A short story from America Street: A Multicultural Anthology of Stories.
Anne Mazer, editor. New York: Persea Books, 1993.
ISBN# 0-89255-191-7

Suggested Module(s): The United States and the Immigrant Experience

Lensey Namioka was born in Peking, China and relocated to the United States when she was nine years old during World War II. She attended school before being taught any English and had to learn about American culture through experience and trial and error. Her books include White Serpent Castle, The Samurai and the Long Nosed Devils, Who’s Hu?, and The Phantom of Tiger Mountain. Currently she and her husband live in Seatlle, Washington.

Summary: Lensey Namioka’s charming short story details the difficulties of a Chinese family arriving in America and attempts to assimilate. The narrator describes her negative experiences with American table manners (especially eating celery and soup) and her campaign to convince her mother to let her wear jeans to school. She finds an ally in her American friend Meg, who later has as much trouble with Chinese customs as the narrator did with American.

Target audience: Junior High

Genre: Short Stories

Length: 12 pages

Availability/Cost: Softcover $7.95

Commentary: A nice short story to use in a literature or social studies class to illustrate specific difficulties immigrants face when coming to America. It also shows how American communities are positively affected by immigration and how both sides have a lot to learn about each other.