An incident at a TSA security check point sows chaos and rumors, creating a chain of events that impacts twelve young Asian Americans in a crowded and restless airport. As their disrupted journeys crisscross and collide, they encounter fellow travelers--some helpful, some hostile--as they discover the challenges of friendship, the power of courage, the importance of the right word at the right time, and the unexpected significance of a blue Stratocaster electric guitar.
Twelve powerhouse Asian American authors explore themes of identity and belonging in the entwined experiences of young people whose family roots may extend to East and Southeast Asia, but who are themselves distinctly American.
Written by Linda Sue Park, Erin Entrada Kelly, Grace Lin, Traci Chee, Mike Chen, Meredith Ireland, Mike Jung, Minh Le, Ellen Oh, Randy Ribay, Christina Soontornvat, and Susan Tan, and edited by Ellen Oh.
You Are Here: Connecting Flightsby I thoroughly enjoyed this interwoven collection of stories about Asian American families from different cultural backgrounds sharing their experiences of struggling to be seen as American and treated with respect. This book would be a wonderful way to start discussions about prejudice and how we respond to anyone/anything different from our own known experience. I loved how the families bumped into, observed, and supported each other in crisis, even though they were strangers and came from completely different Asian cultures themselves. I can't imagine the work that went into creating and weaving these stories by separate authors together. Well done!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a review copy.