Finding My Voice follows Ellen Sung, a 17 year old Korean-American in her last year of high school, trying to keep up with her grades to get into Harvard as well as balancing hanging out with friends and her potential new boyfriend.

I think it is amazing that this book is being rereleased with this new cover so it can find a new audience! I know 30 years is not that long, but I still think it is scary to see the themes and what is happing to Ellen in this book and it is the same themes and events that happens in current YA contemporaries coming out now from Asians authors. It is weird how so little has changed, while at the same time it feels like the whole world has changed. In this book they need to HANG UP the phone physically. And I thought that was both great and weird (not that I’m so young that I never had to hung up a phone before, but you get the point). This book is so relevant to this day, and I think it shows that the market is changing that it is given its second chance! That is great. I really enjoyed Ellen’s story, and I both related to her character while at the same time just enjoying parts of the story that was different from mine. It was cute, fun and short! My biggest problem was the writing, which didn’t flow as much as I wanted it to and made me disconnect from the story several times. However, a solid story and I’m excited for more people to pick it up! 4/5 stars.

**Thank you to Netgalley and Soho Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating**

I was unaware this was a reissued book going into it. This book was published the year I was born! A lot has changed since then, however, the author noted in her Afterword that she consciously made the decision not to update the book for a contemporary audience in order to "preserve the history of...the 1990s." I'm sad to find my childhood is becoming Historical Fiction.

I do think that, ultimately, the choice to not update will be an issue for many casual readers. Even as someone who was around during the time period, there were things I had to look up (For example, "dittoed copies". I'm aware that ditto machines exist but I couldn't tell you how they're different from a copier). Otherwise "timeless" books have updated language or technology in order to better meet the reader halfway. I always think of "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" as an example of this because the way we deal with some of the issues of the book have changed, therefore the book was updated to better reflect that.

I was also a little concerned that the author states in her Afterword that "the issues that the novel explores --racism, immigration, parental pressure, bullying--have changed for the better --while also continuing on, even intensifying in places." While people perhaps are not as overtly racist as the characters in this book, I do not think it is correct to say that those topics have "changed for the better" since the 90s. They have greatly intensified, especially in the last four years in the US.

To get into the actual content of the book, it was alright. Ellen is a perfectly passable protagonist who is struggling to decide where she's going to college, wanting to get out of her small (and racist) town, dealing with pressure put on her by her parents, and falling in love with a classmate. I do think if this were to be written today it would need to delve much deeper into the issues the book discusses. The issues are explored at a very superficial level with no deeper dive into any of them and what they really mean for the character. The book is very short, so it doesn't have the time to do so. The racism and bullying portrayed in this book is VERY overt. There is no nuance, no microaggressions like we'd be more likely to see now. It is very in your face with the adults doing nothing but saying Ellen is being "too sensitive" for the most part or sometimes even taking part. I think it's important going in to know this as it may shock some readers.

Ellen's friendship with her friend, Jessie, was sweet and briefly hints at the anxiety that comes with growing up in a small town and thinking you'll never leave. I did enjoy the parts about the two of them. Similarly, I thought Ellen's relationship with her mother was sweet. Her father puts a lot of pressure on her to get good grades and attend Harvard, and while you sense that that may be important to her mom, Mrs. Sung also emphasizes that she wants her daughter to be happy wherever she ends up going to college.

While I understand the format of this book is very similar to others of its time period, I can't really give it more than a 3. It felt like more should have been done with the plot. It was very "I have this problem" and then it was fixed with the literary equivalent of a band-aid. The issues were big and the solutions were simple. It never felt like Ellen really learned to overcome her problems. The book is called "Finding My Voice" and it's really "one time she stood up to a bully and immediately resigns herself to things not getting better". I don't get the sense that Ellen is going to continue to call people out on their racism and rude behavior. It's just a little underdeveloped for me. I'm not sure I'd say it fully captures the feeling of what the 90s were like to be called "Historical Fiction", either. It was a decent book and I can see that it was clearly an influence on the YA genre, but it's not one I'd be rushing out to recommend.

