Ambrosia Lee Drops the Mic

Park (What’s Eating Jackie Oh?) interrogates celebrity culture in a searing novel that tackles body image, misogyny in stand-up comedy, and child parentification. After she’s fired from a popular children’s show at 13 for puberty-related weight gain, Korean American child actor Brosh Lee’s career nosedives. Now 16, she’s auditioning for “Unidentified Asian Female” roles in crime shows and TV commercials when her talent agent drops her, and her divorced father announces that he’s marrying his “Ivy League boss lady” executive girlfriend. Fed up with the pressures of Hollywood, Brosh follows in the footsteps of her idol, brash stand-up comedian Josie Kang, and starts performing at open mic nights, using her foundering acting career, her parents’ divorce, and commentary about Korean stereotyping as material. As romantic tension ignites between Brosh and her teenage comedy coach, Teddy, she must also navigate increasingly frequent unexpected encounters with her ex-boyfriend Liam, a successful actor. Simultaneously, a callback for a role on a top-rated TV series piques Brosh’s interest—but she must be willing to lose weight for the part. Brosh’s sharp-witted, effervescent POV relays a funny, absorbing, and empowering tale of one teen’s embracing truth and integrity over artifice and popularity. Characters are racially diverse. Includes author’s note. Ages 14–up. Agent: Sarah Burnes, Gernert Company. (Apr.)