Patty Ho is a hapa (Taiwanese/Caucasian) teenager who is stuck in the middle of a very whitebread community. Her mother constantly lectures her – both wanting the best for her and wanting the best from her. Patty hates being mixed. She’s not white enough to be white, and she’s not Asian enough to be Asian, so she feels like she’s always on the fringe of things. Patty’s big plans for the summer include getting a summer job and drooling over a certain high school hottie she’s got a crush on. All o

Patty Ho is a hapa (Taiwanese/Caucasian) teenager who is stuck in the middle of a very whitebread community. Her mother constantly lectures her – both wanting the best for her and wanting the best from her. Patty hates being mixed. She’s not white enough to be white, and she’s not Asian enough to be Asian, so she feels like she’s always on the fringe of things. Patty’s big plans for the summer include getting a summer job and drooling over a certain high school hottie she’s got a crush on. All of this changes when she sees Belly-button Grandma, a fortuneteller who can read her future – from her bellybutton. After that, Patty’s mother decides that the best place for Patty is Math camp at Stanford University – about the last thing on earth Patty wants to do.



Math camp turns out to be a really good place for Patty, though. She makes some new friends, gets to hobnob with other Asian students, and discovers that she’s considered quite attractive and exotic – outside her hometown. And before her mother shows up and mortifies her in public, Patty also has – for the very first time – a boyfriend. Turns out he’s not the one. But with her new self confidence, Patty’s able and eager to tell him off. She also uncovers some secrets about her family which help her understand her mother a lot better. All in all, Patty Ho makes a lot of progress for one teen over one summer.



This was a great coming into one’s own story. I’m happy to see “hapa” becoming a mainstream word to describe Asian/Caucasian mixes. There are lots of other books about the second generation – children of immigrant parents – and how their experience of being American is different from their parents,’ but this one was particularly humorous and engaging. There are plenty of amusing moments here where Patty just has to endure whatever lesson her mother is trying to pound into her brain. For instance, there are several installments of the “Mama Lecture Series,” which all begin with a summary of this genre of lecture, with specifics that follow.



“The Mama Lecture Series

“Lecture 1: You Have It So Easy



“Greetings and welcome to The Mama Lecture Series, brought to you by the first-generation Mamas who left the Old Country for Brand-New America. But first, a message from our proud sponsors. While audience participation, such as talking back, is forbidden, tears of guilt and effusive apologies are more than welcome. Please be advised that there is no need for copious note-taking. These lectures are freely given at every possible opportunity. And we do mean, Every. Possible. Opportunity. Thank you so much and enjoy the show.



“’You have it so easy,’ Mama repeats, jabbing her chopsticks in the air at me with each point she makes, not caring that her voice is escalating or that everyone in the restaurant is watching. ‘Whenever you want something, you hold your hand out. You need a new book? I give it to you.’ Jab. ‘You need, you need. When I was little, we so poor even though my father was dentist. But who could pay him? Not with money…’” and so on (p.12)