Liberty {SaltyBookSlinger}'s Reviews > Finally Seen

I received an Advance Listening Copy of Kelly Yang's most recent book from Libro.fm and was so excited to listen immediately!
This story deals with many things that really happened in the author's life as she adjusted to living as a Chinese immigrant in California.
It powerfully conveys the stress and hardship an immigrant family faces, from the perspective of a child who is facing her own personal struggles assimilating in school.
This book, along with Kelly Yang's previous book New From Here, make me want to go back to 5th grade and become friends with the kids in my school who didn't yet speak English.
Why we are cruel and exclusionary to those who seem different or foreign to us is so wild to me. Why is our first response not empathy and kindness?
In Finally Seen we get a glimpse of hardship and struggle, but we also get to witness that fighting immigrant spirit! Lina's parents work hard, and every member of her family is an entrepreneur who brings their individual ideas and gifts to the family, to the school, and to the community.
I especially love the way they dream big as a family, openly laying bare their hopes and wishes, along with their griefs and sorrows.
I'm a sucker for a family story where you get to see them root for each other, encourage each other, and work for the benefit of each other!
I'm a fan of Kelly Yang and her beautiful portrayals of familial love.
I'm off to read another of her stories -- Front Desk!