You Are Here: Connecting Flights
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
A powerful and engaging exploration of contemporary Asian American identity through interwoven stories set in a teeming Chicago airport, written by award-winning and bestselling East and Southeast Asian American authors including Linda Sue Park, Grace Lin, Erin Entrada Kelly, Traci Chee, and Ellen Oh. Flying Lessons meets Black Boy Joy.
***Six Starred Reviews!***
“Reminds us that a more functional, less ailing America requires not just the courage to speak but the courage to listen.”—New York Times Book Review
“Not only important, but essential.”—School Library Journal, Starred Review
An incident at a TSA security check point sows chaos and rumors, creating a chain of events that impacts twelve young Asian Americans in a crowded and restless airport. As their disrupted journeys crisscross and collide, they encounter fellow travelers—some helpful, some hostile—as they discover the challenges of friendship, the power of courage, the importance of the right word at the right time, and the unexpected significance of a blue Stratocaster electric guitar.
Twelve powerhouse Asian American authors explore themes of identity and belonging in the entwined experiences of young people whose family roots may extend to East and Southeast Asia, but who are themselves distinctly American.
Written by Linda Sue Park, Erin Entrada Kelly, Grace Lin, Traci Chee, Mike Chen, Meredith Ireland, Mike Jung, Minh Lê, Ellen Oh, Randy Ribay, Christina Soontornvat, and Susan Tan, and edited by Ellen Oh.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Written by 12 authors, including Erin Entrada Kelly, Minh Lê, Grace Lin, Linda Sue Park, and editor Oh, a dozen vibrantly told, overlapping stories center East and Southeast Asian American characters at a Chicago airport as a thunderstorm delays departing flights. "Something to Declare" by Christina Soontornvat sets the stage, describing a TSA checkpoint incident involving Thai American Paul and his family. The event triggers a discriminatory domino effect that echoes throughout the other narratives, which converge seamlessly. In Mike Chen's "Jam Session," security guards harass musician Lee Chang about his instrument case: "You don't look like someone who plays guitar." Traci Chee's "Costumes" involves Natalie Nakahara confronting her white best friend about trying to look Japanese: "My face isn't a costume... it's not something you can just parade around in like a cosplay outfit." Witnessing characters across the stories take a stand, each protagonist is empowered to speak out against cultural assumptions, model minority stereotypes, and racism. Callbacks and details are effectively interwoven throughout each telling, making for an intersectionally diverse, multifaceted collaboration that's artfully conceived and executed. Ages 8–12.
