FINDING MY VOICE

Ellen—Myong-Ok, as she's sometimes called at home—is second-generation Korean, sister to studious, academically perfect Michelle, who is at Harvard. The pressures on Ellen are tremendous; she wants to be both a dutiful daughter to her strict, loving parents and an ordinary, fun-loving American high- school senior. Her troubles are highlighted by occasional racial taunts (including those of a teacher) and the serious bigotry of Marsha, her rival on the gymnastics team. A budding romance with popular Tomper, which Ellen keeps secret, gives her more confidence; but it's through her visits to universities that she realizes her need to see the world beyond her small town. Before she goes, however, Ellen faces up to Marsha's slurs and ends up literally scarred and sadly resigned. This portrait of a quietly sensitive teenager is filled with searing truths about day-to-day racism—those that don't make the evening news. Honestly rendered, and never didactic, the story allows readers first to flinch in recognition and then to look into their own hearts. A gently self-possessed work, told in economical language that veils its earnestness and depth. (Fiction 12+)