108A TE Fall 2011 discussion

Wow so I cannot believe that I already read this book. Like the first one I thought “Oh I’ll just glance at it so see what it’s about.” I could not put it down. I was really intrigued by the three stories that were in the book and the ending was a nice holistic look at it (I will not give it away since I know that I am posting very early). From the beginning I could tell that the characters were metaphors for the struggle that come people have when they have a dual identity.

This can be seen time and time again in kids whose families immigrated to the country. There is the identity of the culture that they had back home and the want/need/desire to blend in by adapting a more American culture. This is not to say that everyone desires this – some people flat our reject the idea that they need to conform or blend in. The scene where the boy is being made fun of for having dumplings for lunch reminded me of one of my best friends Nellie. Nellie is second generation. She used to tell me stories of how she used to be so embarrassed at having noodles and rice for lunch, she used to beg her mother to pack her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich instead. Her and her sister wanted to be more “American” so badly that they convinced their family to start celebrating thanksgiving with turkey mashed potatoes and corn bread.

I love Nellie because it was she that taught me it was okay to fully embrace both cultures and identities that you may have. I think I was most drawn to the story about the money king because it read more like a folk tale. I have always been drawn to these stories because of the underlying message or words of wisdom so to speak. Overall I liked this book and I think it would be a great read for a students in middle or high school.