Point of View

The novel is written in first person from the limited perspective of Mia Tang. She and her parents came to America from China several years ago. Mia is outspoken and confident. She is passionate about justice and social issues. She considers America to be her home, and she remains outspoken about the need to embrace immigrants from all countries. There are a lot of factors that affect Mia's perspective. Her parents are conservative and sometimes fearful, but they are also determined and well educated. They believe in Mia and tend to trust her ideas. Her best friend is an undocumented immigrant named Lupe who came to America illegally with her parents. She is naturally friendly, and she has become friends with a number of other people, including the adults who live at the motel and Jason Yao, the son of the former owner of the...