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Girl in Translation
Introducing a fresh, exciting Chinese-American voice, an inspiring debut about an immigrant girl forced to choose between two worlds and two futures.
When Kimberly Chang and her mother emigrate from Hong Kong to Brooklyn squalor, she quickly begins a secret double life: exceptional schoolgirl during the day, Chinatown sweatshop worker in the evenings. Disguising the more difficult truths of her life like the staggering degree of her poverty, the weight of her family’s future resting on her shoulders, or her secret love for a factory boy who shares none of her talent or ambition. Kimberly learns to constantly translate not just her language but herself back and forth between the worlds she straddles.
Through Kimberly’s story, author Jean Kwok, who also emigrated from Hong Kong as a young girl, brings to the page the lives of countless immigrants who are caught between the pressure to succeed in America, their duty to their family, and their own personal desires, exposing a world that we rarely hear about.
Written in an indelible voice that dramatizes the tensions of an immigrant girl growing up between two cultures, surrounded by a language and world only half understood, Girl in Translation is an unforgettable and classic novel of an American immigrant--a moving tale of hardship and triumph, heartbreak and love, and all that gets lost in translation.
When Kimberly Chang and her mother emigrate from Hong Kong to Brooklyn squalor, she quickly begins a secret double life: exceptional schoolgirl during the day, Chinatown sweatshop worker in the evenings. Disguising the more difficult truths of her life like the staggering degree of her poverty, the weight of her family’s future resting on her shoulders, or her secret love for a factory boy who shares none of her talent or ambition. Kimberly learns to constantly translate not just her language but herself back and forth between the worlds she straddles.
Through Kimberly’s story, author Jean Kwok, who also emigrated from Hong Kong as a young girl, brings to the page the lives of countless immigrants who are caught between the pressure to succeed in America, their duty to their family, and their own personal desires, exposing a world that we rarely hear about.
Written in an indelible voice that dramatizes the tensions of an immigrant girl growing up between two cultures, surrounded by a language and world only half understood, Girl in Translation is an unforgettable and classic novel of an American immigrant--a moving tale of hardship and triumph, heartbreak and love, and all that gets lost in translation.
305 pages, Hardcover
First published April 29, 2010
1,355 people are currently reading
49.1k people want to read
About the author
Jean Kwok
13 books2,269 followersJean Kwok is the award-winning, New York Times and international bestselling author of The Leftover Woman (coming 10/10/23), Girl in Translation, Mambo in Chinatown, and Searching for Sylvie Lee, which was a Read with Jenna Today Show Pick. Her work has been published in twenty countries and is taught in schools across the world.
She has been selected for numerous honors, including the American Library Association Alex Award, a Goodreads Choice Awards Semi-Finalist for Mystery & Thriller, the Chinese American Librarians Association Best Book Award, an Orange New Writers title, and the Sunday Times Short Story Award international shortlist. She was one of twelve authors asked by the Agatha Christie estate to write an original, authorized Miss Marple story for the collection Marple: Twelve New Mysteries.
She immigrated from Hong Kong to Brooklyn when she was five and worked in a Chinatown clothing factory for much of her childhood. She received her bachelor's degree from Harvard University and earned an MFA from Columbia University. She divides her time between the Netherlands and New York City.
Learn more about Jean here:
www.jeankwok.com
https://www.facebook.com/JeanKwokAuthor
She has been selected for numerous honors, including the American Library Association Alex Award, a Goodreads Choice Awards Semi-Finalist for Mystery & Thriller, the Chinese American Librarians Association Best Book Award, an Orange New Writers title, and the Sunday Times Short Story Award international shortlist. She was one of twelve authors asked by the Agatha Christie estate to write an original, authorized Miss Marple story for the collection Marple: Twelve New Mysteries.
She immigrated from Hong Kong to Brooklyn when she was five and worked in a Chinatown clothing factory for much of her childhood. She received her bachelor's degree from Harvard University and earned an MFA from Columbia University. She divides her time between the Netherlands and New York City.
Learn more about Jean here:
www.jeankwok.com
https://www.facebook.com/JeanKwokAuthor
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 6,568 reviews
February 20, 2010
You probably don't want to listen to my rating, because I'm just a bit biased. However, I'd like to thank everyone who's posted here. Whether you love the book or hate it doesn't matter, I'm just glad you've taken the time to read it.
July 27, 2011
I've never read a book that described more accurately what it is like to be an Asian American immigrant.
It's like Ms. Kwok took pieces of my own experience (growing up in a cockroach-infested apartment with parents scraping by by working multiple menial jobs), and lines lifted from my friends' stories (calling an eraser a rubber, telling parents report cards came out only at the end of the year) and merged them with a thrilling and thoroughly absorbing story.
