Yoo, David

Despite his nonexistent social standing at Bern Hight School, Albert spends the summer working with his crush, Mia--the popular ex-girlfriend of Ryan Stackhouse--but as soon as Albert makes headway in his relationship with Mia, Ryan is diagnosed with cancer and pulls Mia, and her attention, away.

Sixth grader Peter Lee, in a desperate attempt to regain the popularity he had in elementary school, discovers that serving detention can win him important friends, much to the dismay of his over-achieving eighth-grade sister, Sunny.

In this brutally honest collection of often cringe-inducing episodes, David Yoo perfectly captures the cycle of failure and fear from childhood through adulthood. Whether he's wearing four layers of clothing to artificially beef up his slim frame, routinely testing highlighters against his forearm to see if he indeed has yellow skin, or preemptively sabotaging promising relationships to avoid being compared to former boyfriends, Yoo celebrates and skewers the insecurities of anxious people everywhere.

Albert Kim sees it as a miracle that popular, beautiful Mia Stone finds him worthy of her attention, but when her ex, Ryan Stackhouse, announces he has cancer, Mia is torn between being there for Ryan and her feelings for Albert.

Nick Park, about to graduate from high school, looks back on his life in upscale Renfield, Connecticut, and wonders how much being the only Asian American in his school affected his thwarted quest for popularity and a girlfriend.

Sixth-grader Peter Lee, in a desperate attempt to regain the popularity he had in elementary school, discovers that serving detention can win him important friends, much to the dismay of his over-achieving eighth-grade sister, Sunny.

Albert Kim sees it as a miracle that popular, beautiful Mia Stone finds him worthy of her attention, but when her ex, Ryan Stackhouse, announces he has cancer, Mia is torn between being there for Ryan and her feelings for Albert.