One of the first books I had the pleasure of reviewing for the International Examiner was Alma Presses Play by Tina Cane. I was then lucky enough to attend the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) conference in Seattle in 2023. While at AWP, I met Tina Cane. She was full of warmth, and remembered my review of Alma Presses Play. As a new writer at my first big writing event, it was moving to have an established author recognize my work. As we talked, she mentioned that she had been in her hotel room for most of the conference, working on edits for her next book. I am excited to now review this book: Are You Nobody Too?
Are You Nobody Too? is a middle grade novel which takes its title from an Emily Dickinson poem (260). The book centers around Emily Sofer’s eighth grade year. Emily is used to standing out, she has been the only Chinese student in her private middle school, and was adopted into a white family. However, when money becomes tight during the pandemic, Emily has to transfer to a public school. This school has mostly Chinese students and her parents think it will be good for Emily to get in touch with her ethnic heritage. Unfortunately, Emily ends up feeling more alone than ever.
During a fateful lunch in the library—a relatable occurrence for any lonely middle school student—Emily happens upon a collection of Emily Dickinson’s poems. She feels an instant connection because of their names. As the year passes by Emily reads the poems and finds connection in Dickinson’s words even though they were written 200 years ago.
Cane is a poet, and it is evident in the lyrical way she writes. The book is a story split over many poems. Emily Dickinson is well known for her prolific use of dashes; Cane’s verses are split into smaller chunks using spaces. This method feels similar to Dickinson’s use of dashes, and is a further connection between living in the 21st century and reading Dickinson’s poetry from the 19th century.
Throughout Are You Nobody Too? Emily deals with loneliness, new friends, growing up, and the pandemic. Cane captures the difficulty of being a teen in many different perspectives. One of the big conflicts in Emily’s life is figuring out how she fits in to the world. She’s Chinese but her family is white. At her new school she feels out of place for not knowing Mandarin, and feels an extra pressure to be the best in her language class because of her ethnicity. Through all of these conflicts, the writing of Emily Dickinson helps ground Emily. Another source of comfort is the I Ching a Chinese divination text that Emily’s mom introduces to her. These texts help connect Emily to herself, new friends, and her family.
The connections we have with other people can help us feel the most content in life. Cane writes about the way the COVID-19 pandemic separated loved ones, and the way changes in our lives causes separation as well. Even though I went to middle school many years before the COVID-19 pandemic, I felt a similar loneliness to Emily when I moved from Texas to Washington during middle school. I am sure middle schoolers of today will find a friend in Emily Sofer, just like she connected to Emily Dickinson. This book encourages readers to be curious and look into books at their library. Even if those books are from hundreds of years ago, their messages may still ring true.
This book was a delight to read. I read it during a storm that caused a multi-day power outage in my neighborhood. The silver lining of the storm was that it gave me many hours to keep reading this book. Tina Cane’s second novel-in-verse speaks to many aspects of pre-teen life, and treats all the issues with respect. She does not belittle these problems even if they are teenage problems, she writes in a way that will have readers of any age relate to the characters of the book. The loss of the pandemic is treated with solemnity and respect as well. This is the first fiction book I have read that takes place in a world with this pandemic, and I admire how Cane has weaved it into the story. Grief is a difficult emotion, especially to experience as you grow up. Cane writes with respect to those who have lost people and experiences due to the pandemic. I’m glad that middle-grade readers will have this book to help guide them through challenging emotions and times such as these, especially since we are still feeling effects of COVID-19 today.
Tina Cane is a force in both her poetry books and her young adult novels-in-verse. She writes books that showcase characters from mixed heritage which provides readers with opportunities to identify with that they may not find in classic middle-grade novels. I am excited to read whatever Cane writes next. This is her second YA book; she has also written three poetry books.
Elinor Serumgard is a poet, artist, and book reviewer from Issaquah, WA. Elinor graduated from Western Washington University in 2022 with a degree in Creative Writing. For more of their work, please see elinorserumgard.com