The novel takes the Chinese immigrant experience and lifts it from stereotypes; it's true that Kim is naive and academically oriented, but the author probes so deeply into her psyche and creates situations with such seriousness and honesty that she frees us from such simple labels.
In terms of language, I thought Ms. Kwok did a great job of transposing Cantonese conversations into English (partly by keeping idioms) and of making the English Kim hears sound more foreign to the readers, in a creative way. She infuses the narration with Chinese mentality, not unnaturally, and cinches descriptions of harsh realities with delicately observed prose which, far from seeming out of place, helps tint the situations in fresh hues.
More than anything, the human connection in this novel is real (like Matt, the mother, and colorful characters along the way - Mr. Al, Mr. Jamali, the African American man who comes to fix their heater); the delight of these characters in the face of patheticness, misery, and weakness moved me.
I found the ending extremely dissatisfying though - it really didn't add anything new to the story and possibly uprooted all the good things that the novel had built up to that point. But I guess my philosophy ultimately differs from Kim's, and good Asian American literature is so rare that I'm giving this book five stars anyway.
Received free through Goodreads First Reads.
It's like Ms. Kwok took pieces of my own experience (growing up in a cockroach-infested apartment with parents scraping by by working multiple menial jobs), and lines lifted from my friends' stories (calling an eraser a rubber, telling parents report cards came out only at the end of the year) and merged them with a thrilling and thoroughly absorbing story.
The novel takes the Chinese immigrant experience and lifts it from stereotypes; it's true that Kim is naive and academically oriented, but the author probes so deeply into her psyche and creates situations with such seriousness and honesty that she frees us from such simple labels.
In terms of language, I thought Ms. Kwok did a great job of transposing Cantonese conversations into English (partly by keeping idioms) and of making the English Kim hears sound more foreign to the readers, in a creative way. She infuses the narration with Chinese mentality, not unnaturally, and cinches descriptions of harsh realities with delicately observed prose which, far from seeming out of place, helps tint the situations in fresh hues.
More than anything, the human connection in this novel is real (like Matt, the mother, and colorful characters along the way - Mr. Al, Mr. Jamali, the African American man who comes to fix their heater); the delight of these characters in the face of patheticness, misery, and weakness moved me.
I found the ending extremely dissatisfying though - it really didn't add anything new to the story and possibly uprooted all the good things that the novel had built up to that point. But I guess my philosophy ultimately differs from Kim's, and good Asian American literature is so rare that I'm giving this book five stars anyway.
Received free through Goodreads First Reads.
April 1, 2016
4.5. I read Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok at a time when I read little fiction. I found the book at one of my favorite places- the check out counter at the library- and grabbed it because of its vivid colored cover.
In this debut novel, Kwok tells the story of Kimberly Chang and her mother, immigrants from Hong Kong to Brooklyn. Forced to live in a condemned apartment and work in horrid conditions because their sponsor, Kimberley's aunt, feels as though they are burden on society, Kimberly grows up in poverty. Forced to forge her mother's signature and speak with every adult necessary to get by in society because her mother can not learn English, Kimberly is also forced to grow up fast.
She has one saving grace that leads her to attend a private school: she is near genius level in math. Math being the universal language therefore English is not necessary to achieve high marks. Despite a teacher discovering Kimberly's talent and pulling strings to get into this prestigious school, Kimberly still has to work alongside her mother at a clothing factory in Chinatown after school because they have no money for childcare and because her work is needed to help meet daily piecemeal quotas.
While at the factory, Kimberly meets Matt. He is from a poor family in Chinatown and has no ambition to ever leave; however, he is one of few other adolescents at the factory and they develop a close friendship that endures through their high school years. As Kimberly navigates her private school and all the typical milestones that come with it, her aunt grows more and more resentful of her and tries with all her power to prevent the Changs from achieving the American Dream just out of spite.
Without giving much else away, the second half of the novel focuses on how Kimberly slaves in the factory while hiding her double life from even her closest of school friends. I enjoyed this book a great deal because it speaks of an immigrant experience I am otherwise unfamiliar with. These are legal immigrants yet they fall through nearly as many of the same cracks as the illegals we constantly hear about. Because this is fiction, Kimberly uses her math to obtain a happy ending; however, not all real life immigrants are nearly as fortunate, especially if they do not have a strong work ethic. I recommend this to all looking for a change of pace contemporary fiction book, and am looking forward to Kwok's second novel Mambo in Chinatown.
