Juvenile Fiction
Listening Library
2001
Audiobook
156
Library
The Barnes & Noble Review
In a stunning novel debut honored with the Michael J. Printz Award for excellence in literature for young adults, writer An Na tells the story of a Korean family that immigrates to California in search of a better life, only to find that the American Dream is harder to achieve than they thought. Told through the eyes of Young Ju, who is a preschooler when the book begins and a young woman heading off to college by the time it ends, A Step from Heaven is a moving and sometimes painful tale about cultural differences, family dynamics, and the struggle to survive.
As little Young Ju's plane leaves Korea and climbs high into the sky, she thinks she is headed for heaven. In a way, so do her parents, who believe that America will offer them big opportunities and a more heavenly lifestyle. But life is much harder than they anticipate, and both of Young Ju's parents must work multiple jobs just to make ends meet while they share a house with relatives. Disillusioned and ashamed, Young Ju's father tries to drown the harsh realities of his life in liquor, eventually descending into a pit of alcoholism that turns him emotionally and physically abusive.
Though the family as a unit doesn't adapt well, Young Ju adjusts quickly and soon excels in school. But the shame of her family's poverty and her father's worsening alcoholism leads to several lies and cover-ups that prevent her from ever fully embracing her new life. Caught between two cultures and increasingly isolated by the growing tension within her family, Young Ju eventually finds herself at a crossroads, forced to make a decision that will likely tear her family apart.
A Step from Heaven is an insightful, enriching read that should appeal to teens and young adults on many levels. An Na tells the story through a series of vignettes, using poetic prose and well-drawn characters. And Young Ju's wonderfully engaging voice is a perfect match for the family's evolving reality, ranging from the starry-eyed wonder she has as a toddler to the quiet but hopeful reflectiveness she expresses as a young adult.(Beth Amos)
I had to laugh as I looked through some of the other reviews of this book — many of them started off the same way I thought I probably would — something like “This started really slow, but I enjoyed it more as it progressed.” There were also quite a few reviews, at least on the first page, that mentioned reading it because they were reading all of the Printz winners….
NEIBORS (my library’s ebook and audio lending library) had this available as an audiobook. I have to be in the right mood to listen to books, so I ended up saving this one until I had finished several of the other books from the 2002 winners. I did have a hard time wanting to listen at first. The narrator, Young Ju, is only four at the beginning of the book, and I didn’t care for the way the story started, which is unfortunate. If I had been listening purely for pleasure, I probably would have given up. I kept going, though, and the story and Young grew on me. But only up to a certain point — because it ended up being more about a family dealing with domestic violence, than a family learning to navigate the US after coming here from Korea. There were certain threads about immigration or their past that would come and go, characters that would be around at one point, but disappear for years, only to reappear again, suddenly. Where had they been all along? Why weren’t they involved again sooner?
And once we reach the ultimate crisis point — after that, everything is seemingly better in an instant? I was listening to the last part through a pretty intense sinus headache (hoping the story would distract me), so maybe that wasn’t the best listening conditions.
I guess that the fact that this was the 2002 award winner had me hoping for more. No time to dwell, though, I have more books to read.
