READING CATEGORY: BOOKED or CURRICULUM
The year is 1890, and Atlanta's newest advice columnist, Miss Sweetie, has society up in arms - and I am here for it! I love the strength of her convictions and the sassy tone that she relays her messages in. It is quite entertaining to read her responses to the questions her readers have about life, love and the pursuit of the American Dream. She cuts to the chase and doesn't hold anything back when she is expressing her opinion and I love that about her. There are often times characters created in stories say they are going to stand strong for their convictions but then waffle when the struggle becomes too real. Not Miss Sweetie though. She is here and she is ready to do her best to push equal rights and the fair treatment of ALL individuals forward, no matter the consequences.
The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee takes a look at the life of Jo Kuan, a Chinese American teen living in Atlanta, Georgia, in the 1890's, and it shines a bright light on the racism and hypocrisy running rampant through the city. Jo is brilliant, sassy & tired of being overlooked & under appreciated and she decides to do something about it. Enter 'Miss Sweetie'. When Jo finds out that the local newspaper, The Focus, has been losing subscribers and may go out of business, she goes into action, creating the mysterious advice columnist Miss Sweetie. She begins to dispense advice about all sorts of things - including the treatment of people of color in Atlanta and women's suffrage - and her column is a hit!
The problem is that Jo has to remain anonymous. No one can know who Miss Sweetie is, because Jo is not white, she is not a member of high society, and she is therefore not supposed to be expressing her opinions and handing out advice, not in 1890 Atlanta. Jo has had to whisper all her life, now it is time for her to find her voice and make herself be heard.
TALKING POINTS
Jo's story brings to the forefront something that is oftentimes overlooked when discussing American history, and especially racial inequality in America - the treatment of Asian immigrants. Jo is a Chinese American teen living in a time that is racially charged. The Civil War and slavery may have ended, but that doesn't mean that suddenly everyone in the American South has realized that people should be treated equally, no matter the color of their skin or the origin of their births. She has to deal with bigotry, racism AND sexism on a daily basis. She is belittled, called all sorts of names (to her face and behind her back), and yet she stands strong in her beliefs. She trusts that some day things will be different, things will be better, and she is going to do her part to help people get to that place.
The Downstairs Girl is a book that I think would be an interesting inclusion into an historical fiction unit. It brings a fresh perspective to the issues of racial inequality and women's suffrage that I know I have not seen before. It would lend itself to a literature circle type of read, and could also be used in conjunction with research on the suffrage movement and Asian immigration.
It would also be a great book for a female-centric book club. Jo is a powerful character, a strong female lead that is unbending in her belief that what she is doing is right. She doesn't look at the world with rose-colored glasses but instead sees things clearly through her magnifying glass. There could be quite a bit of in-depth discussion about the racial and social issues that are brought to the forefront in the story, and quite a bit of comparison between society in 1890 & today.
RECOMMENDED GRADE LEVELS: 7th & Up
ABOUT THE BOOK
Title: The Downstairs Girl
Author: Stacey Lee
Publication Date: August 13, 2019
Publisher: Putnam
ISBN: 9781524740955
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