Back Kicks and Broken Promises

Ricky Gilbert's world has been turned upside down. The seventeen-year-old, Filipino, adopted son of American parents, Ricky tries to adjust to a new life after moving halfway around the world from Singapore to New Jersey. With the help of Max Parada, an American-born Filipino, and Amy Cho, his Korean American classmate, Ricky begins to find his place and identity in his new home through tae kwon do training.

The training, however, is more than kicks and punches. Instead, it becomes Ricky's...