THIS BOOK gave me so many emotions, I loved this book. It's a book about grief as a sister loses her brother to suicide. It's very relatable to those who are in the Asian community and can understand what it feels like to grow up in one. I thought that there was a good balance between romance here as well, and also bringing up social justice issues as well.

This book provides a much-needed examination of the dark side of the model minority myth and the “tiger mom” stereotype from a teen perspective. The Silence that Binds Us is inspired by a real community’s anti-Asian reaction to teen suicides. The dialogue walks through key tenets of anti-racism and recognizing systemic factors that make it so hard to dismantle, yet provides realistic hope for Gen Z to effect real change in local communities. I appreciate that the book acknowledges passive and active anti-Blackness in the Asian American community; honesty is the only way to leave it behind. Despite its heavy subject matter, it’s still an accessible and exciting read thanks to Joanna Ho’s moving plot and modern style.

This book was extremely hard to get through. So many of the racist comments that were targeted towards May's family and Asian people in this story are also comments I've heard first hand. My high school was majority Asian, therefore I saw all the pressures and the racist remarks directed at us so often. That being said, it made for an incredibly powerful read to watch someone like May and her friends rally people around her to speak back against those remarks. I cried quite a bit towards the end.

I would recommend checking the trigger warnings, as this book has a lot to do with suicide and mental health. I had to take such long breaks when reading this book because the topics were so heavy and relatable to how my friends and I experienced our high school.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

3.5*
Maybelline Chen is Chinese Taiwanese American. She is not bound by the same fears and inhibitions as her parents. She’s a typical American teen who feels she must speak out when she sees injustice. So, when her brother commits suicide and a local businessman makes statements accusing her parents of contributing to the tragedy, she simply can’t stay still.

Ho focuses on the anti-Asian sentiment that is proliferating today. The stereotypes of high-pressure Asian parents who foist their expectations on their children, is one of the targeted topics. Maybelline and her friends will not let social media and anti-Asian sentiments dominate the conversation. They refuse to remain quiet and will address the unfair claims.

The topic is timely and yet somehow the story seems to only scratch the surface of this serious issue.

Sadly this book just didn’t grab as much as I hoped it would. I put it down and picked it up multiple times but I just couldn’t connect with it. Super bummed.

I devoured this book! I could not put it down - the blend of prose and poetry drew me into the narrative. I liked the character's determination as well as the sub plot of her racial awakening. I think the narrative did a great job of humanizing individuals and making their journeys and stories relatable to many readers. Well done! Will be recommending to many friends and students!

Ho's YA debut tackles racism and mental health struggles, with TW for suicide. This necessary book is a gripping story of a family struggling after the loss of a member by suicide.

As an elementary school Librarian, I was familiar with Joanna Ho as the author of "Eyes That Kiss in the Corners" and was very excited to try something geared towards older readers. It definitely hits a lot of "young adult" categories like suicide and language making it more appropriate for a middle or high school library, in which I would not hesitate adding it to my library collection. May is a strong and resilient female character despite the adversity she faces, and her focus on family and doing what's right throughout the book are themes all readers can relate to.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book might be one of my favorite of the entire year. This book made me laugh, made me cry, made me so mad I almost threw my book across the room. The writing was so beautiful, the story was wonderful, Highly reccomend

At face value, this is a grief story. But Ho has added enough extra layers to make it far more compelling. It becomes a story of responsibility and societal pressure, of racism and public perception. There is complexity to the storytelling that, while frustrating at times, is also informative. Every character has biases and blindspots. IT's realistic in it's portrayals which is certainly admirable.

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ARC provided by HarperCollins Canada and HarperTeen.

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.

The Silence that Binds Us is such a hard hitting story. All topics covered are so important and prevalent in our world today. I think more balance between such heavy topics would have benefited the books. Danny’s suicide was not 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. This book is however emotionally and beautifully written. This subject is a hard for many to communicate, but Ho describes it so well. There is poetry weaven in the story, which creates a strong storytelling of Maybelline's feelings. this book is emotionally heartbreaking, The only thing that I want to say is that the chapters are way too short. Theres chapters that are only one page, which at some point just got annoying. This book explores racism and multigenerational traumas in Asian families, which I relate to, and was somewhat diffcult to read. I highly encourage everyone to read this book.

Rating: 3.5/5

This is an incredibly powerful story, and one that is important for teenagers to hear. It's a wonderful book for a YA debut, and the author did a fantastic job exploring such heavy topics. I didn't feel that anything was really sugarcoated, which felt like a breath of fresh air. I will definitely be recommending this book.

A beautiful book! Inside and out!
The aftermath of a family healing after a tragedy; full of grief and redefining relationships all while racism rears its ugly head -- a lot of heavy topics weaved throughout, creating a very memorable story. Recommended for all YA readers.

This really feels like The Hate U Give-lite.

A tragic death
High schoolers are stirred to action
Social commentary
Racial tension
Interracial relationships
Educating people on discrimination
Pushback from segments of the community
etc

I didn't feel emotionally moved by this at any point. I don't know why. Maybe because I've read similar books before, maybe because I'm already familiar with the issues it addresses. Besides Danny's off-screen suicide, nothing particularly impactful happens in this book.

The suicide happens super early on, and we only learn about May's relationship with Danny in retrospect. I felt very distant from his death, and the emotional fall out. It's the catalyst for the story, for the main character becoming more aware of social issues, but that's about it. The suicide itself never came off as significant, probably since there was almost no lead up to it.

