Lucy and Linh

Reach for this book when your teenager is struggling with the pressure to mask their true self or is feeling like an outsider in an elite environment. Alice Pung explores the delicate balance of maintaining one's cultural identity while trying to navigate the complex social hierarchies of a prestigious private school. It is a powerful exploration of how class, race, and the desire to belong can force us to make difficult moral choices. Through the eyes of Lucy Lam, a scholarship student from a working class background, the story addresses the shame of financial hardship and the subtle cruelties of peer pressure. It is highly appropriate for high schoolers, offering a mature and realistic look at integrity and the cost of fitting in. Parents will appreciate the nuanced way it validates the immigrant experience and the courage it takes to remain authentic.