cover photograph by K. Reyes (Feb. 2021)
Bibliographic Information:
- Title: Frankly in Love
- Author: David Yoon
- ISBN: 9781984812209
- Publisher: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, Penguin Random House, LLC, New York
- Copyright Date: 2019
Genre / Format of the Title:
Awards or Honors:
Reading Level/Interest Level:
- Realistic Fiction, Romance, #OwnVoices [hardcover book]
Awards or Honors:
- Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature YA Honor 2020;
- William C. Morris Debut Award, Finalist, 2020;
- ILA Young Adults' Choices Reading List Selection, 2020 (TeachingBooks, 2021a).
Reading Level/Interest Level:
- Age range: 14-17; Lexile: HL660L (Lexile, 2020)
Plot Summary:
Frank Li is a senior who’s in love with a white girl which is a problem because his Korean parents would disapprove and would rather see Frank with Joy who is the “ideal Korean” girl and therefore acceptable to his parents. Similarly, Joy’s parents are also not aware that she is dating a non-Korean, a Chinese-American boy, also unacceptable. Frank would really like to be honest with his parents but they’ve already disowned their first child who fell in love with a Black man and is planning to marry him. So he and Joy come up with a plan to make it look like they are dating each other so that they can each see their respective partners while all along their parents think they are seeing each other. Frank and Joy call themselves “Limbos,” children of immigrant Korean parents, neither American nor Korean enough. Their lives will be upended by the choices they make with each other and with their post-high school life.
Frank Li is a senior who’s in love with a white girl which is a problem because his Korean parents would disapprove and would rather see Frank with Joy who is the “ideal Korean” girl and therefore acceptable to his parents. Similarly, Joy’s parents are also not aware that she is dating a non-Korean, a Chinese-American boy, also unacceptable. Frank would really like to be honest with his parents but they’ve already disowned their first child who fell in love with a Black man and is planning to marry him. So he and Joy come up with a plan to make it look like they are dating each other so that they can each see their respective partners while all along their parents think they are seeing each other. Frank and Joy call themselves “Limbos,” children of immigrant Korean parents, neither American nor Korean enough. Their lives will be upended by the choices they make with each other and with their post-high school life.
Author Background:
David Yoon was born in Texas forty-eight years ago, then his parents relocated the family to Orange County California, the same setting as his debut novel, Frankly In Love. Writing became his escape being an outsider in this predominantly white community (Charaipotra, 2021). Yoon attended UC Berkeley and graduated in 1993 with a degree in English. He then taught for three years in Japan and upon his return, moved to Boston to attend Emerson College where he received his MFA degree in 2000. This is also where he met his future wife, Nicola, who is also a writer of YA fiction (Charaipotra, 2021). Yoon incorporates his experiences into his novels.
It wasn’t until 2019, with the publication of Frankly in Love and accolades that ensued, that his reputation as a renowned and favorite YA writer began. Mining his own personal history has yielded a book that exposes his vulnerability and his family’s history “warts and all” and is quickly becoming YA favorite and it also has a movie option in its future (Canfield, 2019). His second YA novel, Super Fake Love Song (2020), was also well-received. He will be releasing his first adult novel, Zero Version on May 21, 2021 (Yoon, 2021). He currently lives in Southern California with his wife and daughter. He and his wife recently started a publishing company that focuses on publishing rom-com YA novels featuring people of color.
David Yoon was born in Texas forty-eight years ago, then his parents relocated the family to Orange County California, the same setting as his debut novel, Frankly In Love. Writing became his escape being an outsider in this predominantly white community (Charaipotra, 2021). Yoon attended UC Berkeley and graduated in 1993 with a degree in English. He then taught for three years in Japan and upon his return, moved to Boston to attend Emerson College where he received his MFA degree in 2000. This is also where he met his future wife, Nicola, who is also a writer of YA fiction (Charaipotra, 2021). Yoon incorporates his experiences into his novels.
It wasn’t until 2019, with the publication of Frankly in Love and accolades that ensued, that his reputation as a renowned and favorite YA writer began. Mining his own personal history has yielded a book that exposes his vulnerability and his family’s history “warts and all” and is quickly becoming YA favorite and it also has a movie option in its future (Canfield, 2019). His second YA novel, Super Fake Love Song (2020), was also well-received. He will be releasing his first adult novel, Zero Version on May 21, 2021 (Yoon, 2021). He currently lives in Southern California with his wife and daughter. He and his wife recently started a publishing company that focuses on publishing rom-com YA novels featuring people of color.
Click to link to David Yoon's very cool website (Yoon, D., 2021).
