Fairest: A Memoir

I enjoyed this and found it really engaging! Talusan has had such an interesting life, from her brief stint as a child star in the Phillippines to her Harvard career and beyond. I especially liked all of her reflections on theater (including her longtime connection with Lea Salonga). Unlike [b:All Boys Aren't Blue 39834234 All Boys Aren't Blue George M. Johnson https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1559859786l/39834234.SY75.jpg 61592230] this isn't specifically marketed as a YA memoir but I do think it would have a lot of teen appeal and although the last few chapters have some adult ~relationship concepts, and there is some talk of sex-having, there isn't anything too explicit. And the majority of the story really is her childhood and teen/college years. It's fascinating to see her use her rhetorical skills to unpack all the cultural beauty ideals that she's had to work through (and there is some language in here that is a bit fat-shamey but a lot of it is in the context of her understanding that she's naturally thin and that gives her extra value in American culture.)