Originally I thought it was something I could share with my kids (elementary school and middle school), but I think this is more appropriate for young adults. Especially when sharing memories of his mom, she can be depicted as harsh and unloving, but there are many nuances that younger kids will miss out on.

Each anecdote highlights the experiences of an immigrant growing up in a new country and how it was hard to fit back in when the author returns to his home country. I'm sure several of the stories will be relatable and bring up feelings of nostalgia for those who have experienced growing up as an immigrant and/or with immigrant parents.

The tone is reminiscent of Fresh Off The Boat, so if you enjoyed that, this would be for you.

Rated 3 stars because there's mentions of drunkenness as well as some sexual innuendo and I was reading to recommend for a younger age group. The description stated it was "Book 1", so thought it would be focused on his childhood memories rather than jump back and forth between youth and adulthood.

I don't like rating biographies because who am I to say if it is bad or good about someone else's life. I did enjoy this perspective especially as I have traveled to Korea and reading parts of the story was nostalgic to me. I feel like this was a fun read and I recommend!

When Stefano is eight years old, he and his father migrate to Canada. Stefano only knows Korean. And his father has no idea where they are going to live. This is his story, based on his life, of what it was like growing up in Canada, after living in South Korea.

His four panel stories tell of dealing with white people, dealing with parents, and dealing with language. Some stories are cute, such as being reminded multiple times to take his lunch and complaining about being reminded, and then forgetting. Some stories are heart pulling, such as when he got separated from his father, when they first moved, and he only knew a little English, but his teacher said the phrase he should learn was “Do you have a telephone?” which came in handy when he had to call his father.

All sorts of emotions run through the book, but mostly it is love.

Enjoyable to read.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is being published on the 16th of April 2025.