Starred review from January 25, 2021
The year is 1954, and American-born Chinese 17-year-old Lily Hu, a rising senior at San Francisco’s Galileo High School, discovers the existence of the Telegraph Club nightclub by chance: via an ad in the Chronicle featuring a Male Impersonator. Lily secretly gathers photos of women with masculine qualities; she’s drawn toward “unfeminine” clothing and interests such as chemistry, engines, and space. Dawning recognition of her lesbianism comes alongside a budding connection with Kathleen Miller, a white classmate. But openly exploring queerness isn’t an option—not with her mother touting “respectability,” and society’s limited perception of Chinese-Americanness as either “China doll” or “real American”-adjacent, and especially not amid McCarthyism—during which Chinese people, including those within Lily’s close Chinatown community, are targeted as Communist sympathizers. As Lily falls deeper in love, though, she must work to balance the shifting elements of her identity with a landscape of sociopolitical turmoil that will resonate with contemporary readers. Lo incorporates Chinese food and language, appending explanatory footnotes for romanized Cantonese and Mandarin terms and characters. Smoothly referencing cultural touchstones and places with historic Chinese American significance, Lo conjures 1950s San Francisco adeptly while transcending historicity through a sincere exploration of identity and love. Back matter includes an author’s note explaining Lo’s personal connection to the story. Ages 14–up. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.
Starred review from February 1, 2022
Gr 9 Up-Chinese American Lily lives in San Francisco's Chinatown in the 1950s and chafes against the societal and family norms enforced on her. When she gets to know Kath, a classmate whom she had never paid attention to before, her world opens up in unexpected ways. Together the 17-year-old girls visit a risqu� nightclub and discover new friends and ideas. Political tensions from the 1950s-communism and McCarthyism, racial discrimination, and homophobia-color the audio with authenticity and a deeper historical meaning. Read by Emily Woo Zeller, who narrates in a quiet, restrained way, the audio immerses listeners in Lily's world. Zeller voices each character distinctly and with personality. Lily's confusion and angst as she tries to balance this new way of life with her traditional upbringing and familial expectations are performed with compassion. Historical time lines and flashbacks to Lily's parents as teens appear throughout. A lengthy author's note completes the well-researched recording, with historical context and the author's personal ties to the story. VERDICT Highly recommended. This 2021 YA National Book Award winner does not disappoint.-Julie Paladino
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