GIRLS FOR BREAKFAST

What could have been a heartwarming coming-of-age story about a Korean-American teenager struggling to make peace with his heritage is instead a glimpse into the life of self-absorbed Nick Park, who forsakes everything to gain popularity. On graduation day after a prom-night disaster, Nick reflects on the past ten years of his life hoping to discover when it all went wrong. Obsessed with girls at a young age, Nick stumbles through his adolescence disowning his ethnicity, except when he thinks it might improve his social status. Some of Nick’s predicaments are amusing, but the references to 1980s pop culture will be lost on today’s teens. Ironically, despite being a social pariah himself, Nick is cruel and judgmental towards other unpopular kids. The story ends when Nick’s reminiscing reaches present day and he begins to understand his own hypocrisy, stating, “I’m self-loathing, but deep down I think I deserve better, which means I’m also a whiner.” A more sympathetic character—one who embraced his individuality—would’ve made this a more satisfying read. (Fiction. YA)