Age 16

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Title:

Age 16

Alternate title:

Age sixteen

Author:

Fung, Rosena, author, illustrator.

Summary:

"The path to the future starts in the past. Guangdong, 1954. Sixteen-year-old Mei Laan longs for a future of freedom, and her beauty may be the key to getting it. Could an arranged marriage in Hong Kong be the answer to all her problems? Hong Kong, 1972. Sixteen-year-old Lydia wants nothing more than to dance and to gain approval from her mother, who is largely absent and sharply critical, especially about Lydia's looks. Maybe her way to happiness is starting over in Toronto? Toronto, 2000. Sixteen-year-old Roz is grappling with who she wants to be in the world. The only thing she is certain of is that if she were thinner, things would be better. How can she start living her life, instead of just photographing it? When Roz's estranged por por abruptly arrives for a seemingly indefinite visit, three generations are now under one roof. Delicate relationships are suddenly upended, and long-suppressed family secrets begin to surface." -- Back cover

Physical Description:

311 pages : chiefly color illustrations ; 24 cm

Genre:

Coming-of-age comics.

Domestic comics.

Graphic novels.

Historical comics.

Subject Term:

Teenage girls -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Mothers and daughters -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Families -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Conflict of generations -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Eating disorders -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Body image -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Self-acceptance -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Asian Americans -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Publisher:

Annick Press,

Publication Date:

2024

ISBN:

9781773218335

9781773218342

Publication Information:

Toronto ; Berkeley : Annick Press, [2024]

Call Number:

YA FUNG

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003754598	New Young Adult Graphic Novels	FUNG	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Best Books of the Year, The Globe and Mail

Most Anticipated Feminist Books of 2024, Ms. magazine

A powerful coming-of-age graphic novel about how mothers and daughters pass down--and rebel against--standards of size, gender, race, beauty, and worth.

Guangdong, 1954 Sixteen-year-old Mei Laan longs for a future of freedom, and her beauty may be the key to getting it. Can an arranged marriage in Hong Kong be the answer to all her problems?

Hong Kong, 1972 Sixteen-year-old Lydia wants nothing more than to dance and to gain approval from her mother, who is largely absent and sharply critical, especially about the way she looks. Maybe her way to happiness is starting over in Toronto?

Toronto, 2000 Sixteen-year-old Roz is grappling with who she wants to be in the world. The only thing she is certain of is that if she were thinner, things would be better. How can she start living her life, instead of just photographing it?

When Roz's estranged por por abruptly arrives for a seemingly indefinite visit, three generations are now under one roof. Delicate relationships are suddenly upended, and long-suppressed family secrets begin to surface.

Award-winning creator of Living With Viola Rosena Fung pulls from her own family history in her YA debut to give us an emotional and poignant story about how every generation is affected by those that came before, and affect those that come after.

"Moving and emotional." --Victoria Ying, Harvey Award-winning author of Hungry Ghost

"Crucial." --Deb JJ Lee, creator of In Limbo

"Beautiful." --Fiona Smyth, illustrator of Sex Is a Funny Word

Content Warning: body image, disordered eating.

Author Notes

ROSENA FUNG is an illustrator and comic artist from Toronto, Ontario. Her work has been shortlisted for the Silver Birch Award, and her favorite things are reading, cats, and eating snacks.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 10 Up--It's 2000, 1972, and 1954 in this graphic novel that is as much a historical snapshot of these time periods for an Asian teen as it is about how the teen experience is universal. Rosalind, Lydia, and Mei Laan center each of these years with their experiences of growing up female with cultural, gender, and generational expectations thrust upon them. Their reactions move the narrative forward in time and slowly reveal how the three stories interweave. The plot setup is similar to Alan Gratz's Refugee, which also fluidly navigates several time periods and stories that eventually interconnect, but Fung's book has the added benefit of using art to enhance the narrative. Color is the defining feature of each time and place; when one of the colors appears in another time line, Fung's cleverness manifests exponentially. The creator's lived experiences seep into the story; the emotional weight of each of the teens' lives at a tender age is captured with authenticity and realism. Topics like body image and PTSD are delicately but deliberately confronted, as is the mother-daughter dynamic. However, equally recognizable are events like prom and maintaining friendships. VERDICT Getting to see three lives unfold in different locations and times is a gift Fung eloquently unwraps in this graphic novel that increases the visibility of AAPI stories in books for teens.--Alicia Abdul

Publisher's Weekly Review

Using alternating POVs set in three timelines, Fung (Living with Viola) crafts a poignant tale of generational strife, rebellion, and self-acceptance, inspired by the creator's family history. In 2000 Toronto--rendered in bright fuchsia hues--Chinese Canadian 16-year-old Roz wants to be thin. Her mother, Lydia, often chastises her about her eating habits, claiming that she knows all too well what it's like to be a "big girl." Soft orange washes then depict 1972 Hong Kong, during which 16-year-old Lydia's passion for dance is repeatedly shot down by her critical mother Mei Laan, who insists that Lydia should be searching for a husband. Then, in a teal-toned 1954 Guandong, 16-year-old Mei Laan longs to be free from the political and economic instability of her home; Mei Laan's upcoming arranged marriage brings about lasting consequences that all three generations must confront in 2000 upon her unexpected arrival to Toronto. Tensions run high as the family contends with secrets, beauty standards, and their own self-worth. Via emotional character interactions, Fung emphasizes the internal conflict each of the family members experience as their stories overlap, adding resounding depth to this powerful and vividly illustrated graphic novel. Ages 12--up. (July)