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For children in Uganda to have been kidnapped to fight with militia in a civil war, eating nothing but a handful of dry beans everyday, building huts for warlords and sleeping under lightning storms…this is an astonishing story that everyone should read.

This is more of a caricature than satire of a white who shamelessly steals (appropriates, then colonizes), her dead Asian friend’s novel about Chinese laborers during WWI. Such a clever conceit. So far my only criticism would be that there is nothing redeeming about June, no subtleties or nuances or depth in her character — just a narcissistic and insecure thief. But she is a great mascot for “orientalism”

Um, a lot of the tennis in here is described incorrectly and the jargon and tennis parts of the plot feel inauthentic. It’s like author was playing tennis mad libs to give her protagonist a motive, but lacked a passion for or understanding of the sport. Maybe because I play tennis somewhat seriously, and am a fan of the sport, I am hung up on the bad writing. (Contrast this, e.g., with Open, Agassi’s memoir).