Reading this book made me realize how similar my life is to these girls. We are all Asians, however, I always thought that since I'm south Asian and they are Southeast Asian I thought our culture was really different. Our cultures are both similar and different, reading about their experiences made me think about my life. One of the short stories, “Tainted”, Belinda Wong talks about how she's her parents perfect piece of artwork. She was everything her parents wanted in a child. Even thought she was perfect she was still upset with herself, she wanted to find who she really was and she hid that pain with her smile that fooled everyone around her. The way she escaped from reality, she would play the piano. I didn't have to be in her shoes to understand what she was going through. I try to be the perfect child for my parents but I'm still confused about who I am. The way I cope with these feelings through drawing just as Belinda copes with her piano.

I think the theme of all the stories in book are the experiences they go through to find who they really are. The feeling of being stuck between two different cultures, whether to choose one over the other or find a different option. I understand it's really difficult, because everyday I have to make a choice between my cultures.

The majority of stories written were by female writers, which I though the main author shouldn't have done. The book is very limited because it does not have a variety of authors, meaning too many of the authors are writers, and I think that does not completely justify the experiences female Asian-Americans have. However, one thing I though was good was that she chose writers from all over the United States.

With all honesty is the only books I've enjoyed reading class. I say this because I was able to read about other people's experience that are similar to my own experiences. In my life I was only able to relate myself to people who share my culture, I was never able to relate my experiences with other people who come from different backgrounds.  

Ms. Miller
4/12/2011 11:06:25 am

Glad you enjoyed the book. I'd like to hear more about the specific stories in the book.

You didn't like that all of the authors were female, but the book is called Yelloh Girls, right? :) Nonetheless, I can understand wanting to hear male perspectives as well.

You also have to be a lot more cognizant of your grammar in your writing. Do you re-read your writing aloud before turning it in? For example, what's up with this sentence? "With all honesty is the only books I've enjoyed reading class."

Grade: 85%

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