New from Here

Toward the beginning of the family’s time in the US, Lea finds purple goldfish crackers at a store and purchases them because she likes that they are different. This purchase symbolizes one of the many the ways in which several characters wish they could fit in and assimilate into American culture, but ultimately stand out. This inability to fully assimilate is hurtful to the character until they learn to embrace their cultural differences over the course of the novel.

When in the US, Knox does not look like an Asian person, so he only experiences racism at the hands of people to whom he tells his ethnicity. He feels different, however, because of his ADHD. His parents never told him he was diagnosed with ADHD, and though he did not know the reason for his differences, he always recognized how he was much more likely to get into trouble than others. Prior to understanding his diagnosis, he is never able to understand his impulsivity. This makes him feel out of place at school where he struggles to succeed, but it also makes him feel alone at home, where he feels isolated from Bowen. Knox’s ADHD plays a significant role in his conflicts with family, such as when Knox impulsively steals Bowen’s ear phones and when he ruins his mom’s interview by getting in trouble at school. It is not until Knox finds Christopher that he feels like someone understands his difficulties. This is because Christopher has ADHD as well. Eventually, through Christopher and conversations with Andrew, Knox learns that what makes him different is what gives him an advantage as he learns about his ability to hyper-focus. By the end of the novel, Knox accepts his differences as he learns to celebrate his cultural heritage and speak out against racism, assimilating in his own way.

Bowen feels out of place in the US because his Asian heritage is more evident than it is for Knox or Lea. This makes him a target for people who are racists who wrongly accuse Asian people for the pandemic. Bowen wants to assimilate so that he can be invisible to those who are racist toward him, so he does not speak up against racism. Bowen never accepts the racism directed toward him because racist attitudes and actions are unacceptable. Instead, he comes to understand how to stand up for victims of racism. In this way, Bowen exceeds his own expectations for assimilating into the US, and uses his differences to help other people who are different. Once again, a difference is turned into a strength as the character face the difficulties and expectations of seamlessly transitioning into their lives in the US.