July 15, 2024
This sophisticated novel by Yang (Caged) showcases how time, location, culture, and death affect 11-year-old Malcolm, as told by the protagonist and the individuals who shape his environment. In a quietly joyous first-person prologue, Malcolm recalls his home in Minnesota, where “the clouds, in the arms of the mighty wind, dared to block out the shine of the sun and showed me what courage can do,” immediately establishing his intelligence and sensitivity. Subsequent largely adult-focused chapters highlight others’ perceptions of him: his teachers disparage his quiet demeanor (“You are a stoic little man”), while loving narration from his parents, siblings, and deceased relatives describes him as a “gentle but also special” child. At the midway mark, Malcolm returns to tell his own story, in a scene during which his first experience with death exposes him to racism. Even as American-born Malcolm grows distant from his Hmong identity (“He’s beginning to sound just like a white kid”), his family’s shamanic heritage surfaces in dreams. Yang centers adult concerns in this richly wrought tale about a boy coming into his own. Ages 10–up.
