Young Ju and her parents are going to live in America, where everyone can make lots of money. She thinks they are on their way to heaven. But when her uhmma (mother) and apa (father) have to work three jobs just to pay the rent and everyone speaks a new language and has new customs, Young Ju feels caught between two cultures. Her uhmma tells her she is a strong American girl with a future but her father is angry with her when she is not a respectful Korean daughter. And when her brother Joon comes along, she is even more convinced that nothing she does is right. But just as the family threatens to destroy itself Young Ju finds the courage to defy the restrictive customs of her family and seek the help they need. This is a powerful and elegant novel about a girl's journey to adulthood and a family's struggle for a better life, which will resonate with migrants everywhere.

 

 

This book is the winner of numerous awards

This book features in the following series: Now in Speak, Thorndike Young Adult .

There are 156 pages in this book.

It is aimed at Young Adult readers. The term Young Adult (YA) is used for books which have the following characteristics: (1) aimed at ages 12-18 years, US grades 7-12, UK school years 8-15, (2) around 50-75k words long, (3) main character is aged 12-18 years, (4) topics include self-reflection, internal conflict vs external, analyzing life and its meaning, (5) point of view is often in the first person, and (6) swearing, violence, romance and sexuality are allowed.

This book was published in 2002 by Allen & Unwin .

An Na was born in Korea and grew up in San Diego, California. A former middle school English and history teacher, she is currently at work on her third novel. She lives in Vermont.