In this debut novel, Kwok tells the story of Kimberly Chang and her mother, immigrants from Hong Kong to Brooklyn. Forced to live in a condemned apartment and work in horrid conditions because their sponsor, Kimberley's aunt, feels as though they are burden on society, Kimberly grows up in poverty. Forced to forge her mother's signature and speak with every adult necessary to get by in society because her mother can not learn English, Kimberly is also forced to grow up fast.
She has one saving grace that leads her to attend a private school: she is near genius level in math. Math being the universal language therefore English is not necessary to achieve high marks. Despite a teacher discovering Kimberly's talent and pulling strings to get into this prestigious school, Kimberly still has to work alongside her mother at a clothing factory in Chinatown after school because they have no money for childcare and because her work is needed to help meet daily piecemeal quotas.
While at the factory, Kimberly meets Matt. He is from a poor family in Chinatown and has no ambition to ever leave; however, he is one of few other adolescents at the factory and they develop a close friendship that endures through their high school years. As Kimberly navigates her private school and all the typical milestones that come with it, her aunt grows more and more resentful of her and tries with all her power to prevent the Changs from achieving the American Dream just out of spite.
Without giving much else away, the second half of the novel focuses on how Kimberly slaves in the factory while hiding her double life from even her closest of school friends. I enjoyed this book a great deal because it speaks of an immigrant experience I am otherwise unfamiliar with. These are legal immigrants yet they fall through nearly as many of the same cracks as the illegals we constantly hear about. Because this is fiction, Kimberly uses her math to obtain a happy ending; however, not all real life immigrants are nearly as fortunate, especially if they do not have a strong work ethic. I recommend this to all looking for a change of pace contemporary fiction book, and am looking forward to Kwok's second novel Mambo in Chinatown.
June 21, 2022
I'm very hesitant to review this book, mostly because I'm not quite sure how to put to words what it is that reading this has made me feel.
It is at once both very familiar, and yet completely foreign. The Cantonese, the way that the author translates the slang and the phrases, the cultural traditions, the deeply embedded lifestyle that is Chinese pride and saving face...when I read about that, it was like something sparked in my blood. This part, I understand, and I have lived.
But then there's the fact that this story is told from the perspective of an immigrant to America, and I am very much an ABC, American-born-Chinese-- or, as Aunt Paula would say, a "bamboo shoot". So there's this whole other dimension of the story that is just as significant as the Cantonese that I simply can't comprehend. It's as if I'm a relative, but once-removed.
Overall, I don't think I've been as deeply moved by any other book I've read this year than I have by this one. I'm left with a feeling of hollow sadness that I can't quite put my finger on, and yet, I don't mind. For me, this story is worth the weight of consciousness that has been left behind.
It is at once both very familiar, and yet completely foreign. The Cantonese, the way that the author translates the slang and the phrases, the cultural traditions, the deeply embedded lifestyle that is Chinese pride and saving face...when I read about that, it was like something sparked in my blood. This part, I understand, and I have lived.
But then there's the fact that this story is told from the perspective of an immigrant to America, and I am very much an ABC, American-born-Chinese-- or, as Aunt Paula would say, a "bamboo shoot". So there's this whole other dimension of the story that is just as significant as the Cantonese that I simply can't comprehend. It's as if I'm a relative, but once-removed.
Overall, I don't think I've been as deeply moved by any other book I've read this year than I have by this one. I'm left with a feeling of hollow sadness that I can't quite put my finger on, and yet, I don't mind. For me, this story is worth the weight of consciousness that has been left behind.
March 7, 2013
Somehow, I managed to finish this book, though I complained about it the entire time (I know, my own fault, I should have shut up or stopped reading it). I could not understand the rave reviews about it and couldn't fathom that people had read the same book that I was reading until I realized a consistent flaw in how we review both books and film: too often, people are praising the story itself rather than the telling of the story. Which is what I believe happened with this book. I suffered through the whole thing because the author had a compelling story to tell. I was so irritated throughout the read, though, because it was told so poorly. There was virtually no character development. The characters were flat, one-dimensional, either all good or all bad. The settings were ripe for really juicy details but we were not given them. The fact that the author covers over two decades in under 300 pages shows how much things are glossed over. It felt like the worst kind of adolescent literature (the best kind being those that actually tell stories with vivid, descriptive, in-depth language regardless of the fact that they are written for children). Yes, the immigrant experience is a fascinating topic, yes, her story made most of our American childhoods look pretty cushy, but reading it felt like the literary equivalent of really bad junk food.
November 19, 2016
This was such a delightful read that I put off all the other things I was supposed to be doing today and read it in one sitting:) It is Saturday after all and I think I deserved a treat!
