Finally Seen

by Kelly Yang

I feel my whole body relax at being understood. A great book says all the words for you that you’ve been holding in, all sewn up inside.

“There’s no set timeline for anything in life.”

There is freedom in truth. Yes, there is pain. But there is also joy. The joy of not being afraid to talk about it… the courage to not erase it.

“Can’t you see? It’s not relatable. It’s not appropriate!” Jessica’s mom cries. My cheeks roast, hearing that. Flea Shop is the most relatable thing I’ve ever read. As for appropriate, if she thinks Flea Shop’s not appropriate, I hate to think of what she thinks about my life.

I view my job as not to push a specific world view, but to prepare children for the future. The future is made up of people from all walks of life, all ethnicities, and, yes, all different colors.” Mrs. Carter glances at Mrs. Scott. “This is a fact. We need simply to go to the Census Bureau to see this fact. Books like Flea Shop are so incredibly valuable because they allow children to step into the shoes of another person from a different culture and understand what they’re going through. I think of reading as giving kids a toolbox for the future.”

For me, this book is mirror. For other kids, it is sliding door.” I turn to the audience. “A door to see real life.”

“The fact that you are able to read what you want, say what you want, and imagine a better future… that’s why we keep going.

My greatest hope in writing this book is to show just how essential books are as sliding doors and mirrors. Because children need and deserve to see themselves represented in books. Because no child should have to carry the same crushing weight of wondering if their life is “normal” that I did as a kid. Because our future depends on it.