![]() ![]() It wasn’t always easy to read about her journey, but my heart is so glad that I did. Pan beautifully depicts grief in all its complexities: the numbing sadness, the rage, the confusion, and, most hauntingly. Through Leigh’s journey to Taiwan she experiences some difficult moments, but they are also the most insightful of her life. The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan does a magnificent job bringing art and grief to life. ![]() ![]() TIME included The Astonishing Color of After on its list 'The 100 Best YA Books of All Time. Leigh’s visceral desire to discover her roots and hold onto her mother is achingly realistic and human. The Astonishing Color of After ’s Asian-American cultural representation, as well as depiction of topics such as mental health and teen suicide, has led to critical and scholarly discussion of the novels pedagogical value. ![]() Through a series of strange sightings and gifts, Leigh becomes convinced a beautiful red talking bird is really her mother, calling her to seek her heritage. It’s a remarkable examination of love, loss and family, written with a dash of magic and some of the most vividly beautiful language I have read. “Liberty, this book sounds so sad!” Well, it IS sad. Set adrift by her devastation, Leigh shuts herself off from the world. Kissing her longtime bff Axel in his basement was the biggest event in Leigh Chen Sanders’ life so far, until she gets home and learns her mother has taken her own life. ![]()
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