Bibliographic Data
Na, An. 2001. A step from heaven. Asheville, NC: Front Street. ISBN 1-886910-58-8
Summary
Young Ju is four years old when her family immigrates from Korea. Though she has been led to believe that America is heaven, she learns that it is not as easy or as wonderful as she had imagined. The novel follows Young Ju through her many trials on the way to adulthood.
Critical Analysis
The novel opens when Young Ju is four years old, still in Korea. The story is told from a first person limited perspective, so sometimes the reader must work to figure out what the young girl’s observations mean. The reader’s uncertainty mirrors Young Ju’s confusion as she moves to a new country and tries to figure out her surroundings. Just as she has a hard time understanding her teacher and the other students in her class, so do we:
Na, An. 2001. A step from heaven. Asheville, NC: Front Street. ISBN 1-886910-58-8
Summary
Young Ju is four years old when her family immigrates from Korea. Though she has been led to believe that America is heaven, she learns that it is not as easy or as wonderful as she had imagined. The novel follows Young Ju through her many trials on the way to adulthood.
Critical Analysis
The novel opens when Young Ju is four years old, still in Korea. The story is told from a first person limited perspective, so sometimes the reader must work to figure out what the young girl’s observations mean. The reader’s uncertainty mirrors Young Ju’s confusion as she moves to a new country and tries to figure out her surroundings. Just as she has a hard time understanding her teacher and the other students in her class, so do we:
“Ah ri cas, ca mo ve he,” the witch teacher says. She claps her hands and touches her cloud hair. All the other Mi Gook girls and boys come over fast like they are scared they will be eaten if they are not good children. They sit in a circle around me.
“Tees es Yung,” the witch teacher says.
“Wah ko um, Yung,” they say.
(p. 31)
Young Ju soon learns her teacher is kind after all, and she is determined that one day, she will know all the “Mi Gook words.” (p. 34)
As Young Ju grows older, the events in her life become clearer, both to her and the reader. Time moves steadily but quickly, with each new chapter advancing time about a year. Young Ju understands and becomes more comfortable in the US, but her family life deteriorates. Her father becomes increasingly unstable, with bouts of violence. As Young Ju matures, she starts to see her father in a new light, and while she begins to understand that she is not the cause of his temper, that realization doesn’t prevent her from being on the receiving end. There is suffering in Young Ju’s life, but Na has imbued her heroine with a composure and sense of hope that allows her to endure. This also helps the reader experience her pain with sympathy, but without fear.
In the end, Young Ju comes full circle. She is once again leaving a beloved home for a place of hope, this time college. We know that she is bound to face adversity again, but we also know that she will persevere and triumph again. While most students will not have experience with the hardships that Young Ju has to endure, everyone has hurdles to overcome. Her story can inspire them to succeed despite these hurdles.
Reviews
From School Publishers Weekly:
“The journey Na chronicles, in Young's graceful and resonant voice, is an acculturation process that is at times wrenching, at times triumphant and consistently absorbing. Told almost like a memoir, the narrative unfolds through jewel-like moments carefully strung together.” - Copyright 2001, Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From BookList:
“…the coming-of-age drama will grab teens and make them think of their own conflicts between home and outside. As in the best writing, the particulars make the story universal.” - Hazel Rochman2001, Copyright American Library Association.
Connections
This novel ends with a touching epilogue about Uhmma’s hands. Ask students to write a short essay describing a person, using a feature or activity as the thread that ties the characteristics together.
As Young Ju grows older, the events in her life become clearer, both to her and the reader. Time moves steadily but quickly, with each new chapter advancing time about a year. Young Ju understands and becomes more comfortable in the US, but her family life deteriorates. Her father becomes increasingly unstable, with bouts of violence. As Young Ju matures, she starts to see her father in a new light, and while she begins to understand that she is not the cause of his temper, that realization doesn’t prevent her from being on the receiving end. There is suffering in Young Ju’s life, but Na has imbued her heroine with a composure and sense of hope that allows her to endure. This also helps the reader experience her pain with sympathy, but without fear.
In the end, Young Ju comes full circle. She is once again leaving a beloved home for a place of hope, this time college. We know that she is bound to face adversity again, but we also know that she will persevere and triumph again. While most students will not have experience with the hardships that Young Ju has to endure, everyone has hurdles to overcome. Her story can inspire them to succeed despite these hurdles.
Reviews
From School Publishers Weekly:
“The journey Na chronicles, in Young's graceful and resonant voice, is an acculturation process that is at times wrenching, at times triumphant and consistently absorbing. Told almost like a memoir, the narrative unfolds through jewel-like moments carefully strung together.” - Copyright 2001, Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From BookList:
“…the coming-of-age drama will grab teens and make them think of their own conflicts between home and outside. As in the best writing, the particulars make the story universal.” - Hazel Rochman2001, Copyright American Library Association.
Connections
This novel ends with a touching epilogue about Uhmma’s hands. Ask students to write a short essay describing a person, using a feature or activity as the thread that ties the characteristics together.
Ask students to write about a time that they or someone they know had to overcome adversity.
*****
Reviews found at the Carrollton Public Library website, http://cityofcarrollton.com/library/
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