Ellen is on her senior year of high school, having her first crush, having to deal with racist comments from the popular crowd and her parents pressuring her to be her best and get admitted to Harvard. We see a sweet girl, that have strenght inside herself but that is afraid of confrotation, and that is a little lost in a city where she feels different from everyone.
Fortunately, she has amazing friends and a new love that are not only the best but also the ones that are there to help her and comfort her in times when she feels lonely. I liked the story, it was bittersweet and real, I was so stressed out about some of the things Ellen had to go through and her talk with her father at the end was something so necessary for her to take a new perspective on herself!

Finding My Voice is a coming of age story about a Korean teen who is bullied by her peers because of her race and struggling with how best to fit in to a traditional Korean values and expectations paired with living a typical American teen's life. The messages of resilience are timeless. That being said, I didn't truly connect with this book. I found the narrative to be a bit simplistic and the dialogue didn't flow naturally. I also didn't feel much emotion from any of the characters. Because of that I rate this 3 stars / 5.

Advanced reader copy provided courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is such an important read. I didn't realize that this book was a reprint of an already published book but the themes and messages of the book are still very much relevant to today. Even if I am not an asian american immigrant, I could still relate to the main character, as we are both asians and I really enjoyed seeing the similarities between me and the main character. This is a fairly short book and it was so easy to read, although I have to admit some parts of the book felt rushed. With all that being said, I would definitely recommend this book and I think this is a book that should be read by everyone.

Finding my Voice was a fine read, and as an Asian American immigrant, I could really relate to some of it — namely, being pushed by your parents to succeed in school for a better life, and only realizing later that it wasn’t because they were strict. I was fortunate enough to live in a more diverse area than Ellen, and that it wasn’t the 90’s, but so much of these feelings really resonated with me.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

At first, I was excited to read this book and I went into it not knowing that it was a reprint of a book published in the 90's. I was still content reading it! Many of the themes present in the book are still part of our world. The racism that Ellen experiences, trying to please parents, and the struggles of fitting in are all experienced by our teens today. I think that's what makes the book so compelling even now. The afterward was important as it gave the author's notes on why the text wasn't updated to 2020. I think this is still a novel that would reach some students. Finding your own face on a book and knowing the story inside is comparable to their own is so important for teenagers and all young children. It's all about seeing yourself inside of a book that others are reading and connecting to it.

While the novel did feel rushed, I think it hit on what the author was trying to say. Our lives might be slightly different than they were then, but we still experience highs and lows. Ellen was a joy to read as she went through her senior year.

Seemed short story so may be reason not a lot of depth of character or plot. Disappointing is that Ellen doesn't stand up to the bullies though some of it stops because of her relationship with the white boy, Tomper. Being the only Asian-American in a all white school is tough. Need students to back her up to make some tension in the story. Girls are portrayed as very typical girls.

The story was mediocre when it could have been stimulating due to the subject matter. Despite the title of the book, Ellen never learns to find her voice. She remains quiet and internally breaks apart at the racism, sexism, and discrimination thrown at her. I haven't been in her shoes and cannot judge her reactions, but I kept rooting for her as the story progressed to stick up to her bullies. But that didn't happen until one incident at the end. I'm a firm believer in karma and letting people get what they deserve, and I didn't agree with how Ellen handled the incident.

The summary is misleading since it lets the reader think this is a forbidden romance mixed with a quest for parental approval. Tomper (what kind of name is that?) and Ellen kiss once at a party at the beginning of the book and then he ignores her and dates another girl until the 70% mark where he decides he likes Ellen again. I didn't like his character since he was quite rude and unintelligent in several occasions (not to Ellen but to other classmates). He also magically never heard any of the racist words spewed at Ellen despite standing right beside her.

This read as a stream of consciousness since each chapter depicted chronological stories of Ellen's senior year of high school. The majority of the book was filled with Ellen studying to make all As, weighing the pros and cons of going to Harvard, and going to parties with Jessie, and I honestly wasn't impressed since I was looking for something more in depth.

