For families navigating grief, cultural identity, and a big move, this poignant story explores finding your place and healing after loss in 1970s America.
Parents might reach for this book when their child is navigating the profound grief of losing a parent and the disorienting experience of moving to a new place. The Way Home Looks Now follows twelve-year-old Peter Lee, who is struggling after his father's sudden death. When his family moves, Peter feels lost and disconnected, but he finds a glimmer of hope by joining a Little League team, a sport he and his father loved. The story gently explores themes of grief, loneliness, Chinese American identity in the 1970s, and the healing power of family and friendship. It's a poignant, character-driven novel suitable for middle-grade readers, offering a hopeful message about finding your way back to yourself after a devastating loss.
Characters experience subtle racism and stereotyping related to their Chinese American identity.
Sensitive Topics
The central theme is the death of a parent, which occurs before the book begins. The approach is secular and direct, exploring the raw, multifaceted nature of grief (sadness, anger, numbness) with realism and empathy. The resolution is hopeful, focusing on the slow process of healing and remembering, rather than on "moving on." The book also directly addresses Peter's Chinese American identity, including realistic microaggressions and feelings of being an outsider in a predominantly white 1970s town.
Ideal Reader
An 8-12 year old who has recently lost a parent or close loved one and is feeling alone in their grief. It's particularly well-suited for a child who is also dealing with a big move or struggling to fit in. It will also resonate with young athletes who use sports to process their emotions and readers who enjoy character-driven historical fiction.
Parent Prep
The book can be read cold, but parents should be prepared for conversations about death, grief, and subtle racism. The father's death is discussed frankly, as are the varying ways each family member processes it. A brief conversation about the 1970s setting might be helpful for context regarding things like casual sexism (girls in sports) and racism, though the book handles these topics accessibly. A parent has just seen their child withdraw after a loss, pushing family away and struggling to connect with friends. The parent might hear their child say something like, "No one gets it," or sees them clinging to a shared hobby they once had with the person who died.
Age Experience
Younger readers (8-9) will connect strongly with the baseball story, the friendship plot, and the core sadness of Peter missing his dad. They will understand the journey from lonely to having a friend. Older readers (10-12) will appreciate the nuanced exploration of family dynamics in grief, the internal struggles of cultural identity, the historical context, and the metaphor of baseball as a path toward healing.
What Makes It Special
Its unique strength lies in the intersection of three key elements: a poignant grief narrative, a classic sports story, and a specific historical setting for a Chinese American family. Unlike many books about loss, it uses the structure and language of baseball as a powerful, tangible tool for a young boy to navigate his emotional world, making the abstract process of healing feel concrete and accessible.
Read plot summary
Twelve-year-old Peter Lee is reeling from the recent, sudden death of his father. His grieving mother moves the family to a new town to be closer to her parents. Feeling isolated at school and disconnected from his withdrawn mother and angry older sister, Peter joins a Little League team. Baseball was the special connection he shared with his father, and through the game and a new friendship with the team's star pitcher, Jordan, he begins to process his grief, reconnect with his family, and find a new sense of belonging.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
Peter's dad loved baseball statistics and 'the story the numbers told.' How does Peter use baseball to tell his own story and feel connected to his dad throughout the book?
2
Jordan tells Peter, 'Sometimes people just need to be left alone.' Do you agree? When did characters in the book need space, and when did they need someone to reach out?
3
Peter, his sister Nelson, and his mom all grieve in different ways. Can you describe their different reactions to their dad's death? Why do you think it was so hard for them to talk to each other about it at first?
4
The book is set in the 1970s. What clues in the story (like the cars, music, or attitudes about girls in sports) let you know it took place in the past? How did this setting affect Peter's experience?
