Parachutes
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Speak enters the world of
Gossip Girl in this modern immigrant story from New York Times bestselling
author Kelly Yang about two girls navigating wealth, power, friendship, and
trauma.
They’re called
parachutes: teenagers dropped off to live in private homes and study in the
United States while their wealthy parents remain in Asia. Claire Wang never
thought she’d be one of them, until her parents pluck her from her privileged
life in Shanghai and enroll her at a high school in California.
Suddenly she
finds herself living in a stranger’s house, with no one to tell her what to do
for the first time in her life. She soon embraces her newfound
freedom, especially when the hottest and most eligible parachute, Jay,
asks her out.
Dani De La Cruz,
Claire’s new host sister, couldn’t be less thrilled that her mom rented out a
room to Claire. An academic and debate team star, Dani is determined to earn
her way into Yale, even if it means competing with privileged kids who are
buying their way to the top. But Dani’s game plan veers unexpectedly off
course when her debate coach starts working with her privately.
As they steer their own distinct paths, Dani and
Claire keep crashing into one another, setting a course that will change their
lives forever.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In her YA debut, Yang (Front Desk) draws from personal experience and the news to tell a contemporary story of class discrepancy, the pervasiveness of rape culture, and the Asian diaspora. Claire Wang, a high school junior living in Shanghai, is used to a life of luxury, while Filipina American Dani De La Cruz, a debate champ and Yale hopeful who is on a full scholarship at California's American Preparatory, is living a completely different life, cleaning homes to help make ends meet. After receiving a bad grade, Claire is appalled when her parents transfer her to an American high school: Dani's. American Prep is a magnet for parachutes, or "kids from China who come to the U.S. on our own," often scions of wealthy families. When Dani's mom rents out their spare room to an international student, the girls' lives become twined, even as they chafe at the other's socioeconomic misunderstandings. But when each girl experiences a traumatic incident, they learn about the devastating convergences of power, money, and male privilege. Despite occasionally flat side characters, this is a multifaceted read, by turns poignant, fun, and exultant in its celebration of the multitudinous experiences and strength inherent in diasporic identity. Ages 14 up.
