Series: None
Author: Gloria Chao
Published February 6th 2018 by Simon Pulse
Goodreads Synopsis
At seventeen, Mei should be in high school, but skipping fourth grade was part of her parents' master plan. Now a freshman at MIT, she is on track to fulfill the rest of this predetermined future: become a doctor, marry a preapproved Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer, produce a litter of babies.
With everything her parents have sacrificed to make her cushy life a reality, Mei can't bring herself to tell them the truth--that she (1) hates germs, (2) falls asleep in biology lectures, and (3) has a crush on her classmate Darren Takahashi, who is decidedly not Taiwanese.
But when Mei reconnects with her brother, Xing, who is estranged from the family for dating the wrong woman, Mei starts to wonder if all the secrets are truly worth it. Can she find a way to be herself, whoever that is, before her web of lies unravels?
Goodreads
Review
American Panda follows Mei as she navigates being a 17 year old freshman at MIT, trying to pave her way in the world, while overcoming the intense pressure her parents are putting on her. She's studying to be a doctor, even though she hates the thought of ever having to do anything remotely medical, and falls asleep in class when she should be concentrating. Instead, Mei loves to dance, even teaching some school kids how to dance too. When her parent's find out about that, she uses the excuse that an extra-curricular would look good to a prospective husband - another thing her parents are adamant about - when she knows very well that if they had any idea that it was for anything else, they would deny it. She's also struggling with the fact that she has a crush on Darren, who would not be approved by her parents, who want her only to marry an approved Taiwanese boy. As if this wasn't bad enough, Mei's older brother Xing, has been estranged from the family for being with a woman who is wrong for him - simply because she can't have children. Xing wants to marry her, and doesn't care what his parents think, but wants more than anything for Mei to be involved in the wedding, and in his life.
I loved this book! Mei was a fantastic protagonist, and I loved experiencing her world from her point of view. Struggling with what she wants, and wanting to please her parents - who've done everything for her, and to make her life easy - really endeared Mei to me, and I thought you just couldn't have a better characterisation for the book. Being younger than most of her classmates, she felt divided from everyone, until she met Darren. Since Xing was disowned, Mei had to be even more perfect, and falling for a Japanese boy would not be the right thing, as far as her parents were concerned. However, the more pressure Mei feels under by her parents, the more she rebels, pushing her towards her dancing, towards Darren, and towards reconciliation with Xing. She grew from a naive, shy young girl, who wouldn't put a foot wrong, to a strong character, who knows what she wants, and is willing to do anything to get there.
As much as Mei's parents pilled the pressure on her, I did love them. I'm not going to try and imagine what it must be like for someone in Mei's situation, but as you learnt from about Mei's mother in particular, and how her life had been since marrying Mei's father, you felt sympathetic towards her, and appreciated how she was starting to try and change, but it would just take a bit longer than for most. Another thing I loved about the book as a whole was learning more about Taiwanese culture, the history, and parts of the language, all interwoven with the story.
Family was such a large part to the story, and the scenes between Mei and Xing were so sweet, and I loved how their relationship managed to overcome the pressure from their family, and become brother and sister again, depending on each other whenever they were needed. Romance, on the other hand, wasn't as big a part to the story, though the chemistry between Mei and Darren was cute, and I loved how they learnt about each other and themselves throughout the story.
For YA Contemporary lovers, this is definitely one for you. Family driven, with the romance on the back burner, it was more a coming of age story about Mei accepting herself, and what she wants from life, and one I can't recommend enough.
Dates Read:
October 8-10, 2018Rating
4 Stars
