THE ADULTS WHO READ YA BOOK CLUB MEETS THE SECOND FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH AT 10:30 AM

American Panda by Gloria Chau

An incisive, laugh-out-loud contemporary debut about a Taiwanese-American teen whose parents want her to be a doctor and marry a Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer despite her squeamishness with germs and crush on a Japanese classmate.

At seventeen, Mei should be in high school, but skipping fourth grade was part of her parents' master plan. Now a freshman at MIT, she is on track to fulfill the rest of this predetermined future: become a doctor, marry a preapproved Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer, produce a litter of babies.

With everything her parents have sacrificed to make her cushy life a reality, Mei can't bring herself to tell them the truth--that she (1) hates germs, (2) falls asleep in biology lectures, and (3) has a crush on her classmate Darren Takahashi, who is decidedly not Taiwanese.

But when Mei reconnects with her brother, Xing, who is estranged from the family for dating the wrong woman, Mei starts to wonder if all the secrets are truly worth it. Can she find a way to be herself, whoever that is, before her web of lies unravels?

From debut author Gloria Chao comes a hilarious, heartfelt tale of how unlike the panda, life isn't always so black and white.

The Adults Who Read YA Book Club meets to discuss any and all genres of young adult literature. Characters, themes, symbols, and the intersection of fiction and real life are all up for lively discussion. A bonus ingredient is the critical perspective of several writers in the group. Anyone interested in joining can email:

Mary (mary.malhotra@gmail.com) or Ozma (ozriley3@gmail.com), or simply attend a meeting.