All about Culture: Young Adult and Middle Grade Books that Bridge the Generation Gap
- unabridgedpod
- Nov 4
- 7 min read
by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@ashley_dicksonellison)
I'm updating this post for 2025 with some new favorites! The new recommendations are indicated with an asterisk.
I first wrote this in 2021 in preparation for our August Book Club discussion about Balli Kaur Jaswal's Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows. That book had so many amazing threads woven together, but one of them that really resonated with me was the way that generational and cultural differences can be overcome. One of the main characters, Nikki, is very much a British woman with what she considers to be a modern, feminist, British mindset, and yet over the course of the book, she comes to see and understand the ways that she is not so different from her Indian immigrant parents and the larger Indian community.
Through the course of the story, Nikki comes to appreciate more about Indian culture, and the women who come into her life come to appreciate more about Nikki's perspective. That aspect of the novel led me to think about other novels that explore the generational and cultural aspects of life for immigrants who have children in another country. I had a long list but narrowed it down to six young adult lit books that touch on that theme of bridging the generational and cultural gap. (Jaswal's book is not young adult, but you all know I'm always thinking about and reading YA lit!)
*Gloria Chao's Rent a Boyfriend (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) - This brilliant and complex story focuses on Chloe Wang, a college student who rents a fake boyfriend (Drew Chan) to appease her Tawainese parents who have put a lot of pressure on her to date Hongbo, a desirable (and sleasy) bachelor in their small Asian American community whose parents are very prestigious. The problem is that when more and more events require the presence of "boyfriend" Andrew and his perfect (carefully curated!) personality, Chloe finds herself going deeper and deeper into the deception. This is an excellent exploration of filial pressure to conform and about what it takes to find a way forward.
Raquel Vasquez Gilliland's Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) - I loved this fascinating story that I listened to thanks to Libro.fm's ALC program. In this one, Sia goes on a wild adventure to try to discover what happened to her mom, who disappeared in the desert after trying to cross the border on her own to return to her family in America after deportation. This book, which is sci-fi and takes some crazy twists and turns, explores the harsh realities of living undocumented in America and the way that stability can be ripped away from families at any moment.
*Monica Gomez-Hira's Once Upon a Quinceañera (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) - This fun, dramatic romp focuses on Carmen, a high school senior who is having to do an unpaid internship as a Disney princess in order to complete her graduation requirements. Things go from bad to worse when her ex-boyfriend becomes part of the Disney troupe, and to add insult to injury, Carmen learns they will be performing at the quinceañera for her perfect cousin, Ariana. The performance prep flairs up old hurts for Carmen, who never got to have a quineceñera after hers was canceled. Telenovela style drama unfolds and shenanigans happen in this hilarious but poignant YA romance.
*Joanna Ho's The Silence that Binds Us (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) - I loved this brilliant book so much, and cultural tensions, expectations, and misunderstandings are at its center. Our protagonist, Maybelline Chen, has so much to navigate as she faces not only grief from losing her beloved older brother Danny but also racist community backlash against her family in the wake of Danny's death. Additionally, Maybelline has to navigate the seemingly passive way that her parents handle the brutal community attacks. I loved the complexities and nuances of this powerful novel and the way that Ho celebrates the power of activism. I wrote this book review shortly after reading this one.
Laekan Zea Kemp's Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet (Bookshop.org| Libro.fm) - We did this one for a buddy read this summer and had great discussions about Pen and Zander and the unique struggles that they each face. In Pen's story, we see the tension between her own desires and those of her immigrant Mexican parents who want a better, easier life for Pen. In Zander's story, we see how brutal undocumented life for young people in America is and how it can shape every single aspect of a teenager's life. In both stories, we see the importance of connecting to each other and how bridging those cultural and generational gaps can bring about healing.
Hena Khan's Amina's Song (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) - Khan's book is actually middle grade but would also be suitable for teenagers. This is the second book in the Amina's Voice series, but in this one even more than in the first book, Amina explores her Pakistani heritage and learns how to celebrate and share about all of the beautiful aspects of her family's home country. I love the way Khan shows the impact of stereotypes and how profoundly those can impact individuals.
Adib Khorram's Darius the Great Is Not Okay (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) - This phenomenal book was our book club and buddy read pick for January, and it was such a great way to start off the year. (You can listen to that discussion here!) This book covers so many important social issues in authentic and meaningful ways, but one of the threads I loved was Darius's exploration of his Iranian family and the community there. I absolutely loved Darius as a character, and we see how as he deepens his connection to his family's Iranian heritage, he understands himself more fully. I can't wait to read the second book in this series!
*Susan Lee's Seoulmates (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) - I loved the exploration of culture and identity in this YA romance. Hannah Cho is dealing with a hard breakup and is simultaneously having to awkwardly reconnect with a childhoood friend, Jacob, who left the US to be a K-drama star. Hannah finds herself having to confront her Korean American identity in new and complicated ways as she gets to know the realities of Jacob's life as well as her own.
Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite's Dear Haiti, Love Alaine (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) - In this story, which was our buddy read pick in May, Alaine connects back to her family's roots in Haiti after discovering her mom has an illness. I loved seeing how Alaine learns to appreciate and love all of the beautiful aspects of Haiti while also discovering the complexities of her parents' lives as young people growing up there.
Shifa Saltagi Safadi's Kareem Between (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) - This beautiful middle grade novel explores what Kareem's life is like as a Syrian-American middle school student who wants to play football and blend in at his school. But things get harder for him as he When another Syrian boy enrolls at their school, Kareem feels pressure to look out for him but also wants to reject his heritage at times so that he can fit in more easily. This one shows how complex identity can be but also celebrates youth activism and how powerful it can be to take a stand. Jen and I enjoyed discussing this one as our March book club pick. This one also won a National Book Award!
Laura Taylor Namey's A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) - In this beautiful novel, the protagonist Lila does appreciate her Cuban heritage and her deep connection to her Miami home, but she must learn to open up her world a little in order to grow and to heal after grief. I love the way that Lila discovers the power of blending her heritage that she always carries with her into her new life experiences. We did this one as both a buddy read and as our June book club pick (you can listen here!), and we had such rich discussions!
*Abigal Hing Wen's Loveboat, Taipei (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm) - In this lovely YA romance novel, protagonist Ever finds herself having to spend a summer in Taiwan to study Madarin, and she is horrified by having to go and by having to face how little she knows about her family's culture. But she quickly discovers the unexpected freedom that comes with the summer program, and she quickly learns a lot about herself and about the other participants in the program.
Looking for more recs in this category? I discussed a similar topic back in a Bookish Fave from 2020 when I talked about 9 books that consider culture and coming of age as the children of immigrants (plus three bonus TV recs!), so check it out!
What book would you recommend that touches on this topic? Let us know in the comments or on social media, where you can find us @unabridgedpod!
(A note to our readers: click on the hashtags above to see our other blog posts with the same hashtag.)
Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.
Loving what you see here? Please comment below (scroll ALL the way down to comment), share this post using the social media buttons below (scroll down for those as well!), and find us on social media to share your thoughts! Want to support Unabridged?
Check out our Merch Store!
Become a patron on Patreon.​
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram.
Like and follow our Facebook Page.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Check out our Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Twitter.
Subscribe to our podcast and rate us on Apple Podcasts or on Stitcher.
Check us out on Podbean.
Please note that we a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. We also are proud to partner with Bookshop.org and have a curated Unabridged store as well as affiliate links.