The Brightest Stary by Gail Tsukiyama
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟
Themes: Family, Strong female lead, Perseverance
Culture: Chinese and American

Family, Tradition, and Determination

With a vivid and bold look into the life of Anna May Wong, The Brightest Star by Gail Tsukiyama gives a fictional depiction of Anna May Wong’s life in Hollywood during the 1930s. From her childhood inspiration to become an actress to her early films in silent films to appearing talkies and later TV, Tsukiyama takes us on journey on Wong’s difficult rise to fame. Steeped in Chinese tradition, Wong chooses to go against her father’s wishes to pursue Hollywood; an industry full of racism where true representation is an after thought. It would take decades for Wong to truly be appreciated for her film work as well as her philanthropy in supporting China during the war.

I really enjoyed this easy to read novel and learned so much about Anna May Wong. As a woman of color, I was not truly surprised at the racism that Wong experienced during her time in Hollywood and her fight to represent true Chinese characters. The novel provided an indepth look at these issues from Wong’s perspective. The battle between traditional roles and responsibilities vs our dreams is common in so many cultures and Tsukiyama does an excellent job at portraying both sides of the argument. Although I like the novel, at times I found the story to be a bit slow, but it did keep my interest due to its quick pace, short chapters, great character development and viewpoints from different time periods as Anna May Wong chronicles her journey to fame. I truly believe Anna May Wong showed what determination and perseverance looked like not only for her culture but other cultures as well.

I encourage you to read The Brightest Star for your next read. If you love the Brightest Star, then you love The 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

~Danielle