2. Unpolished Gem, by Alice Pung

Alice Pung grew up as a Chinese-Cambodian Australian in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray. With lots of anecdotes and sharp, often funny dialogue Alice recalls her childhood with warmth and humour. She's not afraid to make fun of herself or her family, and does so without making caricatures of them. However I wanted to know a bit more about her, and felt that she may have skimmed over the surface of some things that could have given her story more depth. But I liked it a lot and was impressed with her memory for dialogue and her clear-sighted view of herself and others.