{"id":5680,"date":"2020-06-20T09:00:31","date_gmt":"2020-06-20T16:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/?p=5680"},"modified":"2021-07-06T13:36:35","modified_gmt":"2021-07-06T20:36:35","slug":"the-astonishing-color-of-after-teen-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2020\/the-astonishing-color-of-after-teen-review\/","title":{"rendered":"The Astonishing Color of After — Teen Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Review by Genevieve Ruth Harvey, 16<\/p>\n

The Astonishing Color of After\u00a0<\/em>By Emily X. R. Pan<\/h3>\n
In The Astonishing Color of After,<\/em> X. R. Pan crafts a story using nonconventional colors, such as fuchsia and alizarin crimson, to indicate the complex emotions Leigh is dealing with following her mother\u2019s death. Leigh, the offspring of a Taiwanese mother and American father, already finds it difficult to not be labeled as \u201cexotic\u201d and \u201cpeculiar\u201d because of her ethnic background. Her obsession with art further isolates her from her peers. Nevertheless, she has found a confidant in her close friend Axel. Yet, as to be expected, the transformative teenage years bring unprecedented changes and confusing emotions that chip away at their once solid friendship foundation.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
As if her life isn\u2019t hard enough with her father thinking that it is ludicrous for Leigh to be so ambitious about art instead of assuming a more \u201cpractical\u201d career option, Leigh is suddenly convinced that her mother has metamorphosized into a bird. Despite the numerous details proving that these unordinary occurrences are not happening by whim, her father refuses to believe her.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Leigh deals with emotional turmoil as she tries to uphold her mother\u2019s last wish of \u201cI want you to remember.\u201d Convinced that the striking pencil mark that crossed out this sentence on the suicide note is a sign to investigate further, Leigh ventures to Taiwan to try to reconstruct the broken pieces of her mother\u2019s life. In the process, she removes the self-composed veneer that her mother often kept, revealing the true root of her depression and the conflict that led to her mother\u2019s parents disowning her as their daughter.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
X. R. Pan shines a light on the crippling effects the mental health disorders can have on an individual. In crafting this creative novel, she brings to question to what extent are medical diagnoses accurate descriptions of a person\u2019s illness or if we should evaluate their history before eliminating their background as a trivial external factor. Leigh\u2019s perspective is broadened when she realizes the many instances where her mother contemplated ending her life. The realization is difficult to accept, but necessary for Leigh to understand the self-blame that ultimately took control of her mother\u2019s life. In addition to writing about mental health, X. R. Pan illustrates the complexities of family dynamics. She creatively illustrates the complications resulting from old family tensions and the effort that Leigh\u2019s mother took in removing her Taiwanese background from existence. In telling this story. X. R. Pan shows the detrimental effects longstanding traditions and assumptions can have on filial relationships, especially when someone decides to go against the norm.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
In spite of these challenges, X. R. Pan manages to keep the plot on an optimistic path, uncovering the story of Leigh\u2019s family.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
5 stars<\/div>\n
\n

Find this book in our catalog: The Astonishing Color or After<\/a><\/p>\n

Catalog Number:\u00a0YA FIC PAN, E<\/p>\n

460 pages<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Review by Genevieve Ruth Harvey, 16 The Astonishing Color of After\u00a0By Emily X. R. Pan In The Astonishing Color of After, X. R. Pan crafts a story using nonconventional colors, such as fuchsia and alizarin crimson, to indicate the complex emotions Leigh is dealing with following her mother\u2019s death. Leigh, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":5681,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[120,54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-reviews","category-teen-reviews"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2020\/06\/GUEST_11d391e3-b862-46c4-ae55-f41f11bc17be.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5ZwbD-1tC","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":872,"url":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2014\/shadow-and-bone\/","url_meta":{"origin":5680,"position":0},"title":"Shadow and Bone — discussion recap","author":"Jane Gov","date":"June 21, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"May's book discussion pick was Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo \u00a0 \u00a0 What we did Shadow and Bone author Leigh Bardugo brightened up our meeting by joining us via Skype! \u00a0Each attendee asked multiple questions about the book, her ideas, and career. \u00a0We also discussed her book at length\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Book Reviews","link":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/teen-reviews\/book-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"shadowbone and leigh","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2014\/06\/shadowbone-and-leigh.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2014\/06\/shadowbone-and-leigh.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2014\/06\/shadowbone-and-leigh.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":915,"url":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2014\/ruin-and-rising\/","url_meta":{"origin":5680,"position":1},"title":"Ruin and Rising — Teen Review","author":"Teen Blogger","date":"June 21, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"--review by Kara, teen reviewer Ruin and Rising\u00a0by Leigh Bardugo ***SPOILERS for those who have not read the first two books in the series: Shadow and Bone & Siege and Storm.*** We last saw Alinas as she was going underground with the Apparat and we pick up with her being\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Teen Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Teen Reviews","link":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/teen-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.aspx?type=xw12&isbn=080509461X\/LC.GIF&client=pasap&upc=&oclc=","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6780,"url":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2022\/an-emotion-of-great-delight-teen-book-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":5680,"position":2},"title":"An Emotion of Great Delight — Teen Book Review","author":"Teen Blogger","date":"January 22, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Review by Jasmine Sov, 15 An Emotion of Great Delight By Tahereh Mafi In 2003, against the background of a post-9\/11 world, the Muslim community faces more bigotry and harassment than ever. 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