I have never related to a character until now. As an Asian-American, I have dealt with the racism and pressures of school. The romance between Ellen and Tomper was adorable and to see that race didn’t affect the relationship.

This book follows Ellen through the typical struggles of high school with the added stress of being Asian-American in a small town with small minded people. I thought the message of how people who aren’t white in America can be treated was portrayed well, but the writing style was sometimes too simplistic and lacked depth. Overall a good read.

I read a lot of YA fiction, and within this genre, a fair amount of Asian YA fiction, including books written by Korean-American authors. I looked forward to reading this book but found it to be a disappointment. The characters were one dimensional and the events quite predictable. I didn't see the character development that I had hoped for, and I failed to be drawn into the story. While I understand the author's purpose - that of showing the life and circumstances of Ellen, the protagonist, there was not enough to truly take on racism or other dimensions of societal issues that can be so well explicated through YA.

I so wish I'd known about and read this book when it was first published. Like the protagonist, Ellen, I was also the daughter of immigrant Asian parents at a pre-dominantly white high school during the nineties. Much of what Ellen experienced resonated with me: not speaking up when racist comments were directed at me, immediately noticing other Asian Americans in the room (because it was so rare), transitioning from the term "oriental" to "Asian American," and feeling torn between two cultures. I especially appreciate that Lee addresses these Asian American themes in a way that doesn't feel forced, didactic, or tied up neatly in the end. This story also captures why I love YA fiction so much—there's something so rewarding and beautiful about the years when everything is both incredibly daunting and also rife with possibilities. But what I enjoyed most of all were the complexities in Ellen's relationships with her parents, sister, friends, and teachers—they are well-drawn, speak across cultures and ring true still today.

I didn't realize that Finding My Voice by Marie Myung-Ok Lee was a rerelease until I was reading the afterward. But what does that say about the book? The themes are universal. The racism that the main character Ellen experiences in her insular community feels entirely contemporary. The struggle that she goes through to decide if she wants to appease her parents or follow her own path can be empathized with by anyone who has survived their teen years. It's almost a lyrical narrative, going through the seasons of her year in an earnest, confessional style. This is a quick read, but one that had a lot of pay off. It will be heavily recommended by me.

Review to be posted on Instagram upon publication.

3.5 STARS - Finding my Voice is written is slightly choppy. This book isn't one that has an even flow in which the reader follows Ellen’s life; rather, this book jumps from scene to scene. While in the beginning, it took some getting used to, a few chapters in the writing style started to feel less choppy. The writing style also reads just a little younger than what is traditionally published in today’s YA literature. It could be that the way this book is written may have been how most of YA was written in the early 90s (though I can't be sure as I haven't read many YA books written in the 90s).

A big theme of this book is racism and though we do see Ellen have to deal with it, this book could have delved just a little deeper into to subject. The way it was touched on felt pretty surface level. Though it is understandable if Marie Myung-Ok Lee did this intentionally in hopes to keep this book light-hearted while still sharing an important message.

Lastly, it would have been nice to have been to have seen just a little more growth from Ellen. This book is quite literally titled “Finding my Voice” and while Ellen did technically find hers, I wish we saw more from Ellen in terms of growth and using her voice against racism.

I did very much enjoy the representation of being a first-generation American. Sometimes it hard to know your place or figure out where you truly belong when you are of one culture while living in the land of another culture.
“Like Homer’s Odysseus, my parents set sail from home to a new land. Maybe like Odysseus, one day they’ll return home. But where will I go? Born on the journey, I’m not sure where I belong.”

I also appreciate Marie Myung-Ok Lee including the immigrant experience from Ellen's parents’ perspective and the short look the reader gets into their life, fears and experience.

As a person of color and first-generation American, I found there to be many relatable quotes throughout this book that I highlighted. Though I think this book may have a larger impact on me if I had read it when I was younger, I am still very appreciative of it and am glad to have read it now.

