LitPick Review
Girl in Reverse
A pink sweater is one of the only things Lily Firestone can remember about her birth mother—that, a few whispered words in Chinese, and her mom’s back as she walked out the door. Now, living with her adoptive parents in the bustling Kansas City, Lily doesn’t exactly try to remember her mother—the feeling of rejection is still sometimes too fresh—but with the Korean war raging overseas and schoolyard bullying coming to a peak, Lily feels like she needs her “Gone Mom” more than ever. The mocking, the insults, the disdainful looks, an--on some occasions—all-out attacks almost cause Lily to crumble under the pressure. So when her brother, Ralph, finds a chest of Chinese artifacts (including a wrist rest, a stack of gory pictures, and a sky-blue slipper) in their suburbanite home’s attic, Lily feels an extra push to dig deep into the mystery that surrounds her missing mother and her own past. With the help of the infuriating Elliot James, Lily scrambles all around Kansas City on a quest to find the stories behind the artifacts in hopes of solving the mysteries that surround her Gone Mom. But one nuclear secret shakes Lily in a way she never could have imagined…
“Somebody snickers. The air sizzles, all eyes on me. Commie. Chink. My hands fly to my cheeks. My insides buzz.”
Opinion:
Despite my reservations when I began reading, I really did enjoy this book. Lily, even with her unique story and inner struggle, is a very relatable main character. Her inner monologue shows us a girl that is strong and vulnerable, shy and outspoken. She has a fiery streak that I really enjoyed seeing develop throughout the book. Stuber did a very good job portraying the discrimination and intolerance that Asian-Americans faced at that time—being blamed for things that were happening thousands of miles away. I also felt that Lily’s relationship with her parents and those around her was also very well-written. It showed how the strain of the Korean War adversely affected almost everyone, even in their own homes and family circles. The supporting characters were also of importance in this book—with Ralph, an ex-nun, and the janitor/Chinese cook Mr. Howard, the personality in this book abounded, even when things got serious. The only thing that I could find fault with was Lily’s frequent pity-party sessions, which could get a little tiresome—but that may just be called being a teenager. All in all, a wonderful read for anyone looking to brush up on their historical fiction and have a little fun along the way!
“I hold my breath and flip the first picture over. It’s blurry, but I can see it’s a hand. A pale, drooping hand, chopped above the wrist, with long, stiff fingers and a handcuff exactly the way Ralph described.”
I would recommend this book for ages eight and up. The vocabulary and plot is pretty simple to understand for younger readers, and the content is, for the most part, squeaky clean.
Will Lily be able to uncover the secrets of her past AND take on the consequences? Or will Lily find that she may have gotten in over her head? Read Girl in Reverse by Barbara Stuber to find out!
