Not Your Average Jo

Starred review from January 15, 2024
A hopeful young Korean American musician faces the harsh realities of the music industry. Her whole life, Riley Jo has lived in small-town, mostly white Bentonville, Arkansas, where she's constantly dealing with discrimination and microaggressions. She dreams of leaving and pursuing her ambitions to play guitar and write music someplace where people understand her better. When she's accepted by a prestigious arts boarding school in Los Angeles for senior year, Riley jumps at the chance. At first, everything seems great. She makes Asian American friends and feels truly seen. She also gets to play in a band--and their adviser, Blake Collins, is a famous white music producer, meaning they have a real shot at a record deal. He's also the father of one of her bandmates. But Riley gets a rude awakening when Blake openly discriminates against her because she's Korean. Struggling to figure out where she belongs--in the band, among her family members and peers, and in a post-pandemic world where anti-Asian hate is on the rise--Riley fights to be heard. This enjoyable coming-of-age story explores a number of powerful themes connected to the music industry, nepotism, race, discrimination, and speaking up against prejudice. The sometimes messy and awkward nature of the story contributes to its feeling real, relatable, and intriguing as it delves into emotions around self-discovery and bias that are confusing and uncomfortable. A compelling, music-centered story of self-discovery and finding your voice. (Fiction. 12-18)

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March 1, 2024
Grades 7-10 Shim's (The Noh Family, 2022) second novel stars Riley Jo, a Korean American acoustic guitarist and songwriter who persuades her parents to send her, for her senior year, to a Los Angeles boarding school for the arts, far from their Arkansas hometown. Riley is thrilled and overwhelmed by the diversity at Carlton Academy, making her very first Asian American friends and developing a first crush. Unfortunately, the Contemporary Band Program's faculty advisor, Blake Collins, dismisses Riley as a K-pop wannabe. Her arrival also upends Blake's plans to create a boy band starring his own son. Riley hesitates to report his racist behavior; she just wants to fit in, make music, and get a record deal. Serious issues of discrimination, microaggressions, internalized racism, anti-Asian hate, white privilege, and nepotism are balanced by Riley's lively, funny narration interspersed with scenes from a documentary screenplay about the band. The light tone and happy conclusion make this a good choice for younger teens who enjoy themes of being true to yourself, finding your voice, and changing the entertainment industry in the process.

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