It is a wonderful tale of a Chinese mother and daughter who migrate to America and find it not to be the land of plenty they had dreamed of. I thought the author handled it perfectly in particular the way she presents the daughter's struggle with the English language. However smart she is, however hard she tries there, will always be words and phrases she does not know and just one of these can make a whole sentence unintelligible.
I so wanted her to succeed that I was practically cheering her on through every test and every challenge. The epilogue was sad because of the choices she had to make but also very rewarding in her eventual achievements.
It is fiction but it could have been real. I loved it!
It is a wonderful tale of a Chinese mother and daughter who migrate to America and find it not to be the land of plenty they had dreamed of. I thought the author handled it perfectly in particular the way she presents the daughter's struggle with the English language. However smart she is, however hard she tries there, will always be words and phrases she does not know and just one of these can make a whole sentence unintelligible.
I so wanted her to succeed that I was practically cheering her on through every test and every challenge. The epilogue was sad because of the choices she had to make but also very rewarding in her eventual achievements.
It is fiction but it could have been real. I loved it!
June 27, 2016
I've been in a really weird place with books lately. Over the past weeks I've read a lot of books and so far no one has been affective enough to motivate me to go raving. I'm on what you can refer to as the eternal hunt. But what can I say?
I read Girl in Translation after reading Nina's little convincing review - which you can read here if you like(Thank you Nina!). Now while Girl in Translation didn't really ensorcell me, it did do something. The story of Kimberly - Ah Kim - Chang is a very honest one, the story of a Chinese girl who immigrates to America with her mother in hopes of a better lucrative life. They carry along with them hopes and dreams and very honeyed expectations - which were soon crushed like mine were over the past few weeks with every last page of every book I turned. But moving on.
▶ Kimberly's story is related in reminiscences, using the first person narrative. The story starts with Kimberly's arrival in America, and follows her through high school and her life as a factory worker until about the last 7% of the book when the narration switches to the present. I think there's a subtle wonderfulness to this story. It's such a relatable story that involves day to day recounts of activities, Kimberly and her mother's struggles and strives, financially and culturally. There's such a great importance placed on the benefits of education, as Kimberly tells us in the beginning, her talent isn't singing, it isn't dancing or speed-texting(believe it or not this is actually a real talent in the light of the technological age). Kimberly's talent was school and learning. And some might say
BUT why not? Education can also be a talent - that's what I learnt from this book. It was Kimberly's ticket to a better life, her one golden ticket out of the rat and roach infested decrepit apartment she was forced to live in, out of the oddities and privations that came with her foreignness. I found it effective how the author delivered some conversations and sentences from characters not as a fluent English speaker would hear them but as Kimberly heard them. With her very lacking and basic knowledge of English she understood words like "ghetto" as "get dough", "extend" as "ex-T" or "window sill" as "winnie seal".
I loved Kimberly as a protagonist, she was simply a model character - and that isn't to say she did no wrong. For me, It was so easy to find parts of myself in her. It was disheartening to see that while every book does need a villain, the villain in this book happened to be family. Through Kimberly's experience we see how awful and undignified it is to be at the mercy of someone, anyone. And maybe life had rubbed her in the wrong way but it bestowed upon her gifts like determination and perseverance and a drive to succeed, and most of all a great appreciation for the little things that should count for a lot. But in the end, following all that was the mainrub rob(is more appropriate). Sacrifice, and the hard ground truth that life doesn't always go the way we planned and we might have to give A LOT to get back and reach a state of fulfillment - or a sense of it at least. You might not end up the way you want
You might not end up with who you want. And that love will become a passing but lingering thing.
I know this book touched something in me. It was so real and after I read it I knew it had to mean something to the author(something meaning something more, assuming all books mean something to the people who wrote them), I listened to Jean Kwok talk about Girl in Translation and earned a new found respect for her work. Kwok shares her wishes and in the aftermath of Girl in Translation she hopes this of people:
"Well the next time I see a foreigner who looks funny and has weird bags and can’t even speak English, that they might think, Oh this could be a person who in her own language and culture is a very articulate, wise, funny person, just like Kimberly Chang’s mother"
I love this Kwok's final lines all the more because I love Kimberly Chang's mother, and her relationship with her daughter was exemplary - which was also one of the nicest parts of this book. In all honesty, after listening to that speech I wish I could say my eyes won't be quicker to judge than my brain to not judge, but I think the fact that I'm bothered and aware of it is a start.
