thai americans

"In her small Kansas town, at her predominantly white school, Kanchana doesn't look like anyone else. But at home, her Thai grandmother chides her for being too westernized. Only through the clothing Kan designs in secret can she find a way to fuse both cultures into something distinctly her own. When her mother agrees to provide a home for a teenage girl named Shelly, Kan sees a chance to prove herself useful. Making Shelly feel comfortable is easy at first-her new friend is eager to please, embraces the family's Thai traditions, and clearly looks up to Kan. Perhaps too much. Shelly seems to want everything Kanchana has, even the blond, blue-eyed boy she has a crush on. As Kan's growing discomfort compels her to investigate Shelly's past, she's shocked to find how it much intersects with her own-and just how far Shelly will go to belong..."--Back cover.

When Oy and her Thai American family move to a new neighborhood, her third-grade classmates tease and exclude her because she is different.

Fifth grader Oy wants to do a Thai dance at the school talent show until Liliandra threatens to kick her out of their club if they do not perform an a skit together.

When Ira Sukrungruang was born to Thai parents newly arrived in the United States, it was inevitable that the early life of a first-generation Thai-American would be the stuff of a lively, entertaining, and often hilarious memoir. His family's bi-level home was "Thailand with American conveniences". He ate Thai food, spoke the language, and observed the customs. His bedtime stories were tales of Buddha and monkey-faced demons. On his first day of school his mother reminded him that he had a Siamese warrior's eyes as his Aunty Sue packed his Muppets lunch box with fried rice. Through it all Ira coped and thrived in his two cultures and grew up to write and become an assistant professor or English at the University of South Florida.

When Oy and her Thai American family move to a new neighborhood, her third-grade classmates tease and exclude her because she is different.