Customer Reviews

Nothing But the Truth (and a few white lies)

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If Patricia "Patty" Yi-Phen Ho had just one wish, she knows exactly what it would be. To be white. Full-out, red-white-and-blue, all-American, totally Caucasian white. Not the half-and-half mixture that she is now, with an overbearing Taiwanese mother and a long-gone Caucasian father. Not an Amazon-tall mishmash of ancestries that leave her looking like an overgrown Asian teenager or a really tanned white one. Just plain old, blend-into-the-crowd white.

When her mom drags her to a fortune-teller who gets her information from your bellybutton rather than a crystal ball, Patty knows she's in trouble. The "you're going to have three children" prediction is a little ludicrous, given the fact she can't even get a boyfriend. But what really freaks her out--not to mention sends her mother into a fit of unintelligible Taiwanese--is the fact that, according to bellybutton lady, Patty is destined to end up with a white guy.

For Patty, that works just fine. For her mother, not so good. If her mom had her way, Patty would never get within twenty feet of a white guy, never mind date one. No, her mom wants what she didn't get herself--a marriage to a nice, respectable, rich Taiwanese doctor. Or, if there are no doctors available, a businessman would be acceptable. Never mind what Patty wants, which at this moment is knowing if the hottest guy at school, Mark Scranton, will ever notice her.

Stunned into yet more lectures about life as a poor Taiwanese girl, Patty's mother decides that this summer, instead of lounging around and possibly getting a part-time job, Patty will attend math camp at Stanford. Since her older brother, Abe, is busy "preparing" for his upcoming attendance at Harvard, he's no help to get her out of this bind. So Patty sets off to camp, resigned to hanging out with geeks.

Except math camp turns out to be not as bad as she'd thought. There's some really good-looking guys there, guys with brains. Like Stu, who blesses her with her first kiss. And might possibly end up breaking her heart. For Patty, this summer could end up teaching her a whole lot more than math. Things like what it's like to really be American, and learning to love who you are. Because there are guys out there who can love a hapa girl for who she is--if she'll just learn to love herself first.

NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH is a great read for anyone who has ever had trouble discovering their identity, or for someone looking to find out how it feels to be different. A real winner!

Patty doesn't think she fits in anywhere, not even in her own family. She has a strict Taiwanese mother, an absentee white father and a college-bound older brother. As far as she can see, the scoreboard reads world = 100, Patty = 0. She is dragged with her mother to meet a fortune teller who reads her belly button (!) while everyone else is rocking out at the high school dance. She has to go to math camp while everyone else has fun summer plans. In other words, everyone else wins at life, while Patty comes up empty.

Patty's story is not just for hapas - read the book to discover the definition! - and not only for biracial teens. It has many levels of appeal. I recommend Nothing But the Truth (and a few white lies) by Justina Chen Headley to a wide variety of people - both genders, various races, all thoughtful teens, and all astute adults, especially parents. This is a story for anyone who has wondered about an absent parent or struggled with a strict parent. This is for the smart kids who wonder why their parents keep testing them and making them prove themselves. This is for the kids who look different from their classmates on the outside or simply feel different on the inside. This is for anyone who considered his or her own personal secrets, lies, and truths.

Highly recommended.

Patty Ho wishes she were different. Actually, she wishes she were just like everyone else. Half-Taiwanese and half-white, she's not the same as anyone else. She's not smart enough for her über-strict mom, especially since her older brother is Harvard-bound. Her house isn't American enough for her friends-- who cares about feng shui? And she's never been able to escape jokes about her last name, ranging from Santa Claus to whores. In short, Patty can't get anything right -- even a Truth assignment! What could be simpler than the truth? After an unfortunate proclamation from a belly-button fortune teller that Patty is destined for a white guy (not her mother's idea of a Good One), she's shipped off to math camp at Stanford. Patty kicks up her heels at first, but once she gets there she learns a few big lessons. First, that math is not just for geeks anymore. Second, that there are worse things than being half-and-half. And third, that the truth is not quite so simple after all. No matter what race(s) you are, Patty is a believable, lovable character, and her story will ring true with everyone who reads it. And that's the truth.

I had the chance to talk to Justina Chen Headley briefly before she gave a reading from Nothing But the Truth (and a Few White Lies). She was very cool, grounded and an absolute pleasure to talk to. So, it should be no surprise that her narrator, Patty Ho, is equally enjoyable in every way in Headley's first novel written for young adults.

Half-Taiwanese and half-white, Patty feels like she doesn't belong anywhere. This fact is confirmed when, instead of going to the last school dance of the year, Patty's mother drags her to a fortune teller who discerns Patty's future from her belly button. Things get worse from there when Patty realizes that sometimes dream guys are anything but and finds herself enrolled in Stanford math camp for the summer.

This novel is a classic coming-of-age story. As the plot progresses, Patty learns that sometimes you have to find people like you in order to appreciate the value of being really unique. Now, that might sound a bit pat and cliche--but I can assure you this book is anything but.

Headley writes with a style unlike any authors I've read recently. The narration is snappy and spunky--as is fitting for a teenage girl as vibrant as Patty. I also like that Headley doesn't take the easy way a lot of the time. The story doesn't follow any typical girl-meets-boy formula. In fact, Headley has quite a few twists thrown in along the way.

It's also really interesting to read about Patty and her mother. The subject doesn't often come up in teen literature, where often the characters are immigrants if they are not white. Headley's dialog between Patty and her mother seems realistic (not being Taiwanese at all I can't really say). Her incorporation of slang and certain speech mannerisms bring to mind Amy Tan's writing in The Hundred Secret Senses (another book about a half-asian, half-white character, incidentally). Honestly though, everything in the book is interesting. Even math camp, which some readers will view as warily as Patty does in the beginning, turns out to be a cool environment to read about (with minimal time spent on math in the narrative).

