Summary

Jen Nakamara Taylor didn't have a conventional childhood. In her hometown of Dixieland, Arkansas, most girls' mothers didn't serve sushi at their tenth birthday parties. As a television producer living in Chicago, she thinks she's left her childhood insecurities behind. Then she receives an invitation to the marriage of her grammar-school crush to her beauty-queen cousin. The subsequent search to find a suitable date, eventful trip back South, and the riotous wedding are all hilarious, but the real appeal of this book lies in its portrayal of a woman confronting her past and embracing her present. Each chapter begins with a platitude from The Karate Kid's Mr. Miyagi, and every other chapter weaves in scenes from Jen's childhood. It seems odd at first, but helps reveal the character's quirky sensibilities. Lockwood is half-Japanese herself, and here she ably and humorously depicts the struggle to fit in.