This memoir shares Rishi's complicated relationships with her family members. It was a delightful read, even with the unexpected sad part. I say unexpected, but she had enough foreshadowing that I should have seen it coming. Unfortunately, I read that part while flying across the country - hopefully the person in the seat next to me didn't notice the tears streaming down my face. Spoiler alert, the book ends on a happy and hopeful note.

This novel follows the journey of Lydia who is forced to escape the life she had in Acapulco. She has her son with her and together they experience hardships, suffering, and life-threatening moments.

I read this years ago, when I was in my early twenties. And then I watched the movie when it came out. I appreciated this story whose main character seemed torn between family expectations and what it means to be American.

The main character proves to be an encouraging leader who inspires others to achieve their dreams and goals. She does it by leading herself authentically and doesn't compromise her values or her beliefs, nor does she allow others to define who she is.

This novel explores the idea of identity, as the main characters are caught between cultural norms of their family expectations and Western norms. It's partly a love story and partly a self-discovery story.

I admit, I don't know much about people from North Korea. I saw this book at the bookstore and was immediately captivated by this story. Her journey to freedom, like many others, was not an easy one. Definitely worth the read.

I related to this author as one of the few Asian American kids at her school. She shares her memories of her mom and explores the concept of identity. As with many memoirs, there are sad parts, as she cries at the H Mart because it reminds her of her recently passed mother.

This was one of those books I couldn't stop thinking about after I read it. I don't know why it resonated so much with me, but it did. It was so well-written that I could feel what the main character was feeling.