Stacey Lee (1)

Immediately from the start, I loved the voice of the narrator Valora Luck. I loved her intelligence, street smarts, quick thinking, athletic abilities, and spunk. This book is one I had a difficult time putting down as the built in historical tension of this tragic event added an increased urgency for me to keep reading.

I felt as if I were aboard the Titanic--this author created a setting that popped to life. I could feel the ship pushing through the ocean, the occasional rolling with the show more waves, and felt as if I could touch the details of the ocean liner's finery down to the basics of the third class quarters.

The issues of racism played a huge part in Valora's life, especially with the Chinese Exclusion Act preventing her from entering the United States to follow her dreams of performing. The way the Chinese were treated on board by the crew and other passengers brought out anger and frustration in me, especially when life boats were sailed half-full and left Valora and her brother and others behind.

I loved the family aspect of this novel and the unexpected friendships that quickly formed. I enjoyed the message of not forcing your own dreams on others just because you think it's best for them. Valora realizes she never truly knew the people that she felt closest too, either because she didn't want to face the truth, or it was hidden from her. show less

Valora Luck is determined to get aboard the Titanic by hook or by crook: she knows her twin brother, Jamie, is on board, and her goal is to convince him to show off their circus skills to a Ringling man, Albert Ankeny Stewart) on board so that he will get them into America, despite the Chinese Exclusion Act. Val has an upward battle, however, and not just because (as readers know) the ship is doomed. Jamie has found his own band of brothers and now prefers coal-shoveling to tightrope acts; show more Jamie also blames their Chinese father for his harebrained schemes and his drinking, and blames himself for their English mother's death. Luckily, Val is endlessly inventive, and quickly makes an ally in American April Hart, a clothing designer. Jamie, too, has an ally in first class, Charlotte Fine. The twins' scrappiness and determination are crucial once the Titanic hits the iceberg and begins to sink, and they face blatant racism when they attempt to get onto the lifeboats.

There have been any number of Titanic books, but by featuring a Chinese-English acrobat, Stacey Lee's book provides a fresh angle on the tragedy.

Quotes

Luxury is like good news, hard to enjoy without someone to share it with. (64)

Don't spend too long looking behind you, or you'll miss out on what's ahead. (Mum's advice, 65)

Isn't that like life? Two people look at the same object but see two different things. (81-82)

Being in the same boat does not make us the same [equal]. (97)

"I know it's not fair, but you've got to lower your standards to be happy." (Jamie to Val, 162)

"There is a saying: If you always give, you will always have." (Tao, 195)

Why are we always called upon to show greater generosity of spirit? (206)

Mum always said God gave us two hands, one for helping ourselves and one for helping others...Drummer is the rare sort born with a pair for helping others. (220)

Maybe I have been acting like Ba. I thought what was best for me was best for [Jamie]. I didn't listen to what he wanted. (278)

I'm not a leaver. People can leave me, but I'll never leave them when I'm still needed. (327) show less

By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady's maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for the genteel Southern lady, "Dear Miss Sweetie." When her column becomes wildly popular, she uses the power of the pen to address some of society's ills, but she's not prepared for the backlash that follows when her column challenges fixed ideas about race and gender. While her show more opponents clamor to uncover the secret identity of Miss Sweetie, a mysterious letter sets Jo off on a search for her own past and the parents who abandoned her as a baby. But when her efforts put her in the crosshairs of Atlanta's most notorious criminal, Jo must decide whether she, a girl used to living in the shadows, is ready to step into the light. With prose that is witty, insightful, and at times heartbreaking, Stacey Lee masterfully crafts an extraordinary social drama set in the New South. show less

Jo Kuan is a Chinese American young woman living in segregated Atlanta in the years following the Civil War. I loved that she was a strong character that shared her opinions fearlessly in a creative way. I felt like much of the novel was predictable, but it was still entertaining. It was a slice of history, particularly the Chinese American experience, that I knew little about.

“We are all like candles, and whether we are single or joined with another does not affect how brightly we can show more burn.”

“Somehow, Old Gin and I have managed to fit ourselves into a society that, like a newspaper, rarely comes in colors other than black and white.” show less