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Loading... Girl in Translation (edition 2011)by Jean Kwok
Work InformationGirl in Translation by Jean Kwok
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. This was an interesting and well-written story of a brilliant young woman who emigrated to the US from Hong Kong as a child. It describes her experiences working with her mother in a sweatshop under ridiculously illegal labor practices, adjusting to living in a practically condemned, roach infested building, and struggling to succeed in a school system where her limited English proficiency is interpreted as either stupidity or laziness. The problems I had with this book are ones that I commonly encounter in YA literature. The antagonists are not nuanced or fleshed out, but are sort of cartoony villains. There is more adolescent love angst than I care to tolerate. The main character is a bit Mary Sue-ish, where she is of near-genius intelligence and all the boys want her but she is unattainable except for her first real true love, but there’s a love triangle and she battles her jealousy and wins in the end but tragedy strikes and she must sacrifice herself for love and OMG!!1!1! I almost threw my phone across the room at the conclusion, where it’s revealed that Audiobook version, borrowed via Overdrive from my local library. Competently read by Grace Wey.
Through Kimberly's story, author Jean Kwok, who also emigrated from Hong Kong as a young girl, brings to the page the lives of countless immigrants who are caught between the pressure to succeed in America, their duty to their family, and their own personal desires, exposing a world that we rarely hear about. Written in an indelible voice that dramatizes the tensions of an immigrant girl growing up between two cultures, surrounded by a language and world only half understood, Girl in Translation is an unforgettable and classic novel of an American immigrant—a moving tale of hardship and triumph, heartbreak and love, and all that gets lost in translation. Kwok adeptly captures the hardships of the immigrant experience and the strength of the human spirit to survive and even excel despite the odds. Belongs to Publisher SeriesBlackbirds (2013) AwardsDistinctionsNotable Lists
Fiction.
Literature.
HTML:From the author of Searching for Sylvie Lee, the iconic, New York Times-bestselling debut novel that introduced an important Chinese-American voice with an inspiring story of an immigrant girl forced to choose between two worlds and two futures. When Kimberly Chang and her mother emigrate from Hong Kong to Brooklyn squalor, she quickly begins a secret double life: exceptional schoolgirl during the day, Chinatown sweatshop worker in the evenings. Disguising the more difficult truths of her lifeâ??like the staggering degree of her poverty, the weight of her family's future resting on her shoulders, or her secret love for a factory boy who shares none of her talent or ambitionâ??Kimberly learns to constantly translate not just her language but herself back and forth between the worlds she straddles. Through Kimberly's story, author Jean Kwok, who also emigrated from Hong Kong as a young girl, brings to the page the lives of countless immigrants who are caught between the pressure to succeed in America, their duty to their family, and their own personal desires, exposing a world that we rarely hear about. Written in an indelible voice that dramatizes the tensions of an immigrant girl growing up between two cultures, surrounded by a language and world only half understood, Girl in Translation is an unforgettable and classic novel of an American immigrant-a moving tale of hardship and triumph, heartbreak and love, and all that gets lost in transl No library descriptions found.
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LibraryThing Early Reviewers AlumJean Kwok's book Girl in Translation was available from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
Penguin AustraliaAn edition of this book was published by Penguin Australia. |
Kimberly and Matt are both a little too perfect for my taste.
It's an OK book but I wouldn't go out of my way to suggest it to others. ( )