Seventeen-year-old Ellen Sung just wants to be like everyone else at her all-white school. But the racist bullies of Arkin, Minnesota, will never let her forget that she’s different—the youngest member of the only Korean-American family in town.

At the start of senior year, Ellen finds herself falling for Tomper Sandel, a football player who is popular and blond and undeniably cute and to her surprise, he falls for her, too. Now Ellen has a chance at life she never imagined, one that defies the expectations of hanging out with her core group of friends or pleasing her parents.

I honestly didn't know that this book was originally published in 1992 when I started reading it, though I felt that it was set at a different era but still it was interesting to read.

It was beautifully written it was a fun light read about Ellen's final months as a high school senior. Its about how she manages to meet her parents expectations while trying to enjoy her senior year with her friends.

Also most importantly the book focuses on how Ellen overcomes the constant racism she faces from few of her classmates and teachers. Its really amazing how Ellen takes in all the racist comments and kind of uses it as a motivation to do better in what she is good at, ie , studies. At times I hoped that she would get some courage and confront those idiots!!

Though I feel if the book was set in 2020, the story would have been different and maybe Ellen would have found her voice sooner, I still enjoyed this book!! ( )

Ellen is a Korean-American teenager in her final year of high school. Her story is about applying for college, gymnastics training, Ellen’s relationships with her best friend and her first boyfriend, dealing with racism at school and with her parents’ expectations that she will follow her sister to Harvard.

It’s very short, first published in 1993. I was aware of all the places where a YA novel written today would be allowed to give more details and to expand the story, but it was still interesting.

“The people who call me names don’t study,” I say. “I guess I feel I can use the negative energy to do something productive, like prepare to go to college while they’re preparing to live in Arkin and work as dental technicians.”
“What’s wrong with being a dental technician?” He is smiling, but I hear the challenge in his voice.
“Nothing,” I say quickly. “But it’s not a life I’d like for myself, so I think of studying as a way to get me to college and away from those people.”
“That’s a pretty complicated thought process to go through when someone calls you a name,” Mr Rose says.
“The hurt from someone calling you names is complicated,” I fire back. “It’s not easy to make it go away. The olden times were simpler: if your name was ever smudged, you could just challenge that person to a duel.” ( )