I listened to and read this book. One of the best books of the year, in my opinion. The author nails all subjects and themes, from racism to anxiety to familial pressure to the love of a sibling to grief. The best part was May and her friends, taking back the narrative and learning to listen to each other while adjusting to a new normal after the suicide of her older brother. Not only does the author address the feelings of the parents and May, she address the friends who have lost Danny too. That everyone who was touched by him was affected by his loss and deal with it in their own ways “fake it till you make it.” That the silence of not talking about grief or other issues, is what binds them. Eventually they all earn to TALK to each other about their feelings. There is so much more to write about this book but not enough space. Thank you for the ARC and the chance to read this phenomenal book. ( )

The Silence that Binds is a book which tackles the subject of anti-Asian racism and the dark side of the model minority myth. After May's brother Danny commits suicide, a prominent local businessman accuses her parents of pressuring him to death and all Asian parents in their school district of creating a competitive environment at their high school which threatens the well-being of all students. May is horrified and outraged by his remarks at a school meeting in front of her and her family, as well as other Asian parents. She tries to deal with this problem in different ways and learns the hard way that she has been so focused on her issues that she has failed to see the issues faced by other people of color. While the writing is clunky at times and it is hard to believe that May has not seen the prejudice experiences by her Black best friend and her brother (Danny's best friend), her character growth is believable and the outcome is realistic and inspiring. ( )

This book was not what I expected when I first bought it.
I can't say any spoilers, but it is quite sad. It depends what you like reading, I suppose.
Her (Maybelline Chen) brother dies, and she gets kind of depressed. It's about her journey to be okay again. ( )

teen fiction 11th grader deals with grief and loss after her older brother's suicide while her Chinese-American family and her Haitian-American best friends also deal with racism.

The plot makes this book sound like a total downer, and it is very sad--you will definitely bawl your eyes out, but it also does an amazingly brilliant job of discussing racism as it applies to modern teens (and adults). I picked this up because the reviews were good but I definitely did not expect to have such huge admiration for it when I finished. ( )

When I first realized that this book focused heavily on the topic of racism in America, I rolled my eyes at the thought of reading about such politicized subject matter. However, I was pleasantly surprised as I continued to read through the book. The writer did great service to this hot button issue. It was handled with respect to all parties and left one considering the perspectives of those who may not be just like us. In my opinion, this is what a good book is supposed to do. It leaves one thinking well after the book has been finished.

The main character is likeable, and the author really gave me reason to care about her, the situation that she found herself thrust into, and her cause. The secondary characters were also very interesting and well thought out.

The writing itself is straight forward and easy to read. I found myself getting through 30 chapters quickly and without struggle. The rest of the chapters flew by before I realized it as well. One can tell that a lot of thought went into the structure and creation of this story as it is well formed. Overall, I give this book a solid 4.5 stars out of 5. It is a powerful read that I think will easily garner the attention of the intended audience. I will be keeping an eye out for more novels from this particular writer.

I was sent an Advance Reader’s Edition of this book. All thoughts and opinions of this book are my own. ( )