Books like Necessary roughness by Marie G. Lee

Chan, a sixteen‑year‑old Korean American, uproots his life from Los Angeles to a small Minnesota town. There, the challenges of fitting into a high‑school football team magnify the racial tensions he faces. Simultaneously, Chan grapples with the influence of a strict father, whose expectations clash with his own emerging sense of self as he navigates adolescence, family dynamics, and cultural belonging. The novel examines the everyday struggles of a minority youth in a new environment, offering a poignant look at prejudice, community, and the evolving relationship between father and son while highlighting the power of sport to both divide and unite. Through Chan’s experience, readers see how personal identity, family expectations, and societal attitudes collide, and how one teenager seeks to reconcile his place within both his heritage and his new American surroundings.

First publish date: 1996