Eric Schwartz

Compelling story- equally good narration

Revisado: 10-12-19

I went through her whole book in two listenings. And, it was hard to turn off the first listening. A child on the verge of a move to our country is full of excitement. She doesn’t know what to expect other than it will be a big upgrade to what her life has been in China. Instead, she and her family are cast into a culture that is cruel and pitiless. Because she doesn’t know English and because she doesn’t want to burden her parents with the brutal realities of her new life, she is rendered mute.
But, she has also brought with her from China, a set of values, a keen sense of justice, and a resolute character. The strength of these qualities seem remarkable in a nine or ten year old child. From them proceeds her tale of overcoming.
Even though she is not responsible for any of the conditions of her new life in Oakland, much of the story reads like a confessional - as if she is in part to blame. For example, when she witnesses Chinese adults being humiliated by taunts or physical assaults from the neighborhood’s black kids, she, in her child’s mind is guilty for not doing something about it.
Her narrative style is a very simple and straight forward reporting of events that works effectively to put us behind the eyes of a child.
She made the right choice in narrating the story herself. She has a great voice and her reading pace is perfect.
My single criticism is that she might have tried to intuit, interpret, or analyze the motives of her tormenters. Doing that would have made it an even richer story.

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