaves and demanding to be shown the sun: “Have you ever heard of such a thing?”

Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can’t remember exactly when the question took root, but the answer was in full bloom the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club.

America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her father—despite his hard-won citizenship—Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day.

Why I Read Last Night at the Telegraph Club

Last Night at the Telegraph Club has been on my reading list for a long time. It was recently banned where I live, along with several other books. I’m trying to prioritize being educated about the content in books banned here in Florida, so that pushed this one up to the top of my reading list.

One of the things that’s really frustrating to me is that the committee that banned the book acknowledges the literary worthiness of the story and the importance of the topic. They simply object to a few paragraphs in the overall text and therefore are banning the book for all grades.

Review

The book primarily takes place in San Francisco in the 1950s, but includes historical information about a few events from the 1930s to the 1950s. Some scenes show what happened between Lily’s parents or from her aunt’s point of view. It shows the progression of the fear of and persecution of communists and those accused of being communist sympathizers. It also examines the cultural attitudes during that time period toward Chinese immigrants and Chinese Americans and attitudes about LGBTQIA+ people, especially women.

The background information feels very well-researched. Some characters’ experiences and backgrounds were inspired by Malinda Lo’s family’s lives. She includes, for example, the story of a Chinese man from a wealthy family who immigrates to the United States for college. He later serves in the military as a doctor.

I love that Lily is interested in rockets and math. The story references women working as computers and some of the efforts to develop technology to take humans into space.

So there’s a ton of really cool background to the story.

Lily and another girl also visit a nightclub several times to see a male impersonator perform. There, they meet other lesbian women. The story clearly shows Lily’s personal journey understanding her identity. Part of that recognition comes from when she reads parts of a sultry romance novel she finds at a drug store.

As Lily falls in love for the first time, and meets other women who love women, she finally feels like she can be herself. Like she’s not alone, and she doesn’t have to be ashamed.

There are so few historical books centering LGBTQIA+ stories, and yet queer people existed throughout history. I love seeing this sweet love story that openly explores what it might be like to be a Chinese American girl in the 1950s who is in love with another girl and wants to build rockets someday.

Parts of the story were hard for me to read. (They were meant to be so.) The number of people who ask Lily if she speaks English, or assume she doesn’t is astounding. And yet, I’m sure that experience is very real– and even more frustrating to experience in person.

The romance between Lily and Kath blooms slowly, but it blooms powerfully, too. Their desperation and their understanding of what could happen if they’re discovered is palpable.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a sweet romance with a strong side of history and 1950s American culture, definitely put Last Night at the Telegraph Club on your reading list.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing and touching above the waist. Brief/vague description of masturbation. Brief description of sex with sparse details. In one scene, an adult woman approaches a teen and it seems like something could happen between them, but she recognizes the girl’s age and backs off.

Spiritual Content
Vague references to church.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Homophobic comments.

Drug Content
Characters drink alcohol at a party and night club. Some characters smoke cigarettes. Reference to drug use (not shown on scene.)

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I borrowed a copy of this book from my library. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Magic Fish by Trung le Nguyen

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The Magic Fish
Trung le Nguyen
Random House Graphic
Published October 13, 2020

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Magic Fish

Tiến loves his family and his friends…but Tiến has a secret he’s been keeping from them, and it might change everything. An amazing YA graphic novel that deals with the complexity of family and how stories can bring us together.

Real life isn’t a fairytale.

But Tiến still enjoys reading his favorite stories with his parents from the books he borrows from the local library. It’s hard enough trying to communicate with your parents as a kid, but for Tiến, he doesn’t even have the right words because his parents are struggling with their English. Is there a Vietnamese word for what he’s going through?

Is there a way to tell them he’s gay?

A beautifully illustrated story by Trung Le Nguyen that follows a young boy as he tries to navigate life through fairytales, an instant classic that shows us how we are all connected. The Magic Fish tackles tough subjects in a way that accessible with readers of all ages, and teaches us that no matter what—we can all have our own happy endings.

My Review

One of the things this book does so cleverly is clue the reader into the different threads of the story with the color of its panels. There are different timelines and stories all being told at the same time. In the present, Tiến is figuring out his feelings for a fellow classmate and how to tell his parents he’s gay.

His mom shares memories of her own life, and later, her journey back to Vietnam to visit her family. In the midst of these stories, in Tiến’s family, they share a lot of stories with one another. For example, in some scenes, he reads fairytales to his mom. In others, his mother listens while her aunt tells her a fairytale. Each of those threads– Tiến’s perspective, his mom’s perspective, and the fairytales are color-coded so that the background of the panels is one color.