**Thank you to Marie Myung-Ok Lee, Soho Press / Soho Teen and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review**

Full Review: https://fatimahthereader.wordpress.com/2020/07/30/book-review-finding-my-voice/

Finding My Voice tells the story of "Ellen" Sung, a Korean girl living in Arkin, Minnesota. Ellen struggles with being 'different' (read being Asian in an all-white community), racist people, and the academic expectations of her parents. She tries to find her voice when facing bullies, as well as her parents.

I thought the story was super fast-paced. Rather than following Ellen from day-to-day it tells us different instances of her life. It was a light-read about Ellen's last few months of high school with some romance, but also some important underlying themes.

What is very interesting about this book is that it was first published in 1992, which I did not realize upon reading it at first. It is both interesting and saddening to see that what happened almost thirty years ago is still relevant today since racism is still very much present in society today.

This book was such a great little surprise - I am glad it's being republished - I can't believe it was first published before I was born! I liked the insight into the early nineties through the eyes of a Korean-American teenager, Ellen.

Ellen is the younger sister of Michelle, who is currently studying at Harvard University. There is a lot of pressure for Ellen to also get into Harvard to study pre-med, but Ellen isn't quite sure what she wants. I really empathised with Ellen's confidence issues when it came to her academics. She doesn't feel like she's as smart as her sister, and thinks her sister was a lot more dedicated than she is which isn't exactly true. Ellen also enjoys high school gymnastics, but her parents' expectations means she can't always attend practice which puts her place on the team at risk.

Ellen faces so much racism whilst at school, and is called all sorts of racial slurs. The teachers don't really do anything to help, and even contribute themselves. Ellen was so mature about all of it, but she shouldn't have to go through that.

The romance between Ellen and popular guy Tomper is definitely a side plot, as it should be. It was cute and unexpected.

Overall I liked this book a lot. It's short but definitely tells a great story. I wish Ellen had found her voice just that little bit more, but the story ended in the most realistic way.

**Originally Published in 1992**
cw // anti-asian racism, racial violence
It was good, but not exactly what I was expecting. It reads as a super dated contemporary novel and while the themes transcend time, the way the overt racism is presented just doesn't translate into modern times very well. It might just be me being lucky, but I have NEVER heard the phrases used against our main character and I grew up in a super racist state. It doesn't mean they didn't happen of course, but maybe the awful terminology has shifted? I think marketing it as a historical contemporary would make it make more sense instead of pretending it's a modern day contemporary.

Concept // ★★★★★★★
Arc of the Characters // ★★★★
Writing Style // ★★★★
Plot & Pacing // ★★★★★★
Intrigue // ★★★★
Logic & Lore // ★★★★★
Overall Enjoyment // ★★★

I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley — thank you so much for this opportunity. I was also reading this ARC for #Koreadathon, which was quite exciting!

Finding My Voice is getting a revival after several years, making it one of the most iconic own voices novels of our time. It follows Ellen Sung, a high school senior on her way to college. With the struggles of strict parents, racism in her predominantly white town, and teachers who single her out for no reason, the experience of getting into the college she wants and achieving her goals seems impossible. What will she do to get through it all?

I really enjoyed this novel! I thought that it was very well thought out and it brought light to the current level of racism that Asian-Americans experience. The overgeneralisation and hate speech that occurs was very realistic and I thought was dealt with in a manner that fit the character arc of Ellen well. Additionally, I liked the relationships that were developed in the novel. I think that I would have liked more insight into being a Korean-American, and more cultural knowledge in this book, but otherwise, I thought it was a solid read!

I found this book to be heartwarming and perfect! As tye main character Ellen is trying to juggle her parents high expectations, get the guy she has a crush on, all while dealing wity racism in her community... It made for a refreshing read.

Although, there were times I wish she would stand up for herself when she was bullied... I felt like she found her voice a little too late. Her getting everything at the end was nice, considering that in real life, it isn't always this way, but nonetheless... I enjoyed reading this book that shines a light on the racism that exists in other places.

Thanks Netgalley, the author and the publisher for granting me the chance to read this book