A Step from Heaven

I am a high school English teacher and an avid reader. I also have a Masters degree in literature, so I love a good book that is well-crafted. As far as a young adult novel girls I think this one is very well written in the story, the dark, is moving. It’s one that I would definitely recommend to my students. My only complaint is the cover of the book I received looks different from the one pictured but that’s not a big deal. It’s a great book.

An Na's A Step from Heaven, was one of those books that was hard to put down. I was engaged with the novel from the moment I started reading the book. It was interesting to see someone from an experience other than my own. The story is about the hardships that one has to go through to live in America, and those hardships include language barriers, finding friends who welcome outsiders into their country and their lives, and keeping together a family.I'm not sure how much of A Step from Heaven is based on the author's own experience ( after finding out from the back of the book that the author came to America from Korea when she was young), but I felt as if the events in the novel were real, because there was so much raw emotion behind the characters.SPOILER ALERT! Besides the hardships, I found this book to be interesting because of the cultural assumptions that were challenged and allowed me to think about. For instance, I know that in some Asian cultures, girls are often unwanted compared to males because these cultures are still fairly traditional and hold a lot of stigmas and rules about gender roles. I know this because one of my sister's close friends, is from Thailand and she would have had to been killed or sent away if it wasn't for her grandmother who took her in, because there are laws about how many children a family can have just because of the overpopulation, and she may have not had to be sent away from her parents if she were born a boy. I just felt so sad for Young Ju when I read the line, "I stare down at my bows. Apa did not even want to hold me." The reason it is important to mention that the boys were wanted more than girls in this culture, is because I first made the cultural assumption at first that Apa's abuse towards his wife and Young Ju were because women were looked down upon as a weaker sex, but then I soon realized as I read on that the father may have been having an affair with another woman and was just an abusive father whom didn't appreciate or deserve Young Ju and her mother.I'm glad that things got better after he left and that eventually they realized they could live their lives just fine without him, even if it would be different from then on.

I read this book as part of the requirement for a graduate class, and I was engaged from the very first page. A Step From Heaven is the story of a Korean family, told from the point of view of the female protagonist Young Ju, who at the age of four emigrates with her family from a tiny fishing village in Korea to Mi Gook, i.e. the United States. As a young child, Young Ju thinks Mi Gook is heaven, based on all the praises heaped upon it by her relatives. However, Young Ju and her family quickly come to realize that life in the United States is not easy as both of Young Ju's parents are forced to take on menial jobs in order to support the family.The main characters are credibly portrayed. Young Ju is portrayed as an intelligent and sensitive young woman who goes against the cultural stereotype of a submissive Asian girl. She is vocal when she feels that she has been misunderstood or unfairly treated, especially with regards to her father. Apa, the father character in this story is portrayed in a negative light, yet does not come across as a caricature. As the story progresses, the reader becomes aware that there are extenuating circumstances which have caused Apa to turn to alcohol as a means of drowning his frustrations and sorrow. I did feel that Uhmma was rather weak-willed, and for most of the story, appeared to embody the cultural stereotype of the weak-willed and subjugated Asian wife. For many years, Uhmma suffers physical and emotional abuse, and watches as her children get beaten by their father, and it was hard to sympathize with this character until she sort of redeems herself towards the end. Though the story has lots of Korean cultural references, these references enhance the storytelling and do not overwhelm the story.The author's writing style is quite simple, with easy, unadorned language that conveys the main characters' experiences. Korean words and expressions are woven into the story in a manner that is not jarring, and do not detract from the reader's engagement with the story. Due to the difficult life led by the characters, the mood is bleak for the most part, though this is offset by the brilliant portrayal of Young Ju, who is kind, gentle and ever hopeful of a better life. It is this sense of hope that shines through at the end.

This book was really lovely, it told an incredibly touching story yet somehow still managed to be an easy read. I did cry at the end, it is quite an emotional rollercoaster.It is the story of a young girl who comes from Korea to America with her family in search of better opportunities. She then faces many struggles, such as language barriers, and has to contend with her abusive father.I have knocked off only one star as I was slightly distracted by a mistake in the Korean - I am not fluent but it seemed like her younger brother was calling her 언니, when I think it should have been 누나. So when he was saying uh-nee it should have been noona? This small mistake took away from the authenticity to me.

I first read this novel when I was 12, and it has always stuck with me since. An Na weaves a tale about Korean immigrants in America, dealing with issues on identity, domestic violence and the American Dream.The story is about a girl named Yung Ju, who emigrated to the USA when she was a child with her parents, leaving behind her childhood home in Korea. Her family take on many jobs to support themselves, and introduce another baby. The cracks begin to show when Yung Ju battles sexism from her own father and the constant juggling of two cultures.A Step From Heaven is perfect. It’s a story that many including myself can relate too and one that is incredibly underrated. I recommend anyone and everyone to read this.

Its a very different book, simple but touching, lovely mix of korean and american language and culture.. and yes a fast paced book.

Tutto ok