Whitcoulls Recommends: Boring Asian Female and A Place to Stand

Boring Asian Female by Canwen Xu. This is narrated by Elizabeth Zhang who is a driven,100 percent focused student at Columbia University, desperate to make the right path for herself for which she believes admission into Harvard Law School is a necessity. She’s completely shocked when she doesn’t get in and can’t believe that one of her classmates, Laura Kim, did - and becomes obsessed with Laura, trying to figure out what she has that Elizabeth doesn’t. Anyone who enjoyed Rebecca Kuang’s Yellowface will love this. A Place to Stand by Clare Ward. Clare is a GP who has spent more than 30 years practising in the Hokianga, in Northland. She’s acutely aware of being Pākehā in a Māori world, having gone there knowing next to nothing about te ao māori and developing a deep respect for the traditions and beliefs which make up that world. This is a real insight into a place and its people from someone who has come to love it there and has a profound appreciation of all that it has taught her. It’s also a really beautiful book - a lovely hardcover with black and white photos throughout.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.