This book was originally published in 1993. In the afterword the author explains that she chose not to modernize the novel, because she wanted to preserve the past. The feeling of not belonging and self doubt are common struggles felt by teenagers in any time or place. This book will resonate with anyone who ever felt like an outsider in high school.

Ellen Sung is surrounded by a student body who is racially and ethnically different from her. She tries to blend into the background and even goes by an American name, not her Korean name Myong-Ok. It is hard for her to love herself in a period of tremendous change (mentally, physically and emotionally), while also being surrounded by faces whose features do not match her own.

Thank you to Netgalley and Soho Teen for providing me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.