Lilian is a seventeen-year-old girl from Hong Kong with an uplifting story to tell. From the outside looking in, Lilian is quite privileged. Her parents have great jobs, she lives in an amazing apartment in New York City, and she's attended the area's best private schools.

But privilege does not guarantee an easy life, and Lilian reflects with honesty, humor, and maturity on both her own difficulties and her relationship with her mother. In Lilian's own words, "I have experienced some rough ups and downs that taught me a lot. My darkest periods in hindsight might have been the...