The Silence that Binds Us

Books | Young Adult Fiction / Family / Siblings

4.5

(80)

Joanna Ho

Maybelline Chen isn't the Chinese Taiwanese American daughter her mother expects her to be. May prefers hoodies over dresses and wants to become a writer. When asked, her mom can't come up with one specific reason for why she's proud of her only daughter. May's beloved brother, Danny, on the other hand, has just been admitted to Princeton. But Danny secretly struggles with depression, and when he dies by suicide, May's world is shattered. In the aftermath, racist accusations are hurled against May's parents for putting too much "pressure" on him. May's father tells her to keep her head down. Instead, May challenges these ugly stereotypes through her writing. Yet the consequences of speaking out run much deeper than anyone could foresee. Who gets to tell our stories, and who gets silenced? It's up to May to take back the narrative.

Tearjerkers

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More Details:

Author

Joanna Ho

Pages

448

Publisher

HarperCollins

Published Date

2022-06-14

ISBN

0063059363 9780063059368

Community ReviewsSee all

"3.5 stars - The Silence that Binds Us is such a hard hitting story. All topics covered are so important and prevalent in our world today. However, I think more balance between such heavy topics would have benefited the books. I feel like Danny’s suicide wasn’t as strong of a thread throughout the novel as I thought it would be. I wish more page time had been dedicated to processing that loss. I feel like I could have read 100 more pages of this story because it was so gripping!<br/><br/>Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review."

A C

Alyssa Czernek

"Loved it !!!!!!!"

katiee

"This is a phenomenal book. It is beautifully written and so eye opening. 10/10"

Emma

"probably one of my favorite books, had me sobbing. 5/5"

Z F

Zoe Fan-Shook

"If you enjoy 'You Truly Assumed' by Laila Sabreen, then you need to read this book. This was an amazing story and at times I had to close it because the truth that was written in it regarding racism by people who could not acknowledge they white privilege made me so angry. I am glad that I read it and I hope I can read more stories from Joanna in the future."

K B

Kristin H Bergenstein

"everything in this book was amazing. It had several amazing elements that touched my literal soul. It was absolutely beautiful "

Maria

"Probably my favorite book I've read so far this year. It's heavy but worth the read. "

K S

Karalee Sabo