One of the appeals of this story by Lucy Tan is that versions occur in immigrant families all over the world. Parents, who have known hardship and in some cases suffered under corrupt or authoritarian regimes, find a home in a new country. There, they drive their children hard to get the best possible start in life. The children, like the protagonist in this story, don’t fully understand their parents’ experiences and rebel against the added pressure. Mutual understanding often doesn’t come until the children experience and overcome their own challenges in life… which may be too late.
Original Text / PDF / Audio (4,198 words)