The Land of Forgotten Girls

For part of my library's summer reading program, there's a "Read Woke" challenge, encouraging us to read books by diverse voices. When looking for a book from an Asian-American voice, I came across The Land of Forgotten Girls, by Erin Entrada Kelly. (I have read and enjoyed her books Hello, Universe and You Go First as well.) This book is about Soledad and her younger sister Ming, who came to Louisana with their dad and stepmom after their mother's death in the Phillippines. When their dad returns to the Phillippines for a funeral and never comes back, the girls are left in the hands of their cruel stepmom and must learn to survive.

This was a beautifully written book but also quite heartbreaking. The story kept me interested, and I loved the funny set of characters created by the author. I admired Sol's determined spirit and dedication to protecting her sister. I loved watching her use her imagination to think about better things than the life she was living, especially since it was her mother who taught her about imagination and stories as a young child. Overall, it was a kind of sad book but perhaps realistic--and it showed that there are always good people in the world who are looking out for each other.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)