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Sweet and Sour, by Debbi Michiko Florence, chronicles the ups and downs of tween friendships through the eyes of Mai Hirano during one unforgettable summer in Connecticut.

What I liked:

• (Upper) Middle grade contemporary is a genre I never expected to get into, but Debbi Michiko Florence keeps me turning the pages! I preordered Sweet and Sour mostly out of loyalty – I try to support as many Japanese American authors’ new releases as my budget allows – and quite frankly did not expect to enjoy it as much as I enjoyed Florence’s previous novel, Just Be Cool, Jenna Sakai, but to my surprise I read Sweet and Sour in practically one sitting. The chapters were so short and readable, and it was much too easy to tell myself, “just one more chapter.” Also, who knew I would become so invested in finding out what happens between Mai and Zach? I was a serious, quiet kid, so I’m not sure I would have related to Mai very much if I had read Sweet and Sour when I was her age (she is so outspoken and outgoing, she probably would have intimidated me), but as an adult I really enjoyed the lighthearted touches throughout the book, like Mai’s love of BTS and Zach’s gifts from Japan, as well as Florence’s sensitive portrayal of relationships. I hope seeing characters like Mai and Zach on the page will inspire and comfort nikkei kids and other kids who can relate to their story.

What I learned:

• I do not know much about international schools in Japan, but is it normal for students like Zach to so easily obtain a modeling side gig? It sounded like a coincidence, due to the teacher’s connection, but I would be interested to read some studies comparing the rate of successful employment in Japan for non-citizens who have attended international schools in Japan, versus non-citizens who attended Japanese schools.

Questions I had:

• I was very much under the impression that “stan” is a term coined by the Black/African American community and as such would fall under the category of AAVE. Although I’ve heard many non-Black people use “stan” in everyday conversation, if my understanding of its origins is correct, I don’t believe non-Black authors should be using it in their novels, unless they acknowledge its proper origin and context on the page (there is also the question of whether, if a non-Black author is writing a Black character – should they write a Black character? – how much, if any, AAVE should be incorporated?). From what I read in Sweet and Sour, “stan” is used repeatedly by non-Black characters to describe the behavior of non-Black characters, but not once is it contextualized by acknowledging its connection to the Black community. If in fact “stan” was not originated by the Black community or another marginalized community, then there is likely no issue here, but if I’m correct, I believe Florence and her agent/editor should have taken a harder look at their chosen terminology. As much as I want to celebrate normalizing Asian authors writing Asian characters, it needs to be done without also normalizing non-Black Asians appropriating Black culture.

Follow-up:

• I believe Florence has another novel coming out soon, which I look forward to reading, though I hope it will not include any content that raises potential concerns about appropriating Black culture.