north of beautiful by justina chen headley

Recommended: I thought this was a great book for teenagers. It was about a girl with a birthmark on her face, and it haunts her. I appreciate books that revolve around the family dynamics, which this book did. In this book, the father is verbal abuser, but he doesn't even know it. I think verbal abuse happens too often in families, but it is subtle, not like physical abuse. The second half of the book is the part where the girl and mother free themselves from the father for a while, and they do some soul searching when they take a trip to China without the father. There is even some symbolism in this book, which is usually not my favorite thing, but I didn't mind it. This book has solid characters, a holistic story line, and a good ending.