In a lot of reviews you'll see me complaining that the characters come off as flat. Happily, I can say that is not the case here. Patty and her myriad friends (and enemies too) jump off the page. Furthermore, Headley artfully negotiates Patty's changing sense of self throughout the novel.

It's weird to be saying this about a novel that isn't a thriller, but it was really a page turner. I couldn't put it down. Headley has a lot to say here about identity and family and self-confidence. All of which she manages like a pro.

The term "new classic" is bandied about a lot for modern books and movies. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Nothing But the Truth is going to get that label if it doesn't have it already.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book but wanted to read it because there was so many good reviews for it.

It was a nice change of pace from the typical teen lit books I read and that was a big plus. I loved that the main character, Patty Ho, was half Taiwanese and half white. What also brought the story more depth than your average fluffy teen book was that she hated who she was and wanted to be caucasion to fit in with everyone else. She couldn't understand why her Taiwanese mother acted the wasy she did. What she comes to realize through a summer of growth and maturing is that the truth of the matter is, she's perfect the way she is.

I'm looking forward to more from Justina Chen Headley.

Nothing but the Truth is about fifteen-year-old Patty Ho, daughter of a controlling Taiwanese mother and a long-absent American father. Patty struggles to find her place in a world where she's not fully Asian, but not fully white, confronting both egregious and subtle prejudices from both sides. She also struggles with something I could personally relate to, being good at math, but also wanting to write. Her struggles come to a head when her mother sends her to Stanford for the summer for math camp (a month-long program for gifted high school students). While there she encounters humiliation and heartbreak, but also gains self-confidence, friends, and insight into her own family history.

Nothing but the Truth is a joy to read. Patty practically leaps forth from the page, fully three-dimensional. I refuse to believe that she isn't real. Every paragraph reveals something about her, or her family, or what it's like to be hapa (the Hawaiian word for someone who is half-white and half-Asian). Her mother, with her strengths and weaknesses, temper tantrums and quirks, feels real, too. Life at Stanford during summer session is also fully realized - the book is chock full of insider information about the university.

I particularly enjoyed the writing style in this book. Humorous, yet lyrical, and dripping with (frequently Asian-tinged) metaphors, and the angst of a teenage girl. For example:

"Mama breathes in sharply. She must be smelling my exasperation polluting the air. (page 13)"

""O-kayyy." Anne drags out the last syllable as if it's a hoe, raking through the intractable soil of my rudeness. (page 76)"

"I'm here because I don't want to be up in the Pacific Northwest where it's always overcast with disappointment and showering anger. (page 108)"

"Under the Dish that scans planets and distant galaxies, I know that the world -- the universe -- is bigger than high school and Mark Scranton and Steve Kosanko and their edamame-bean brains. That it's bigger than Mama and math camp. That maybe I am Zebra-woman, trapped behind black-and-white bars of my own making. (page 110)"

Despite the tremendous depth and authenticity that Justina Chen Headley brings to her hapa and Asian characters, this is a book that will resonate with teenage girls from all sorts of backgrounds. Because what it's really about (as is clear from Patty's essay at the end of the book) is the struggle to balance the conflicts in yourself, whatever they are, and find your place in the world. This makes it a perfect first book for the readergirlz discussion group, focused on celebrating gutsy girls in life and literature. An example of Patty's place as a gutsy girl is this passage, in which she muses about facing down her fears.

Is attitude truly the only thing separating embarrassment from triumph? That a little sass could turn you from a social zero to a social hero? (page 174)

I highly recommend this book for anyone who revels in reading about strong girls.

A slightly longer version of this book review was originally published on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, on March 4, 2007.

I have a signed copy of Nothing But the Truth (and a Few White Lies) and it's a keeper! Patty Ho tells her story in a smart, fast-ride style that hooked me on page one. Who wouldn't be hooked when the story starts with Patty's fortune being told by a "Bellybutton Grandmother". Justina Chen Headley tells the truth in this story from the fresh opening to the satisfying conclusion. I recommend it to anyone wanting a clear-eyed view into teen life. And if you're a writer, it's a good idea to read it more than once to study Justina Chen Headley's feisty and wholly original prose.

I really liked this book. Patty is a hapa (half white, half Taiwanese) and she's always wishing that she could fit in... She feels like her brother is better than her because he is the Good Child in her strict mother's eyes.

I like how this book deals with family issues, fitting in... such sensitive issues for some people but they were dealt with in a good way.

I absolutely adore this new book. I bought the book weeks ago & I can't get enough of it. Justina Chen Headley's wit, humor, and sincere portrayal of an asian teen is inspiring. As an asian myself, I am totally able to grasp the concept of banana, eggs, twinkies...and such.

There were so many amazing things I loved about this book...in particular the fact that Justina Headley, in my opinion, really wrote the Truth...what we asians have to deal with! haha.
Hapas or not. I especially cracked up during the Mama Lecture Series ((oh yes, very interesting)). Couldn't get enough of it. The Potluck Club was h-i-l-a-r-i-o-u-s. &That's all I'll give away. But please, if you enjoy fresh, funny, original teen fiction, this book is right for you. It's a very unique book that I'd recommend for everyone!

Nothing But the Truth (and a Few White Lies) will have you laugh out loud, sympathizing and also cheering for the main character, Patty Ho. Headley does a wonderful job with developing her characters and the narratives are hilarious, especially the Truth Theorems, The Mama Lecture Series and Hi-yah, White Girl! I also loved the interaction between Patty and Brian (her TA at SUMaC). Definitely a must read!