An Na

Na masterfully weaves an authentic, and beautifully emotional account of Young Ju, her family's emigration to America, and their Korean heritage and culture. The story is told simply, through Young Ju; beginning as a young girl and reaching adolescence. The Printz Award winner, A Step from Heaven will enthuse young adult readers, Asian Americans, and anyone interested in an honest depiction of the struggles and difficulties of acculturation; especially for the coming of age female, and first show more generation immigrants.

This story not only authenticates the difficulties of assimilation; the cultural barriers for immigrants such as language, education, socioeconomic standing, religion, prejudice, but reveals hidden truths and injustices within individuals; all cultures. Much of what Ju personally endures, and the struggles within her family are universal; abuse, alcoholism, divorce.

The larger issue, however, is how one person lives and thrives within the confines of two distinct cultures. Again, this struggle is not new. Na develops the character Ju, realistically; with great hurdles, and obstacles to overcome; socially, culturally, and personally. Just as realistic, Ju's character is strong, hopeful, victorious; she is Korean American, embracing both cultures.

A Step from Heaven is a great choice for all adolescents. The librarian can use this book to begin a study on the history of immigration; the effects immigration has on families, generationaly. To dig deeper, upper middle school and high school students could discuss, examine, and write about our country's immigration laws today, or examine how cultures assimilate in America today. show less

Quiet and lovely- I never really understood the desire for "The Fold Surgery" before I read this book. An Na's story of a girl who is given the opportunity to change a major part of herself could have been written about _any_ girl in the world, but it is about a Korean teenager, Joyce Park.
Joyce's older sister, Helen, was the shining star of their high school(in looks, popularity, and intelligence- the HS Troika!), and Joyce wants nothing more than to be noticed for herself, not as Helen's show more little sister. Her plan for a summer makeover is incited by her crush on another one of her HS's "Beautiful Ones," John Ford Kang; she wants to be the kind of girl HE notices. Well, he notices her, all right- he just thinks she's someone else completely.
I remember that same sort of desperate longing to be just like everyone else in High School. I even tried changing my makeup and hair and clothes; after getting mocked for trying to fit in, I gave up.
Joyce doesn't give up- Fate has dropped an Opportunity in her path. Her Aunt offers her a gift of Blepharoplasty- to have her undergo san-ga-pu-rhee (the Korean word for blepharoplasty) in order to create a more "open" or "Western" eye- "The Fold" of the title.
Will Joyce undergo the painful surgery to change the way she is perceived by others, or will she continue on the infinitely more painful path of creating inner beauty? show less

This is the story of a young woman with a mental illness, inherited from her mother. The story progresses as a straightforward story at times, then meanders back to the past or maybe to the future, maybe memories or truths or alternate realities. I knew not to expect normal but I didn't quite expect this.

This story definitely got me thinking, but I'm still unsure how to put the threads together and I think that was the plan.

This is one of those books that reminds me that high quality writing in children's books exists. That inspires me to write. That causes me to start thinking more poetically, and to walk in another's shoes for several hours. And to turn the last page a little different than I was when I turned the first.