Dragon Chica by May-Lee Chai
A family survives the horror of the killing fields of Pol Pot in Cambodia in the 1970's, or at least part of a family survives and, finally, in the 1980’s, reaches the United States. The widowed mother and her five children move from place to place, having financial difficulties wherever they go, and facing cultural misunderstandings from those who know nothing of Cambodia or Cambodians.
The family (of Chinese ethnicity) eventually finds itself in Nebraska, where the mother and older children work in a Chinese restaurant owned by relatives, once the wealthy and proud parents of lovely children. Now they have no children and little money. There are cultural difficulties and also family secrets.
The main character, Nea Chhim, goes from age eleven to nineteen in the course of this novel. She is fierce, smart, and loyal, as she must be to surmount all of the difficulties that the family faces. She is also, like many immigrant children, the cultural "translator" between her mother and American customers and authorities.
Some of the topics of the book include racism against Asians, bullying, arranged marriages, and the difficulties of immigrant children who live in two cultures with two languages.
This is a young adult book, recommended for high intermediate ESL students.
Below is an excerpt from the book, read by the author:
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