starlady | (Reply)

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*nods* I think there's a really, hmm, simplistic reading of the book that reduces it to being about Being Yourself, which just going from some of the blurbs on the back of my edition (PW, I'm looking at you) is how at least some major media outlets took it, and yeah, on the level that pressure to conform is pressure to conform no matter what your immigration status is, I do think that's not an invalid reading. But there's way, way more going on in the book then that, and I think the Monkey King and Wei-chen's stories were my personal favorite parts of the book (Jin was totally an asshole in some parts of it)--but when they all crashed together at the end I was really impressed. I think the three separate stories do a good job of presenting multiple takes on the same core themes. And the book does make a judgment in the end, but it's even-handed leading up to that.