Halfway There

A Graphic Memoir of Self-Discovery

By: Christine Mari

Narrated by: Sara Matsui Colby, Chieko Hidaka, Alice Wen, Siho Ellsmore

A poignant young adult graphic memoir that follows one teen's year abroad in Japan, as she seeks to reconcile both sides of her biracial identity.

Christine has always felt she is just half: Half American, half Japanese. As a biracial Japanese American who was born in Tokyo but raised in the US, she knows all too well what it’s like to be a part of two different worlds but never feeling as though you belong to either.

Now on the brink of adulthood, Christine decides it’s time to return to the place she once called home. So she sets forth on a year abroad in Tokyo, believing that this is where she truly belongs. After years of feeling like an outsider, now she will finally be complete.

Except…Tokyo isn’t the answer she thought it would be. Instead of fitting in, Christine finds herself a fish out of water, as being half of two cultures isolates her in ways she'd never imagined. All she can do is try to stay afloat for the rest of the year—still figuring out who she is, what she wants in life, and whether she’ll ever truly be more than halfway there.

Author-illustrator Christine Mari explores what it means to lose and find yourself in this moving narrative of belonging and home.

Critic reviews

*"Christine’s portrayal is appealing and true to life...Identity issues and mental health crises portrayed with depth and authenticity."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

*"A powerful memoir for teens who enjoy physical and emotional journeys, and for anyone who ever felt they didn’t fit in."—School Library Journal, starred review

"A touching story that anyone who's felt alone can connect with."—Booklist

Winter.

Everything! Your moving story brought back a t-r-e-m-e-n-d-o-u-s flood of both the really good and the really bad memories from my own time over there as a student in my way-back-when days. Thank you Christine for sharing your own beautifully amazing self with me and with the rest of my fellow readers. People like you make the thundering storm clouds and soaking wet downpours of life c-o-m-p-l-e-t-e-l-y worth it. Thank you again for never giving up on yourself and for being here with us now in this absolutely crazy roller coaster ride share called “LIFE”!!!