That way when the story switches to a different thread, the panels change color. It’s pretty genius. This is the first time I’ve ever seen anything like that, and I have to say it made the story really easy to follow.

Another thing that I really liked is the fairytales themselves. I loved the choices the author made in terms of what the settings looked like for those stories– that’s something we kind of take for granted in reading fairytales in text, I think. But it’s really clear that the author made very purposeful, carefully considered choices about the clothes and backgrounds of each of the tales. I loved that.

The author’s note points up the fact that cultures all over the world have their own versions of tales like Cinderella. For some of those stories, like Cinderella, the western version wasn’t even the first version of the story. I loved that the author points this out in the note at the end of the book.

Conclusion

So I feel like I talked a lot about the setup and background of the story, but let me say that I also really enjoyed reading THE MAGIC FISH. They way Tiến wrestles with what to say to his family felt very real. I love the way his family used stories to bond with and communicate with each other.

There’s something really special about a story that can transcend genre and tell a transcendent story as well. I think THE MAGIC FISH does that beautifully.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Tiến is gay and Vietnamese American. His best friend Claire is Black.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Tiến has a crush on a boy.

Spiritual Content
A priest speaks to Tiến about his feelings. We only see the beginning of the conversation, but it’s clear he says some deeply homophobic things.

Fairytales contain magic and spirits. One is about the grandfather of the sea, a man who rides on the back of a skeleton and tries to claim a girl for his bride. Others contain mermaids. In one animals speak to humans.

Violent Content
Brief references to prison camps in Vietnam. Some of the fairytales have some dark themes or scenes. In one, a woman stabs another through her heart. A woman unknowingly consumes a meal made from her daughter. A tipped over container of the soup shows it contained human bones.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog.

Review: Don’t Look Back by Achut Deng and Keely Hutton

Book Review and Content, Memoir, Nonfiction, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , ,

Don’t Look Back: A Memoir of War, Survival, and My Journey to America
Achut Deng and Keely Hutton
Farrar, Straus, & Giroux

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Don’t Look Back

In this propulsive memoir from Achut Deng and Keely Hutton, inspired by a harrowing New York Times article, Don’t Look Back tells a powerful story showing both the ugliness and the beauty of humanity, and the power of not giving up.

I want life.

After a deadly attack in South Sudan left six-year-old Achut Deng without a family, she lived in refugee camps for ten years, until a refugee relocation program gave her the opportunity to move to the United States. When asked why she should be given a chance to leave the camp, Achut simply told the I want life.

But the chance at starting a new life in a new country came with a different set of challenges. Some of them equally deadly. Taught by the strong women in her life not to look back, Achut kept moving forward, overcoming one obstacle after another, facing each day with hope and faith in her future. Yet, just as Achut began to think of the US as her home, a tie to her old life resurfaced, and for the first time, she had no choice but to remember her past.

My Review

As I read this book, I found myself thinking about the timeline of the author’s life. What was I likely doing while she fled for her life from soldiers intent on killing everyone in her village? How did I spend my time during the years she lived in the refugee camp in Kenya? It really made me think about how sheltered and safe my life has been and how far that is from the experience so many other people have in their childhoods and lives.

I think the authors did an excellent job describing a child’s view of the horrors of war and of the endless pressure of hunger and waiting during her life in the refugee camp. In the scene in which Achut hides in her closet, contemplating ending her life, the intensity of her hopelessness and feelings of being trapped were absolutely gripping.

All in all, it’s an excellent memoir that delivers a personal account of a child’s life during the war in Sudan, life in a refugee camp, and eventual immigration to the United States. Readers who enjoyed OVER A THOUSAND HILLS I WALK WITH YOU by Hanna Jensen or FINDING REFUGE by Victorya Krouse will want to read this powerful, true account.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Achut and her family are Sudanese. She and some of her family members live as refugees in a camp in Kenya for years before immigrating to the United States.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to women being assaulted by soldiers in villages and in the refugee camp. Later, an older boy sexually abuses Achut. Details are limited and focus on the horror and helplessness Achut feels.

Spiritual Content
Achut’s family have all been given Christian names, which they’re told to use. She never feels like her name, Rachel, suits her and prefers her family name, Achut, instead.

Violent Content
Soldiers fire guns at fleeing civilians, killing many. Soldiers fire rifles into people’s homes, killing some hiding there. In the refugee camp, Achut faces physical abuse by her guardians as well as starvation from rations being withheld. Diseases spread through the camp, killing many. Parasites infect Achut and others and must be pulled from wounds in their legs and feet. A poisonous snake bites a girl, causing her leg to swell painfully. Men who have been caught assaulting women are publicly punished by having their heads shaved roughly, so that they have deep cuts on their scalps. Officials rub salt into the wounds.

