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Slant | LitPick Book Reviews
Slant
Slant
Slant
Laura E. Williams
Thirteen-year-old Lauren, a Korean American adoptee, is best friends with the prettiest — and tallest — girl in the school, Julie, who has an endless amount of confidence. Lauren, on the other hand, has been saving for years to pay for a special eye surgery that will deepen the crease of her eyelids. It's not that she wants to look like everyone else in her suburban Connecticut school; she'd just be happy if kids stopped calling her "slant" and "gook." Up until now she's been able to ignore the insults, but when the cutest boy in her class calls her "slant," she realizes she needs to do something about her "nickname." When she convinces her reluctant father to consent to the eye operation, Lauren suddenly finds herself faced with a challenge: should she get the operation that might make her more confident and popular, or can she find that confidence within herself? Laura Williams' sensitive, beautifully written story offers a powerful lesson to young readers whose self-esteem depends too much on how they look.

Book Details

Genre: 

  • Fiction

Age Level: 

  • 8 - 12
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Lauren is a Korean-American teenager, who was adopted when she was a year old. Being Asian her eyes are slightly different from everyone else in her class. Her best friend tells her she has beautiful eyes, but some of the boys in her class disagree. They call her derogatory names such as "Slant" and "Gook". After a long time of listening to their racial comments, Lauren finally has enough money to pay for a special eye surgery. This surgery will deepen the crease of her eyes to make her look like everyone else in her class.

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