The social issues are largely presented as May having a series of learning experiences. It's boring to read about someone reading, listening, or otherwise being passive, particularly when it's the main character and narrator. I skimmed most of it, but I think a teenager or someone else who's never read anything about the history of Chinese and Taiwanese Americans, or issues among and between Asian and Black communities, would pick up a few things.

There's a lot of eating and food descriptions, with the foods often named in untranslated Mandarin or Haitian Creole. It's fine if you actually know what the foods are, but confusing if you don't. Once in a while the author remembers to describe the food by something other than its name. On the one hand, the author could help out people who aren't familiar with the cultures/cuisines. On the other, people can just look it up. It's not that hard.

The book lags in the middle. There is a lot of talking, hanging out, planning. Not a ton of action. May doesn't experience any real repurcussions for speaking out. There are some mean online comments, someone bumps into her in the hall. Most people she interacts with are very supportive of her. The main detractors are her parents, who worry about retaliation. The retaliation never comes.

There's a drawn out mystery about what's in a box Danny left behind, some romance shoehorned in near the end, low level dramas that clutter up the plot because the main plot isn't strong enough to carry the entire book.

This is a pretty timely book, given the growing awareness of issues facing Asian-Americans, within and without various communities. I wish there had been more tension, and higher stakes, intead of things falling so easily into place.

I'm tired of the Model Minority Myth and Joanna Ho addresses it squarely in The Silence That Binds Us. Maybelline grows up the younger sister of a popular and brilliant older brother Danny. They live in a modest home in a neighborhood known for its excellent schools. Their neighbors regard Danny and May unfairly, discounting their hard work and dedication, regarding it as part of the culture of Asian Americans.

In this town, much like everywhere else in the USA, college admissions determine the value of a school and a student. Classmates find ways to stand out and to push the competition down. When Danny is admitted to Princeton and commits suicide, the community blames Danny's family. The general consensus is that Danny's Taiwanese American parents had impossible standards and put unnatural pressure on Danny. Danny and his competitors for the limited slots would have been healthier, happier, better adjusted without the demands of Danny's family and their expectations.

The discussions are public, culturally insensitive, cruel and blatantly anti=Asian in some instances. Joanna Ho addresses a national problem and the unique pressures that Asian American families face today. The book is written with sensitivity, kindness, and humor.

***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.***

5 stars

Rep: Chinese Taiwanese American mc and family, Black and Asian side characters

'The Silence that Blinds Us' is a young adult contemporary novel that explores the loss of a family member and mental health struggles, while highlighting racism and elitism that is faced towards minorities and reclaiming the narrative.
This book follows Chinese Taiwanese American, Maybelline Chen, and the loss of her older brother Danny to suicide. Danny was a star student and has recently gotten into Princeton. Maybelline and her family's life is turned upside down. Until racist accusations about Maybelline's parent's “pressure” on Danny, Maybelline decides to speak up against the gruesome stereotypes of Asian American families.

This book is emotionally and beautifully written. This subject is a hard for many to communicate, but Ho describes it so well. There is poetry weaven in the story, which creates a strong storytelling of Maybelline's feelings. this book is emotionally heartbreaking, from start to finish I was crying.

As a Chinese Canadian, I have seen hate speech and crime faced against many of us. With the rise of Covid, this has increased. I have seen so much news of Asians getting beaten up and threatened when outside, with most of these crimes targeting the older generation of Chinese people. This novel explores racism and multigenerational traumas in Asian families. Which I relate to, how my opinions and I act about the racism that are faced differs from how my parents and grandparents.

This book also deals with mental health, elitism, and the racism and prejudices towards Black people.

I highly encourage everyone to read this book.

TW: racism (hate crime and speech), suicide

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC for an honest review.

This book is not an easy read by any means, but it's an important one for sure. It heavily focuses on both suicide and anti-Asian racism, and is done so well. Thank you to Harper Collins Canada Frenzy for sending me an advanced copy of this cutie!

CW: suicide, racism, racial slurs, grief, xenophobia, death, alcohol consumption

Following the death of her beloved brother, May's life is completely changed. She faces a lot of racism, and deals with a lot on her own, speaking up even though her parents don't want her to. May has two great friends who open her eyes to the racial injustices that they as Black teens face. May is a great character, incredibly sad at times due to the nature of the book, but very grounded and smart. She cares for those around her so much, and uses her voice to fight.

Tiya and Marc were amazing, and I loved what they added to the story. I also loved Danny so much, I really enjoyed the parts of him we got to see through May. I also think her parents were well written. Tough at times but they were just trying to protect May, and just so well done, I think a lot of people will be able to relate to them.

The plot of this book is incredibly well done and sad. We follow May through rough, and raw patches of her mental health. We see her deal with racism and be strong in the face of so much pain. I think that this story will speak to a lot of people, though painful it's just so beautiful.

The writing was very well done. I felt very immersed within the story, and found that the characters came alive off of the page. This is definitely a must read for those who can get past the tough subject matter within.

This book has moved me. The Silence That Binds Us speaks so honestly about grief, generational trauma, racism and the bravery required to do the right thing. As I was reading this novel, I felt so entrenched in May’s life and her loss and her struggles. I was so passionately rooting for her, especially in the chapters that reflect on the ways she has played into racist systems and biases, no matter how unconsciously. I felt the bond between May and Danny and while this book broke my heart, it also put it back together, leaving me with hope. This may be my favorite YA of 2022 so far. Now, let me go listen to Lay Me Down by Sam Smith and weep gently.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.