A young girl describes her family's bittersweet experience in the United States after their emigration from Korea. While going up and into the sky on the flight from Korea to California, four-year-old Young Ju concludes that they are on their way to heaven—America is heaven! After they arrive, however, Young Ju and her parents and little brother struggle in their new world, weighed down by the difficulty of learning English, their insular family life, and the traditions of the country they left behind. An Na's striking language authentically reflects the process of acculturation as Young Ju grows from a child to an adult.
Michael L. Printz Award
YALSA Selected Audiobooks for Young Adults
AudioFile Earphones Award
Reviews
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In poetic prose, the Korean-born protagonist of this novel recreates scenes of her childhood as an immigrant as she tries to adjust to American ways and remain a good Korean daughter despite her father's alcoholism and abuse. Jina Oh reads with a simplicity that underscores the emotional turmoil and pain of this story, which movingly captures the shame of being poor and different, the terrible powerlessness of youth, and the confusion of living in two cultures. Oh's voice is convincing once the protagonist has reached 10 or 11 years of age. She fails to convey the voice of the 4-year-old, which makes the early chapters somewhat confusing. Overall, Na's writing and Oh's narration sensitively capture the emotional life of a girl growing into maturity and coming to terms with her past. E.S. 2003 YALSA Selection (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine
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