It’s a Privilege Just To Be Here

The prep school world and its various archetypes provide a dynamic setting for this debut novel. Sasaki herself is an insider in the prestigious private school community and effectively uses it for the setting. Aki Hayashi-Brown is a history teacher at the Wesley Friends School, the DC institution famous for educating the children of presidents and other Washington elites. The daughter of immigrants who grew up under the demanding gaze of her Japanese mother, Aki isn’t just a teacher at this prestigious institution but also a parent, which makes it even more difficult to deal with elite and pampered students and parents without alienating her daughter, Meg, from her classmates. To add to Aki’s stress, Meg is increasingly moody and distant as she becomes the leader of a movement seeking justice in the wake of racist vandalism at the school. Narrator Cindy Kay navigates credibly between two languages and three generations, keeping the narrative flowing forward with clarity. She sets the tones that relay more than just the words, also offering layers of context.