The Comeback, by E. L. Shen, is a great snuggle up and read book. Maxine Chen, the main character, is strong, independent and hardworking. She is practicing for a figure skating competition but someone gets in her way.
Alex Macreesy.
He tries to pressure her to do his math homework because of her Chinese identity. Maxine feels horrible and then watches videos to create a double lid above her eyes, the kind most European people have. Even though this might seem too intense to adults, this book is really great for those eight year old and up.
All of Maxine’s struggles remind me about what is going on today. There have been a lot of anti-Asian hate crimes. What is happening in the book is much like the ones happening now, except less violent. Maxine manages to be strong through most of it, and we need to be strong now.
Maxine finds support and strength on the ice. Her struggles melt away into a blur as she spins and glides in the rink.
I can connect with Maxine by letting my problems flow away doing something I love. I’ve been dancing since the age of four. I love dance so much and can understand letting myself go participating in a passion. Most of us can deal with hard times such as racism and/or oppression by expressing ourselves in our own certain choice of art form.
I enjoyed this book very much, and would definitely recommend it. There is so much packed into this one book. You read about friendship, passion, racism, confidence and much, much more! Even if you are not into ice skating, you will still like this book.