Drug Content
Achut’s cousin begins getting drunk to avoid his grief and anger. She worries this behavior will ultimately kill him.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of DON’T LOOK BACK in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Tethered to Other Stars by Elisa Stone Leahy

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Tethered to Other Stars
Elisa Stone Leahy
Quill Tree Press
Published October 3, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Tethered to Other Stars

Perfect for fans of EFREN DIVIDED and A GOOD KIND OF TROUBLE, this luminous middle grade debut follows a tween girl navigating the devastating impact of ICE’s looming presence on her family and community.

Seventh grader Wendy Toledo knows that black holes and immigration police have one thing in common: they can both make things disappear without a trace. When her family moves to a new all-American neighborhood, Wendy knows the plan: keep her head down, build a telescope that will win the science fair, and stay on her family’s safe orbit.

But that’s easier said than done when there’s a woman hiding out from ICE agents in the church across the alley–and making Wendy’s parents very nervous.

As bullying at school threatens Wendy’s friendships and her hopes for the science fair, and her family’s secrets start to unravel, Wendy finds herself caught in the middle of far too many gravitational pulls. When someone she loves is detained by ICE, Wendy must find the courage to set her own orbit–and maybe shift the paths of everyone around her.

My Review

This is such a beautiful story. I grew up with the movie OCTOBER SKY. This book felt like it had a little bit of the vibes from that story: A girl with big dreams and an eye on the sky. A town full of people who don’t see her or understand her. A group of friends who do see her (once she lets them in). And discovering the heroes in your midst.

I loved Wendy’s friend group. She keeps a lot to herself, so at first, there’s a lot of distance between her and her friends. As they slowly get to know one another and build their friendships, she sees that they each have fears and dark things they’ve hidden, too.

Wendy’s Mom is awesome. I love the way she quietly supports her children, sometimes without even using words. I also love that Wendy is the one who makes several pivotal choices and takes critical action that creates change in the story. It would have been easy to let that fall on an older character and have Wendy be a witness to what happens. Instead, she takes charge. Also, I loved the way her taking action gets connected to her love for stars and forces acting in the universe for change.

I loved this book, and I think anyone who loves astronomy or feels scared or alone will find lots to love about this book, too.

Content Notes for Tethered to Other Stars

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Wendy is Latine and American. Wendy’s friend Mal is Korean American. Her friend Yasmin is Muslim and wears a hijab. K.K. is Black. Etta is gay.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Wendy feels attracted to a boy briefly.

Spiritual Content
Wendy learns that her friend retreats to a safe space at school to pray.

Violent Content
Scenes show bullying and microaggressions. For example, kids deface K.K.’s campaign posters and posters about a Unity Club for inclusivity. Anti-immigrant graffiti appears on the walls. A boy also tries to take credit for Wendy’s work on a science project, insinuating that she is lazy and hasn’t helped him at all.

Characters in the story follow the case of a woman who takes refuge at a church to avoid deportation. Some characters refer to her as “illegal,” and others explain how that term is dehumanizing. A person can’t be illegal. She can do something which is illegal, but she can’t be illegal herself.

Drug Content
A teenager smokes a cigarette in a parking lot.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of TETHERED TO OTHER STARS in exchange for my honest review.

centered around a girl who loves the stars

Review: Spare Parts (Young Readers’ Edition) by Joshua Davis and Reyna Grande

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Spare Parts: The True Story of Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and an Impossible Dream (Young Readers’ Edition)
Joshua Davis and Reyna Grande
Farrar, Straus, & Giroux
Published May 30, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Spare Parts

A riveting true story about dreams, dedication, and an amazing robot named Stinky, based on Joshua Davis’ New York Times bestseller and now adapted for young readers by bestselling Mexican American author Reyna Grande.

In 2004, four undocumented Mexican teenagers arrived at the national underwater robotics championship at the University of California, Santa Barbara. No one had ever told Oscar, Cristian, Luis, or Lorenzo that they would amount to much―until two inspiring high school science teachers convinced the boys to enter the competition. Up against some of the best collegiate engineers in the country, this team of underdogs from Phoenix, Arizona, scraped together spare parts and a few small donations to astound not only the competition’s judges but themselves, too.

