You Are Here: Connecting Flights edited by Ellen Oh

 

This week, I read You Are Here: Connecting Flights edited by Ellen Oh. This realistic fiction story collection is about twelve young Asian Americans who all happen to be in a crowded Chicago airport on the same date when flights are delayed and cancelled due to a thunderstorm. The series of events kicks off when Paul's grandma brings her late husband's ashes in a coffee canister through the TSA checkpoint without declaring what she's carrying to an airport official. Paul's sister, Jessie, wanders off by herself in the midst of the chaos and rumors begins to spread throughout the airport, impacting the young Asian Americans and their families. As their paths cross in the airport, they meet fellow travelers that are helpful or hostile and grow from their experiences, discovering courage and belonging.

This book was such a fun read because it reminded me of Grounded by Aisha Saeed, Huda Al-Marashi, Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, and S.K. Ali, a book I read two years ago. Airports are definitely a great setting for a story because a lot of crazy events can happen. While Grounded is about Muslim kids, You Are Here focuses on kids whose family roots are in East and Southeast Asia. Unlike most of the story collections I've read, all of the stories in You Are Here are interconnected. It's similar to a traditional novel, but a different author wrote each of the chapters. You definitely can't skip any because the main character from one story may make a cameo appearance in one or more of the other stories. I also liked how several of characters found the courage to stand up to racism even though they're just kids. Some of the characters needed courage to speak up to family and friends, as well. For example, Mindy wasn't ready to go to Korea with her dads and Natalie got into a serious argument with her friend, Beth. While I enjoyed all the stories, the one with the most unique format was Ari's, narrated completely in lists. Out of the boys, I loved Paul's relationship with his grandma and Jae made the right decision to leave the employee break room to look for Jessie and return her to her family, even though he didn't have permission. Jae's interactions with Jessie were very sweet and I was relieved when he wasn't in too much trouble after the ordeal. The stories demonstrate how Asian Americans have variety of interests, too. While Lee plays guitar, AJ plays basketball, as just two examples. The last story, which is about Soojin, ties everything together nicely and is among the most emotional in the collection. I felt so bad that Soojin and her mom were moving to Korea even though Soojin really didn't want to leave her dad and New York. For most of the story, I wasn't sure that things would work out in her favor, but the climax ended up being fantastic. Finally, I would like to note that You Are Here factors in the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on Asian Americans, which I think was very important to show because it's been a huge part of their experiences in recent years. At the end of the book, there is a note from the editor that explains the inspiration behind this story collection. Overall, You Are Here is a wonderful choice for anyone and can be an excellent conversation starter between children and adults.