Critical Evaluation for Books and Non-Print Items:
This book is different from any book I’ve read that deals with romantic relationships that develop between teens who are, what I call, the culturally hyphenated. This is Frank’s story but it is the story that resonates with any immigrant’s child who must navigate two cultures and yet is only seen by the dominant culture as not quite American. The author, David Yoon, inserts so much social commentary into the dialogue that happens between Frank and Brit, his white girlfriend, but does it in a way that is very familiar to those of us who have had these types of conversations. They are difficult conversations about race, privilege, and navigating racial constructs and expectations on top of trying to enjoy just “being” and not having to explain who we are and why we belong. This book is ideal for further discussion about acculturation and code-switching, something relatable to many teens of multicultural backgrounds.
This book is different from any book I’ve read that deals with romantic relationships that develop between teens who are, what I call, the culturally hyphenated. This is Frank’s story but it is the story that resonates with any immigrant’s child who must navigate two cultures and yet is only seen by the dominant culture as not quite American. The author, David Yoon, inserts so much social commentary into the dialogue that happens between Frank and Brit, his white girlfriend, but does it in a way that is very familiar to those of us who have had these types of conversations. They are difficult conversations about race, privilege, and navigating racial constructs and expectations on top of trying to enjoy just “being” and not having to explain who we are and why we belong. This book is ideal for further discussion about acculturation and code-switching, something relatable to many teens of multicultural backgrounds.
Creative Use for a Library Program:
There are finally several books in the past few years that have Asian-American protagonists, none of them having anything in common except that they are of Asian heritage and they represent all kinds of Asians. So for a collaborative project with our world lit teacher, I hope to have at least a class set of these books next year so the library can host a book group discussion and have their class create a cultural collage that draws from the various Asian cultures.
Speed-Round Book Talk or Short Book Trailer:
When you fake date your best friend so you can go out with the girl of your dreams, things can turn out not as planned. Find out how Frank Li and his friends navigate the world of dating, college applications, and family dynamics. The end might surprise you.
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation:
I can see someone appalled by the overt references to sex and by the crass language used by some of the characters in the story and use these as reasons to ban this book at the high school level. But the First Amendment protects our rights to provide books and materials that may run counter to common beliefs or practices.
Reason for Inclusion:
This was on my TBR pile since it came out and I’m glad I finally read it. I think I avoided it initially thinking it was a light rom-com that could’ve been of any race but his story is very particular and the race of the protagonist and supporting characters are central to how they navigate and understand the world around them.
There are finally several books in the past few years that have Asian-American protagonists, none of them having anything in common except that they are of Asian heritage and they represent all kinds of Asians. So for a collaborative project with our world lit teacher, I hope to have at least a class set of these books next year so the library can host a book group discussion and have their class create a cultural collage that draws from the various Asian cultures.
Speed-Round Book Talk or Short Book Trailer:
When you fake date your best friend so you can go out with the girl of your dreams, things can turn out not as planned. Find out how Frank Li and his friends navigate the world of dating, college applications, and family dynamics. The end might surprise you.
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation:
I can see someone appalled by the overt references to sex and by the crass language used by some of the characters in the story and use these as reasons to ban this book at the high school level. But the First Amendment protects our rights to provide books and materials that may run counter to common beliefs or practices.
Reason for Inclusion:
This was on my TBR pile since it came out and I’m glad I finally read it. I think I avoided it initially thinking it was a light rom-com that could’ve been of any race but his story is very particular and the race of the protagonist and supporting characters are central to how they navigate and understand the world around them.
Listen to an interview with the author, David Yoon, on NPR:
REFERENCES
Canfield, D. (2019, September 3). With 'Frankly in Love,' David Yoon is poised to be YA's next superstar. EW.com. https://ew.com/author-interviews/2019/09/03/frankly-in-love-david-yoon/.
Charaipotra, S. (2021, March 12). It's zero hour for David Yoon. PublishersWeekly.com. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/profiles/article/85791-it-s-zero-hour-for-david-yoon.html.
Lexile.com. (2020, September 18). Find books at the right level. Lexile Framework for Reading. https://hub.lexile.com/find-a-book/book-details/9781984812209
TeachingBooks. (2021). Frankly in Love. https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=66538#Award
TeachingBooks. (2020). Meet the author recording with David Yoon [Audio File]. https://www.teachingbooks.net/book_reading.cgi?id=17901#
Yoon, D. (2021). Blog. [web log]. https://www.davidyoon.com/blog
Charaipotra, S. (2021, March 12). It's zero hour for David Yoon. PublishersWeekly.com. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/profiles/article/85791-it-s-zero-hour-for-david-yoon.html.
Lexile.com. (2020, September 18). Find books at the right level. Lexile Framework for Reading. https://hub.lexile.com/find-a-book/book-details/9781984812209
TeachingBooks. (2021). Frankly in Love. https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=66538#Award
TeachingBooks. (2020). Meet the author recording with David Yoon [Audio File]. https://www.teachingbooks.net/book_reading.cgi?id=17901#
Yoon, D. (2021). Blog. [web log]. https://www.davidyoon.com/blog
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