Adapted by Reyna Grande―author of the acclaimed memoir The Distance Between Us about her experience as an undocumented child immigrant―this young readers’ edition of Joshua Davis’s New York Times bestseller showcases these students’ ingenuity and courage in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Timely and empowering, Spare Parts is an accessible introduction to STEM, immigration, and the reality of the American Dream.

My Review

I really enjoyed this book. It’s broken down into short sections about each boy’s life, telling of their early childhood in Mexico, what circumstances brought them and their families to the United States, and what the transition to school in the US was like for them. In each boy’s chapters, we learn about their family life and how robotics inspired them in different ways.

For example, Lorenzo grew up watching his godfather fix cars with few tools and lots of ingenuity. The experience taught him to think outside the box and find solutions that work rather than reaching for expensive, flashy materials. Meanwhile, Cristian developed a love for home improvement shows, which taught him how to build things and use different types of tools. Oscar excelled in JROTC, where he learned how to be a great leader and get things done.

The pacing of the book was excellent as well. I felt like the narrative spent just enough time on different parts of the story. Each scene was a puzzle piece, set in place and adding to the picture, taking shape as I read. The short sections and clear writing made this one a really fast read.

I wish there had been some pictures of the team and the robot included in the book. I’m reading a pre-release version, so it’s possible there are in the book available for purchase. I’m not sure, but I hope so.

All in all, I think SPARE PARTS (Young Readers Edition) is an inspiring story, perfect for readers interested in STEM or anyone looking for a heartwarming story about an underdog team rising to victory.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Representation
All four boys are from Mexican families. Three boys and their families are undocumented and living in the US. One, Luis, was eventually able to get a green card.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
One boy prays to the Virgin Mary before the competition.

Violent Content
One boy gets into fights as a result of kids picking on him. All of them experience bullying at one time.

Drug Content
One boy’s father drinks alcohol often, leading him to avoid being home as much as possible.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of SPARE PARTS in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Finally Seen by Kelly Yang

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, ,

Finally Seen
Kelly Yang
Simon & Schuster
Published February 28, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Finally Seen

From the New York Times bestselling author of Front Desk comes a gripping middle grade novel about a young girl who leaves China to live with her parents and sister, after five years apart, and learns about family, friendship, and the power of being finally seen.

My sister got to grow up with my parents. Me? I grew up with postcards from my parents.

When ten-year-old Lina Gao steps off the plane in Los Angeles, it’s her first time in America and the first time seeing her parents and her little sister in five years! She’s been waiting for this moment every day while she lived with her grandmother in Beijing, getting teased by kids at school who called her “left behind girl.” Finally, her parents are ready for her to join their fabulous life in America! Except, it’s not exactly like in the postcards:

1. School’s a lot harder than she thought. When she mispronounces some words in English on the first day, she decides she simply won’t talk. Ever again.

2. Her chatty little sister has no problem with English. And seems to do everything better than Lina, including knowing exactly the way to her parents’ hearts.

3. They live in an apartment, not a house like in Mom’s letters, and they owe a lot of back rent from the pandemic. And Mom’s plan to pay it back sounds more like a hobby than a moneymaker.

As she reckons with her hurt, Lina tries to keep a lid on her feelings, both at home and at school. When her teacher starts facing challenges for her latest book selection, a book that deeply resonates with Lina, it will take all of Lina’s courage and resilience to get over her fear in order to choose a future where she’s finally seen.

My Review

FINALLY SEEN is the first book by Kelly Yang that I’ve ever read, though her books have been on my reading list for a while. I absolutely loved this one.

Lina is thoughtful and deep, and her relationships with her family members and friends are often complex and layered. I really enjoyed the development of her connections with her sister and with her teachers at school.

I also loved the way books, especially graphic novels, featured in the story as tools to encourage empathy and understanding. Reading the book FLEA SHOP became an important moment for Lina in her own journey toward feeling truly seen. I loved that the story explored the impact of stories in that way and that books were part of helping Lina find her voice.

Reading didn’t only impact Lina, though. Her classmate and friend also found comfort and courage through reading, and when their parents read the books important to their kids, they learned some powerful lessons, too. That was one of my favorite things, too. As a big believer in adults reading things their kids are interested in, that definitely resonated with me.

All in all, FINALLY SEEN is a fantastic book. I can’t wait to read more by Kelly Yang.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Lina and her family have emigrated from China to southern California.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Lina briefly wonders if she feels attraction toward a boy in her class. She decides it’s only that he is doing something cute rather than that she thinks he’s cute.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Lina reads a book in which classmates make racist comments to a Chinese American girl. Lina encounters racist comments from her father’s employer and her classmates.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of FINALLY SEEN in exchange for my honest review.