Abstract
Soontornvat’s graphic memoir, The Tryout diversifies the Thai American experience to an audience intended for K-12 teachers and educators, parents, caretakers, and children. Canadian Filipino Joanna Cacao serves as the illustrator for The Tryout and does superb drawing expressions and emotions aligning with text in bubbles and boxes implying thinking or speaking. The story centers on Christina, who is a 7th grader living in a small town in Texas trying out for the middle school’s cheerleading squad. She tries to fit in, deals with racism, maintains friendships, develops new hobbies, and learns more about herself as a multiracial Asian American. This review of The Tryout discusses Thai and Thai American representation.
Recommended Citation
Boonsripaisal, Simon
(2024)
"Book Review of The Tryout by Christina Soontornvat and Joanna Cacao,"
Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement: Vol. 19
:
Iss.
1,
Article 9.
DOI: 10.7771/2153-8999.1332
Available at:
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jsaaea/vol19/iss1/9
Included in
Asian American Studies Commons, Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons, South and Southeast Asian Languages and Societies Commons
