Room to Dream

Lupe Garcia is Mia’s best friend. Her parents also work at the Calivista motel, and Lupe typically works the front desk with Mia. This year, though, Lupe is not in any of Mia’s classes, and she has quit her front-desk job. Lupe is intensely focused on getting ahead in school, and her constant studying drives a wedge between the two friends, becoming a hot topic of Mia’s columns in the China Kids Gazette.

Lupe’s ambition is an extension of the theme of The Pressure to Overperform in Oppressed Communities. Lupe reveals later on that she will be the first in her family to get an education, and it’s only recently that she and her family were allowed to stay in the United States at all. Lupe feels a profound pressure to live up to her family’s hopes and expectations, to the point that this pressure sometimes even steers her opinion on the sale of the Magna. Lupe knows that the money from the sale could go toward college or the extracurriculars needed to look impressive to colleges. What Lupe fails to remember is that if the Calivista is sold, Mia and her family will lose their home and jobs.

Jason Yao is another Chinese student who starts off as Mia’s good friend, though he has romantic feelings for Mia that Mia does not return. He has his heart set on becoming a famous chef, and “[t]wice a week after school, Jason [goes] to a cooking academy in nearby Orange” (2). There are times when Jason’s anger and impulse control issues stand in the way of his friendship with Mia. Jason’s jealousy over Da-Shawn, for example, prompts him to lash out verbally and even physically when he doesn’t get his way. Eventually, Jason learns how to better control these feelings and works on becoming a better friend to everyone.

Jason’s sometimes problematic character helps the book explore the concept of consent and how boys and girls are treated differently when it comes to dating. For example, even though Jason is the one who lashes out at the dance, Jason’s father blames Mia for Jason’s actions. This injustice reflects society’s tendency to blame victims, calling attention to how patriarchal systems affect individuals. However, the fact that Jason takes responsibility for his actions in the end, apologizing to Mia, outlines a pathway for young men toward being better friends and partners to women.

Hank is the marketing director for the Calivista, and in Mia’s opinion, the best burger cook there is. He has “the longest resume and most experience” (257), but because he is Black, he faces frequent discrimination in the motel industry. Hank’s time in the industry and insights as a Black man in the United States make him an astute observer of how big corporations operate; within the theme of The Effects of Gentrification on Small Businesses, Hank often provides sharp assessments of the problems the community can expect.

Hank joins the Tangs on their trip to China, hoping to get a break from the racism that is so prevalent in the United States, only to find it exists in China also. Hank doesn’t let this wear him down. He makes friends in China and maintains a kind and giving heart. He is quick to give Mia advice and serves as another father figure in her life when she can’t open up to her parents.

Da-Shawn Wallace is one of the best writers in Mia’s class and Mia’s eventual crush. A new student from Connecticut, Da-Shawn is an “African-American boy with braces and a Batman pencil case […] the only person I knew who read more than me and Lupe” (6). Da-Shawn is quiet at first and keeps to himself. It isn’t until he is assigned to be Mia’s group writing project partner that his character emerges, revealing a sweet and encouraging young man who bolsters Mia’s perseverance.

Mia’s Mom undergoes a character arc that mirrors her daughter’s. Like Mia, Mom starts out with a dream: She wants to be a teacher in the United States. Like Mia, Mom has already found some success: She just passed the substitute teaching exam. Mia is certain her mom is off to a good start, thinking “My mom had been studying so hard. And now her dream of being a teacher in America was coming true!” (12). However, earning respect in the classroom turns out to be something entirely different.

Like Dad, Mom feels the pressure to overperform keenly. She puts a lot of weight on what her family thinks of her (whereas Mia prioritizes her peers’ opinions). As a result, though Mom is kind and intelligent, she can be prideful at times and doesn’t like to admit when she’s struggling. This tendency to hide anything sad or frustrating from loved ones is also something Mom shares with Mia. Mia hides her rejection letters, Jason’s kiss, and Lupe’s betrayal. Mom hides the bullying that happens at the middle school, making Mia promise not to tell Dad about it, and Mom conceals how dire things are financially when talking to her family in China. By the end of the book, however, both Mom and Mia have learned to open up more to people they trust. Mom confides in Dad, and she tells Lao Lao that she can’t afford to help with the apartment. Mom learns from Mia the power of speaking the truth instead of pretending everything is okay when it’s not.

In addition to being an owner of the Calivista, Mia’s Dad works extra hard as a professional cleaner there. Though Mia feels he should be proud of his work, Dad fears that others may look down on him for being a professional cleaner and often hides his profession. When the family is in China, Dad goes so far as to pretend that he is the manager of a biotech firm instead of a motel. Mia is puzzled by her father’s deep concern with what other people think: “How could these random people affect Dad so much? Did he really regret leaving?” (118). Like Mom, Dad is highly sensitive to the societal pressure to overperform, in particular to achieve the stereotypical image of the American dream for his family. Dad has to learn not to worry about what other people think of him. As he does, he starts to see his value in the family and begins to heal his self-image.