Lauren is a Korean-American teenager, who was adopted when she was a year old. Being Asian her eyes are slightly different from everyone else in her class. Her best friend tells her she has beautiful eyes, but some of the boys in her class disagree. They call her derogatory names such as "Slant" and "Gook". After a long time of listening to their racial comments, Lauren finally has enough money to pay for a special eye surgery. This surgery will deepen the crease of her eyes to make her look like everyone else in her class. When she finally has her father's agreement on the surgery she has to make the decision: should she undergo the surgery and hope she obtains confidence and the popularity that she desires, or can she obtain the confidence she needs in herself without such drastic steps?
I thought this book faced a very important issue, discrimination. By Laura E. Williams having Lauren face teasing because of her race, she connects her book with anyone who feels different. I thought it was particularly interesting how Lauren feels that she needs to be so drastic in her way to overcome her emotional conflict. While the book deals with a very heavy topic, it reads very quickly. I thought this book shed light on an issue that some people did not realize existed.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Plesset, Maryland USA
