★ 05/09/2022
Tian’s tender debut centers the estranged, stormy, evolving sisterhood of Annalie and Margaret Flanagan following a racist incident. The Flanagan siblings are nothing alike: 17-year-old white-passing Annalie is a sweet, insecure people-pleasing high school student; 19-year-old Margaret, who resembles their Chinese immigrant mother, is an assertive aspiring lawyer in N.Y.C. Raised by Mama after their white father abandoned them years ago, the sisters’ already tense relationship worsens when their family home is vandalized with a racial slur, prompting Margaret to leave her internship in the city and return to Illinois. The sisters disagree on how to move forward. Annalie wants to respect Mama’s wishes and wait for the event to blow over. Margaret, angry at the family’s seeming indifference, begins her own investigation, much to the discomfort of their predominantly white hometown. Their summer spirals as the sisters’ resentment boils over, and when footage of the crime is found, Annalie is torn between seeking reparations and maintaining their town’s relative, if precarious, peace. Tian simultaneously addresses racism’s lasting effects on individual lives while eloquently tackling the uncertainty that teens can face in transitional periods. Told in alternating perspectives, this emotionally layered novel, populated by nuanced characters and culminating in complex resolutions, resonates. Ages 13–up. Agent: Wendy Gu, Sanford J. Greenburger Assoc. (June)
Tian’s tender debut centers the estranged, stormy, evolving sisterhood of Annalie and Margaret Flanagan following a racist incident…. Tian simultaneously addresses racism’s lasting effects on individual lives while eloquently tackling the uncertainty that teens can face in transitional periods. Told in alternating perspectives, this emotionally layered novel, populated by nuanced characters and culminating in complex resolutions, resonates.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“As the sisters grapple with what it means to be mixed race and Asian American in a largely White Midwestern town, when to speak up, and whose expectations they should meet, they also struggle to navigate their relationship with each other. About much more than just racism toward Chinese Americans, this novel deftly tackles the precarious moments surrounding the end of high school and the beginning of college when romantic and familial relationships are complicated, changing, and all-consuming. Quiet yet powerful, complex, and grounded in the reality that nothing will ever be completely resolved.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“While Tian doesn’t shy away from dealing with large and small acts of racial prejudice, the story revolves around the two very different sisters: their personalities, their perceptions, and their evolving connections with each other, their mother, and their friends. An impressive first novel.” — ALA Booklist (starred review)
“Tian’s debut explores our vulnerabilities in the face of change and how we find redemption for our past mistakes." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)
“A radiant YA debut about biracial identity and the complexity of love for people and places. An incisive read.” — Shelf Awareness (starred review)
“Tian crafts a realistic, nuanced coming-of-age tale that deals with questions of identity and self-doubt, internalized racism, sibling rivalry, young love, and microaggressions.” — Horn Book Magazine
“Tender and lovely, This Place is Still Beautiful tells the story of a family forced to face their town—and each other—in the wake of a crime that can’t be ignored. XiXi Tian is an exciting new voice in YA, and this moving debut is not to be missed.” — Nina LaCour, Michael L. Printz Award Winner
“Tian excavates the awkward, ugly truths we avoid, and exposes them with raw emotional honesty and grace. This book made me feel seen in a way that very few books ever have. I found myself nodding and saying, 'Yes, that’s so true!' over and over again.” — Misa Sugiura, author of This Time Will Be Different
Tian excavates the awkward, ugly truths we avoid, and exposes them with raw emotional honesty and grace. This book made me feel seen in a way that very few books ever have. I found myself nodding and saying, 'Yes, that’s so true!' over and over again.
Tender and lovely, This Place is Still Beautiful tells the story of a family forced to face their town—and each other—in the wake of a crime that can’t be ignored. XiXi Tian is an exciting new voice in YA, and this moving debut is not to be missed.
07/01/2022
Gr 9 Up—This novel takes on one summer, two sisters, and an act of vandalism that will change everything. Annalie and Margaret are not the closest siblings, especially now that Margaret is away in college while Annalie is about to start her senior year of high school. Raised in a small Illinois town by their Chinese single mother, the three have a distant but courteous relationship. Their mom refuses to acknowledge their white dad who left early in their lives, and the girls navigate being biracial differently: Margaret has more obvious Asian features, while Annalie is white-passing. All is well until a racial slur is painted across their house. When Margaret returns to her hometown, she experiences the same passive-aggressiveness she gladly left behind, while Annalie is just trying to get through the summer and hopefully get close to her crush. Is this act of racism a reflection of everyone the girls know? Are they overreacting by calling the police? This story is told in alternating points of view, and a takeaway is how people of the same ethnicity live their realities based on their outward appearances. The girls and their mother also react differently towards the attack, be it wanting justice or wanting the attention to go away. Tian does an excellent job of portraying life in a small town for a minority, mined with microaggressions but with an undisputable love for their home. The characters are relatable, the plot flows well, and overall, this is a fantastic story. VERDICT A great purchase for all high school collections.—Carol Youssif
Katharine Chin and Cindy Kay’s narrations bear witness to the experiences of two biracial Chinese-American sisters. Chin narrates the chapters from 17-year-old Annalie’s point of view. She captures Annalie’s sassy humor and playful spirit as her years-long crush is finally getting a response. But everything changes with her discovery of a racial slur spray-painted on her family’s house. Chin reflects Annalie’s dismay as she considers this act. Kay’s narration has a more mature tone, which is perfect for the point of view of older sister Margaret, an activist who returns home to identify the vandals. Gradually, Kay reflects the emergence of Margaret’s gentler, more loving self. This audiobook examines a range of complex issues and emotions, which both narrators deliver well. S.W. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Katharine Chin and Cindy Kay’s narrations bear witness to the experiences of two biracial Chinese-American sisters. Chin narrates the chapters from 17-year-old Annalie’s point of view. She captures Annalie’s sassy humor and playful spirit as her years-long crush is finally getting a response. But everything changes with her discovery of a racial slur spray-painted on her family’s house. Chin reflects Annalie’s dismay as she considers this act. Kay’s narration has a more mature tone, which is perfect for the point of view of older sister Margaret, an activist who returns home to identify the vandals. Gradually, Kay reflects the emergence of Margaret’s gentler, more loving self. This audiobook examines a range of complex issues and emotions, which both narrators deliver well. S.W. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
★ 2022-03-29
When their home is targeted in a racist attack, two sisters must deal with the aftermath and consequences.
Nineteen-year-old Margaret and 17-year-old Annalie Flanagan both grew up in the same Illinois town, raised by their Chinese mother after their Irish American father left when they were young. Despite these shared experiences, it often seems like they couldn’t be more different. While Annalie wants to blend in and keep her head down, Margaret keeps finding new causes to champion and new wrongs to right. People constantly comment on how they don’t look alike, as Margaret appears more Asian. When Margaret leaves for college in New York City, Annalie finally has the chance to live outside her sister’s shadow, until a racist incident brings Margaret back to town. As the sisters grapple with what it means to be mixed race and Asian American in a largely White Midwestern town, when to speak up, and whose expectations they should meet, they also struggle to navigate their relationship with each other and the ways in which they are different—and similar. About much more than just racism toward Chinese Americans, this novel deftly tackles the precarious moments surrounding the end of high school and the beginning of college, when romantic and familial relationships are complicated, changing, and all-consuming.
Quiet yet powerful, complex, and grounded in the reality that nothing will ever be completely resolved. (Fiction. 14-adult)
