IMPOSTER SYNDROME AND OTHER CONFESSIONS OF ALEJANDRA KIM

A Manhattan private school senior caught between cultures navigates microaggressions while grieving the death of her father.

Alejandra Kim, daughter of second-generation Korean Argentines, feels like she fits in nowhere. She’s uncomfortable at elite Anne Austere Prep, a progressive school where she’s surrounded by wealthy classmates who are clueless about her life as a scholarship student. But with her Korean face and Spanish name, she doesn’t fit in in her ethnically diverse neighborhood of Jackson Heights either. Worse still, Papi, the parent she felt really understood her, died eight months ago, leaving her alone with critical, perpetually exhausted Ma. Ale just wants to get through this year and attend her dream liberal arts college in Maine with her White best friend, Laurel. But her life turns upside down when aggressively, self-righteously activist Laurel—without Ale’s approval—starts a petition against a teacher who insinuated that Ale’s heritage made her a shoo-in for college. Ale must figure out and stand up for what she believes in. Weighty topics such as appropriation, passing, privilege, and inclusivity are seamlessly addressed in this entertaining, well-paced story. The characterization, both of main characters and of the supporting cast members, is well-rounded and spot-on, and Ale is a thoroughly appealing protagonist, managing to be wry and vulnerable at once. This skillful depiction of a common sort of subtle, pervasive, and multilayered racism and classism rings true.

A satisfyingly accurate account of zealotry and personal growth.