A William C. Morris Award Finalist
A New York Public Library Best Book for Teens of 2017
A Junior Library Guild Selection
âAn empowering novel that will speak to many mixed-race teens.â âPublishers Weekly (starred review)
âDazzling.â âBustle
âOne of the most compelling reads of the year.â âPaste Magazine
âThis book is a gem.â âBookRiot
A half-Japanese teen grapples with social anxiety and her narcissist mother in the wake of a crushing rejection from art school in this âstunningly beautiful, highly nuanced debutâ (Booklist, starred review).
Kiko Himura has always had a hard time saying exactly what sheâs thinking. With a mother who makes her feel unremarkable and a half-Japanese heritage she doesnât quite understand, Kiko prefers to keep her head down, certain that once she makes it into her dream art school, Prism, her real life will begin.
But then Kiko doesnât get into Prism, at the same time her abusive uncle moves back in with her family. So when she receives an invitation from her childhood friend to leave her small town and tour art schools on the west coast, Kiko jumps at the opportunity in spite of the anxieties and fears that attempt to hold her back. And now that she is finally free to be her own person outside the constricting walls of her home life, Kiko learns life-changing truths about herself, her past, and how to be brave.
From debut author Akemi Dawn Bowman comes a luminous, heartbreaking story of identity, family, and the beauty that emerges when we embrace our true selves.