Outwardly, Laura Li is an ideal student, the perfect daughter, a popular, kind girl. Inwardly, she feels thwarted by her mother, stifled by her family obligations, and lonely. She dreams of college, but knows it is not a path open to her. She loves to dance, but must sneak out for any opportunities.
Mel Glenn uses the verse novel to great effect in this book, developing Laura Li's character vividly. The story really captures how the public face a person shows does not tell the whole story of an individual's life. Besides Laura Li, the secondary characters are well developed, including her mother, who is the story's antagonist. I was very interested in the way different characters perceived Laura's words and actions to fit their own views.
Another aspect of this book I really admire is how Mr. Glenn explores stereotypes: racial, ethnic, and otherwise. Each character directly confronts stereotypes directed toward him or her as part of the search for identity, and scrutinizes the effect of such stereotypes on his or her relationship with Laura and with the world. Such delicate and honest treatment clinched my five-star rating of this book.
Split Image has circulated constantly ever since I moved it into the fiction section. (A topic for another post). Word of mouth in particular has kept it out. Teens are really drawn to the examination of identity, the characters' relationships, and the writing.
Source: school library
Related reads:
- Identity: Nothing But the Truth (And a Few White Lies) by Justina Chen Headley
- Rebeling against expectations: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
- Cultural conflict: Seeing Emily by Joyce Lee Wong
- Mother-daughter strife: What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
The Cazzy Files 
I haven’t heard of this title so I was glad to read your review that brought my attention to this book. I loved the Disreptuable History of Frankie-Landau Banks and I really want to read the books that are related to it as well (especially Nothing But the Truth) 🙂