Slant

13 year old Lauren is largely happy with her life except for her slanted eyes. She is teased at school but never tells the tormentors how she feels about their hateful names. Her best friend frequently gets annoyed by her silence. Lauren decides that epicanthoplasty and a double eyelid surgery will make her life perfect. In a sudden and powerful climax, when her father gets wind of her intentions and confronts Lauren and her grandmother, the true nature of how Lauren's mother died is revealed to her. The final decision regarding her surgery is left up to Lauren. I was quite happy that the ending did not have a fake, happily ever after feel to it, but instead seemed to be quite believable. Can't tell you what Lauren decided to do; you'll show more have to read it to find out for yourself. This is definitely a book I'd recommend more for girls. show less

Reviewed by Marta Morrison for TeensReadToo.com

Plastic surgery or not? Will it change your life and give you more self-confidence, or will it not change your life as dramatically as you thought?

These are the questions brought up by SLANT. There are many Asians having surgery to make their eyes more European-looking. I had an Asian living with me from Vienna. She said that she was lucky because she was born with a fold in her eyes. She also said that many of her aunts (she has many; her grandparents had nine children) have had the surgery. So this just isn't an American phenomena.

This story is about 13-year-old Lauren. Lauren was adopted by an American couple. She is Korean. Her younger adopted sister, Maia, is Chinese. Her adopted show more mother died when Lauren was ten, and she and Maia have been raised by her dad. Her dad is a university professor. Lauren's best friend is Julie, a tall, beautiful blond.

You can tell how much love is around these characters. At school there are a group of students who call Lauren slant, gook, or chink. She hates it but never stands up for herself. Lauren has been saving her money for two years for this surgery. When her grandmother, Ann, comes to town, the surgery may finally be a possibility.

Does she have the surgery? That is the question of the book.

I liked the characters in SLANT. They are written realistically, and you can tell the author likes these people. The story is written at a time where secrets are coming out and people are ready to move on with their lives. I really enjoyed this book. show less