Sue Cheung Books

There are many things to love about Chinglish! It’s written very accessibly in the form of the diary of Jo Kwan and set in the 1980s. Jo lives with her eccentric mum and dad, her sister Bonny in a cramped flat over their Chinese takeaway and her diary captures the rollercoaster of teenage emotions in an entertaining way.

Many of the episodes are very funny; some are dramatic; others are poignant in the manner of any good coming of age story. What adds an extra dimension is the emotional perspective of being perceived to own two identities. As Jo puts it, “I always feel Chinese when I’m with English people and English when I’m with Chinese people. It’s never one or the other.” This serious theme is so deftly handled that it never tips into preachiness. Jo overcomes difficulties through sheer force of character and by laughing at the human comedy wherever she can. Her narrative, though, does force the reader to confront the contradictory way we approach racial identity and make a powerful argument for greater sensitivity and tolerance in our discourse.

The humorous line drawings that accompany some of the diary entries add to overall sense of light-heartedness and develop Jo’s character as someone who can satirise the darkly funny side of almost everything. Despite the Wimpy Kid style appearance of the diary entries, this is a sophisticated narrative covering deep and thought-provoking themes that will offer a suitable level of challenge for KS3 readers. It tackles, gently, the problems caused by gambling addictions (Jo’s father is a compulsive gambler), racial aggression and domestic violence and there is some strong language. It would be great for building empathy around the challenges of immigration and cultural assimilation as well as discussions about identity, racial aggression and inclusion. Even with these deeper themes – the experience of reading this is nonetheless a fun one.