In the year 2016, most people in the United States are accepting, and even appreciative of other cultures. In today’s school systems, though some schools are more diverse than others are, there is always a mix of students from different races and cultures. There are no “white schools”, “black schools”, “Chinese schools”, or schools that completely and openly segregate and are racist toward students of different cultures. However, it has not always been that way. On California’s west coast, in and around the year 1906, there was much bigotry toward the Chinese immigrants that lived in Chinatown. They were not wanted in “white stores”, “white schools”, or even “white towns”, and they were tormented daily because, simply, they were not like the vast majority of people that lived in that area. Most of the Chinese who lived in Chinatown were destined to wash laundry, plant gardens, and chop wood because it was nearly impossible for them to get an education higher than the eighth grade. Stacey Lee, a Chinese-American author, brings all of these cultural issues to life in her novel Outrun the Moon. Her main character, Mercy Wong, faces bigotry every day. Despite this, she is unwavering in her quest to break through the barriers that have been placed in order to get a higher level of education and “become useful”.