American Panda
“Weepingly funny.” —The Wall Street Journal
“Delightful.” —BuzzFeed
“Charmed my socks off.” —David Arnold, New York Times bestselling author of Kids of Appetite and Mosquitoland
Four starred reviews for this incisive, laugh-out-loud contemporary debut about a Taiwanese American teen whose parents want her to be a doctor and marry a Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer despite her squeamishness with germs and crush on a Japanese classmate.
At seventeen, Mei should be in high school, but skipping fourth grade was part of her parents’ master plan. Now a freshman at MIT, she is on track to fulfill the rest of this predetermined future: become a doctor, marry a preapproved Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer, produce a litter of babies.
With everything her parents have sacrificed to make her cushy life a reality, Mei can’t bring herself to tell them the truth—that she (1) hates germs, (2) falls asleep in biology lectures, and (3) has a crush on her classmate Darren Takahashi, who is decidedly not Taiwanese.
But when Mei reconnects with her brother, Xing, who is estranged from the family for dating the wrong woman, Mei starts to wonder if all the secrets are truly worth it. Can she find a way to be herself, whoever that is, before her web of lies unravels?
From debut author Gloria Chao comes a hilarious, heartfelt tale of how, unlike the panda, life isn’t always so black and white.
“Delightful.” —BuzzFeed
“Charmed my socks off.” —David Arnold, New York Times bestselling author of Kids of Appetite and Mosquitoland
Four starred reviews for this incisive, laugh-out-loud contemporary debut about a Taiwanese American teen whose parents want her to be a doctor and marry a Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer despite her squeamishness with germs and crush on a Japanese classmate.
At seventeen, Mei should be in high school, but skipping fourth grade was part of her parents’ master plan. Now a freshman at MIT, she is on track to fulfill the rest of this predetermined future: become a doctor, marry a preapproved Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer, produce a litter of babies.
With everything her parents have sacrificed to make her cushy life a reality, Mei can’t bring herself to tell them the truth—that she (1) hates germs, (2) falls asleep in biology lectures, and (3) has a crush on her classmate Darren Takahashi, who is decidedly not Taiwanese.
But when Mei reconnects with her brother, Xing, who is estranged from the family for dating the wrong woman, Mei starts to wonder if all the secrets are truly worth it. Can she find a way to be herself, whoever that is, before her web of lies unravels?
From debut author Gloria Chao comes a hilarious, heartfelt tale of how, unlike the panda, life isn’t always so black and white.
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
I'm going to be honest, I wasn't the intended audience for this book, and I think it showed in how I responded to the book. It all felt a little too extreme to me to be real, but I'm sure that stuff like this has actually happened. I'm just not from the right background. It didn't really bridge it enough for me to truly understand it, but who the hell cares, because it wasn't written for me! I'm sure it was very enjoyable for other people. I didn't dislike it, though. I'd be open to reading other things by this author.
It's cute!
And also incredibly sad.
Parents sometimes need to take a step back and let their kids be kids.
They need freedom to be themselves and try new things without judgment.
Traditions aren't always good for you.
And also incredibly sad.
Parents sometimes need to take a step back and let their kids be kids.
They need freedom to be themselves and try new things without judgment.
Traditions aren't always good for you.
This book was so much fun to read. The themes throughout the book were portrayed in the most realistic way, you feel like you’re actually living it. Gloria Chao did a fantastic job in her writing when it came to describing just how Mei was feeling in each situation she was thrown into. There were times when I felt Mei’s frustration, longing, and even embarrassment at times. There’s even one instance in the book where I felt so much emotion I had to put it down for a few minutes.
Mei is this awkward teen who skips a grade and ends up in MIT at the age of 17, is afraid of germs, and tends to get up and leave without explanation to get out of embarrassing situations. I loved her awkward witty personality and Chao did an amazing job at showing Mei’s insecurities along the way. Mei’s inner struggle to please her parents while trying to come to terms with who she is can be seen clearly in Chao’s writing.
Oh Darren. He is so sweet and understanding you can’t help but fall in love with him. He does his best to show Mei that life isn’t based on plans, that sometimes you just have to live in the moment, and that there is nothing wrong with standing up for yourself and what you want. His support of Mei is #relationshipgoals for sure!
The family dynamics in this book are so fascinating. I don’t know much about Chinese American culture but reading this will definitely open your eyes to the strict family dynamics you only hear about. Mama Lu is definitely a character and aunt Yilong is so intense you will find yourself staring at the pages like…”she’s crazy”. Each character is unique and adds so much to the different cultural aspects that you are completely captivated as the story continues along.
I can’t wait to see what other books Gloria Chao releases in the future because this book is definitely top of the list of books I’ll be recommending!
Mei is this awkward teen who skips a grade and ends up in MIT at the age of 17, is afraid of germs, and tends to get up and leave without explanation to get out of embarrassing situations. I loved her awkward witty personality and Chao did an amazing job at showing Mei’s insecurities along the way. Mei’s inner struggle to please her parents while trying to come to terms with who she is can be seen clearly in Chao’s writing.
Oh Darren. He is so sweet and understanding you can’t help but fall in love with him. He does his best to show Mei that life isn’t based on plans, that sometimes you just have to live in the moment, and that there is nothing wrong with standing up for yourself and what you want. His support of Mei is #relationshipgoals for sure!
The family dynamics in this book are so fascinating. I don’t know much about Chinese American culture but reading this will definitely open your eyes to the strict family dynamics you only hear about. Mama Lu is definitely a character and aunt Yilong is so intense you will find yourself staring at the pages like…”she’s crazy”. Each character is unique and adds so much to the different cultural aspects that you are completely captivated as the story continues along.
I can’t wait to see what other books Gloria Chao releases in the future because this book is definitely top of the list of books I’ll be recommending!
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.