I’m trying not to be cynical about Kimchi and Calamari, by Rose Kent. Kent’s Korean adopted children and biracial-Korean children inspired this story.
Kimchi and calamari is a quirky food fusion — and exactly how
fourteen-year-old Joseph Calderaro feels about himself. Why wouldn’t an
adopted Korean drummer feel like a combo platter given (1) his face in
the mirror and (2) his proud Italian family? Now Joseph has to write an
ancestry essay for school. But all he knows is that his birth family
put his diapered butt on a plane to the USA.What Joseph does leads to a catastrophe messier than a table of
shattered dishes — and self-discovery that he never could have
imagined.
Adult adoptees . . . I’m waiting to read YOUR children’s books about the tra experience . . .
Harlow's Monkey 
“But all he knows is that his birth parents put his diapered butt on a plane to the US.”
Did they keep his other body parts? Did they hand their relinquishment papers over to the pilot before strapping him in and saying ta ta for now? There is more wrong with that single sentence than there are words to describe how much is wrong with that single sentence.
The Amazon synopsis describes it as light. I guess I should lighten up. It is fiction after all.
But yeah, I too hope TRA’s will start imagining and writing their own children’s lit soon. Our kids need it.
(Jesus Land is on my night stand too!)
Ugggghhhhhh! The food analogies thing is one of my pet peeves. It’s such a fucking cliche. Platanos and Collard Greens. Fried Chicken and Latkes. Watermelon Sushi.
Jen and I totally ranted about it back on episode 4 of Addicted to Race:
http://www.addictedtorace.com/?p=8
He feels like a combo platter? Are there
any ladybugs in the book?
Betty Jean Lifton wrote
a book called “Tell me
a Real Adoption Story”
for children.
I just looked and it’s back
in print. I haven’t read it
but it’s probably pretty good.
Would anyone be offended if this book had been written by a TRA instead of a parent?
Not so sure about this whole let’s pick a corner thing.