{ "item_title" : "Throwback", "item_author" : [" Maurene Goo "], "item_description" : "A Gen Z Korean American girl gets stuck in the '90s with her teenaged mother in this fresh, funny adventure full of heart, humor, and time-crossed romance. Perfect for fans of Mary H.K. Choi, Morgan Matson, and Nicola Yoon. No one can blend family, humor, satire, and love into a single perfect story like Maurene Goo can. --Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of SkyhunterFunny and big-hearted, romantic, and delightfully unexpected in the best way. --Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Instructions for Dancing Being a first-generation Asian American immigrant is hard. You know what's harder? Being the daughter of one. Priscilla is first-generation Korean American, a former high school cheerleader who expects Sam to want the same all-American nightmare. Meanwhile, Sam is a girl of the times who has no energy for clichéd high school aspirations. After a huge blowup, Sam is desperate to get away from Priscilla, but instead, finds herself thrown back. Way back. To her shock, Sam lands in the '90s . . . alongside a 17-year-old Priscilla. Now, Sam has to deal with outdated tech, regressive '90s attitudes, and her growing feelings for sweet, mysterious football player Jamie, who just might be the right guy in the wrong era. With the clock ticking, Sam must figure out how to fix things with Priscilla or risk being trapped in an analog world forever. Sam's blast to the past has her questioning everything she thought she knew about her mom . . . and herself. One thing's for sure: Time is a mother. Brimming with heart and humor, Maurene Goo's Throwback asks big questions about what exactly one inherits and loses in the immigrant experience. I knew that Throwback would make me laugh out loud. But I was pleasantly surprised to find myself weeping by the book's close, so moved by Goo's story. --San Francisco Chronicle Filled with the vibes of the 1990s . . . a complete joy. --Buzzfeed A deft, delightful, and emotionally complex examination of intergenerational relationships. --Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review Sharp-witted humor and multidimensional characters. --Publishers Weekly, Starred Review Sit back and enjoy the ride . . . a delightfully adventurous story. --School Library Connection, Recommended Review Perfect for those looking for a lighthearted read. --Horn Book An arrestingly charming story with plenty of heart. --Booklist", "item_img_path" : "https://covers1.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/1/63/893/020/1638930201_b.jpg", "price_data" : { "retail_price" : "19.99", "online_price" : "19.99", "our_price" : "19.99", "club_price" : "19.99", "savings_pct" : "0", "savings_amt" : "0.00", "club_savings_pct" : "0", "club_savings_amt" : "0.00", "discount_pct" : "10", "store_price" : "" } }

Overview

Customers Also Bought

Details

Sixteen-year-old Samantha “Sam” Kang has long felt like the odd one out in her family. Her older brother, Julian, is a “literal genius” studying science at Yale, while Sam is a B-minus student who’s more into podcasts and movies than college application-friendly activities like clubs or sports. Her mom, Priscilla, is a lawyer, and her father is a doctor; Sam observes that together, they look “like an attractive, wealthy Asian couple in a BMW commercial. The American Dream realized.” What that dream consists of, exactly, is at the heart of Sam’s ongoing conflict with her mother in Maurene Goo’s inventive, funny and moving Throwback.  Goo (I Believe in a Thing Called Love) does an excellent job conveying the acute pain of clashing with someone you love fiercely—and who makes you feel profoundly misunderstood. When Halmoni, Sam’s beloved grandmother, has a heart attack, the differences between Sam’s relationships with her mother and grandmother are thrown into even sharper relief, culminating in an argument between Sam and her mom that Sam fears they’ll never recover from. Will Sam and her mother end up like Priscilla and Halmoni, distant and polite but with no affection in sight? As if all that isn’t stressful enough, Sam winds up stranded at the mall, so she downloads a rideshare app called Throwback Rides and steps out of the driver’s beat-up old hatchback . . . and into 1995. The students at her high school are all wearing supremely baggy jeans; there are no cellphones to be seen; and everyone’s backpacks dangle from their shoulders by a single strap. Oh, and the gorgeous, popular, mean-girl cheerleader downplaying her Korean heritage as she campaigns for homecoming queen? Yep, that’s Priscilla at age 17.  Like Marty McFly before her, Sam quickly realizes that she’d better figure out what her goal is here, and fast, because her cellphone is the only way to hail a ride back to the present and its battery is rapidly draining. In the whirlwind week before homecoming, Sam works to befriend Priscilla and help her get elected queen; contends with racism, sexism and heteronormativity from students and teachers alike; and struggles to hide her true identity even as she gains precious insight into Priscilla’s relationship with Halmoni.  Goo’s characters are wonderfully drawn, and she explores the challenges and joys of intergenerational relationships with empathy and heart. Readers will root for Sam as she achieves new understandings of her family and herself. By story’s end, they’ll also resoundingly agree with Sam’s declaration that, no matter the decade, “Mariah [Carey] heals all wounds.”