Thank you, everyone, for reading and supporting The Donut Shop. At first, this book started off as a short story and I wasn't going to expand it, but after receiving a few kind comments from a friend, tessmillefeuille, I decided that Ethan's story was worth expanding.
Ethan is a very personal character to me, and he represents all of the people who are unsure of themselves in their sexuality, as well as their confidence. In a way, his struggling with his sexuality mirrors my own struggle with finding out who I am (some to do with sexuality).
As you can see, one of the main things I wanted to address was the fact that Asian children are afraid to be themselves in their families because they are afraid of what their parents will think or say. I, too, have struggled with this, growing up in a strict West Indian family, but eventually, I didn't care anymore.
Be yourself, and if someone has a problem with that, then they do not support you for you, but for their idealism of who they think you are. I hope that this book lessened that fear of Asian parents being unaccepting of their children's sexuality and encouraged at least one person to have the bravery to reveal who they are to their close friends and family.
I also wanted to discuss a few stereotypes that we naturally assume about people, like Mara. Everyone assumes girls that dress girly in skirts are pushovers, don't have control of their own life, and are just subject to societal expectations, but I think female empowerment is still something we need to address. Ladies: don't tear other girls down for being more feminine! Build each other up!
That being said, there's one last thing I wanted to talk about: ageism. It may not seem like a big deal, but one day, all of us are going to be just as old as our grandparents and the younger generation is going to be picking on us. Understandably, it's important to learn and grow from the past generations.
A few months ago, it was a trend to respond to older folks with the line, "okay boomer." Although there are some 'bad seeds' and older people that have a superiority complex over the younger generation, it's terrible to class every older person into this lump. It's like if someone said that all Muslims are terrorists, or all Asians are smart: it's a stereotype and it needs to be stopped.
In certain aspects, the older generation has a bit more experience and can guide the rising generation. It is important to learn and remember the history that our parents and grandparents survived so we can understand their struggles and not have to live through the same circumstances. Older things should not be brushed aside because they are old.
Finally, I wanted to thank my dad, my teachers, Mr. B and Mrs. G, and my church family for supporting my writing. You have all contributed to the way I think about things today and have encouraged me to keep pushing my work forward.
I love you guys and hope you enjoyed the last chapter. For the last time... love you all, peace!