Front Desk (Front Desk #1) (Scholastic Gold)

by Kelly Yang

He kept saying, “It’s a free country. I can do whatever I want.” I wanted to shake him and say, You’re not getting it! That’s not what “free” means! Free means innocent until proven guilty, not guilty no matter how innocent.

There’s a saying in Chinese that goes “Never forget how much rice you eat.” It’s a reminder to stay humble, to stay real. Just because you have an important job doesn’t mean you’re better than everybody else. You still eat rice, like the rest of us.