Where We Are, What We See: Poems, Stories, Essays, and Art from the Best Young Writers and Artists in AmericaWhere We Are, What We See claims to contain writing from the “best young writers and artists in America” (cover), but I doubt that.
First of all, the essays in this book contain a lot of profanities. Hanna Zipes used three f-words in her essay “I didn’t know.” David Weiss uses the s-word in the title, and his fiction piece contains one profanity word every sentence. Seriously, why did Scholastic give awards to the writers of profanity-written language?
Second of all, there’s a disturbing essay by a mystic girl called Katrina Gersie who claims she can communicate with her dead father. On page 135, she writers, as if to her father, “I remember the first time I realized I could do this – that I had the power to visit the world of dead…I could feel the tug on the cord that connects my soul to your soul…I began to follow the cord, mapping out the road as I went. The scenery surrounding the road is not such that we can perceive it with our ordinary senses…as my physical body tired and feel asleep, I arrived. My first glimpse of the world of the dead was a big blue sky…I could not see you, but you were there.”. She even claims that she can see, touch, and hear her dad (page 135-136). I wonder whether she dreamed about talking with her dead father (as she was asleep) or did she really visit the world of dead.
Of course, there are some essays that make enjoyable reading. “Manchurian Girl,” by Lisa Wang, is an honest piece about the author’s experiences about sexism in China. “Free Willy,” by Rebecca Bauman, is a funny piece about the author’s comfort from food (though still contains profanities).
Rating: **
Review by Shu-hui