I read Girl in Translation after reading Nina's little convincing review - which you can read here if you like(Thank you Nina!). Now while Girl in Translation didn't really ensorcell me, it did do something. The story of Kimberly - Ah Kim - Chang is a very honest one, the story of a Chinese girl who immigrates to America with her mother in hopes of a better lucrative life. They carry along with them hopes and dreams and very honeyed expectations - which were soon crushed like mine were over the past few weeks with every last page of every book I turned. But moving on.
For years, I calculated whether or not something was expensive by how many skirts it cost. In those days, the subway was 100 skirts just to get to the factory and back, a package of gum cost 7 skirts, a hot dog was 50 skirts, a new toy could range from 300 to 2,000 skirts. I even measured friendship in skirts.
▶ Kimberly's story is related in reminiscences, using the first person narrative. The story starts with Kimberly's arrival in America, and follows her through high school and her life as a factory worker until about the last 7% of the book when the narration switches to the present. I think there's a subtle wonderfulness to this story. It's such a relatable story that involves day to day recounts of activities, Kimberly and her mother's struggles and strives, financially and culturally. There's such a great importance placed on the benefits of education, as Kimberly tells us in the beginning, her talent isn't singing, it isn't dancing or speed-texting(believe it or not this is actually a real talent in the light of the technological age). Kimberly's talent was school and learning. And some might say
BUT why not? Education can also be a talent - that's what I learnt from this book. It was Kimberly's ticket to a better life, her one golden ticket out of the rat and roach infested decrepit apartment she was forced to live in, out of the oddities and privations that came with her foreignness. I found it effective how the author delivered some conversations and sentences from characters not as a fluent English speaker would hear them but as Kimberly heard them. With her very lacking and basic knowledge of English she understood words like "ghetto" as "get dough", "extend" as "ex-T" or "window sill" as "winnie seal".
I loved Kimberly as a protagonist, she was simply a model character - and that isn't to say she did no wrong. For me, It was so easy to find parts of myself in her. It was disheartening to see that while every book does need a villain, the villain in this book happened to be family. Through Kimberly's experience we see how awful and undignified it is to be at the mercy of someone, anyone. And maybe life had rubbed her in the wrong way but it bestowed upon her gifts like determination and perseverance and a drive to succeed, and most of all a great appreciation for the little things that should count for a lot. But in the end, following all that was the main
You may need to change your dreams. My little heart, listen.
But sometimes our fate is different from the one we imagined for ourselves.
You might not end up with who you want. And that love will become a passing but lingering thing.
In those days, I wanted to believe our love was something tangible and permanent, like a good luck charm I could always wear around my neck. Now I know that it was more like the wisp of smoke trailing off a stick of incense: most of what I could hold on to was the memory of the burning, the aftermath of its scent.
I know this book touched something in me. It was so real and after I read it I knew it had to mean something to the author(something meaning something more, assuming all books mean something to the people who wrote them), I listened to Jean Kwok talk about Girl in Translation and earned a new found respect for her work. Kwok shares her wishes and in the aftermath of Girl in Translation she hopes this of people:
"Well the next time I see a foreigner who looks funny and has weird bags and can’t even speak English, that they might think, Oh this could be a person who in her own language and culture is a very articulate, wise, funny person, just like Kimberly Chang’s mother"
I love this Kwok's final lines all the more because I love Kimberly Chang's mother, and her relationship with her daughter was exemplary - which was also one of the nicest parts of this book. In all honesty, after listening to that speech I wish I could say my eyes won't be quicker to judge than my brain to not judge, but I think the fact that I'm bothered and aware of it is a start.
June 13, 2020
3.5/5 stars rounded up
“There's a Chinese saying that the fates are winds that blow through our lives from every angle, urging us along the paths of time. Those who are strong-willed may fight the storm and possibly choose their own road, while the weak must go where they are blown. I say I have not been so much pushed by winds as pulled forward by the force of my decisions.”
If you are an immigrant who came to United States - read this book.
If you are a person who thinks of migrating to United States - read this book.
If you are a person who lived in United States your whole life - read this book.
This book will help you see the things you knew of, but ignored for so long, it will knock off the pink glasses you view the world through right off your head, and then hit you with them for good measure too.
My family moved to United States about 10 years ago, and while my experience was thankfully nothing like hers, some things sang true anyway. It's that line between the illusion and reality that many people try to blur out, but it stands out big time for those who experienced it firsthand.
I'm going to be honest though- I feel betrayed by this book. I loved it so much, adored it even all the way through, but then the ending happened and literally ruined everything for me. I was so sure that this was a 5 star read - and in some sense it still is - there's just too much important and amazing stuff in it to ignore, but personally I didn't like how some things were handled in the end.
“We would be allowed to work and not cause any trouble for her, but she didn't want us to be any more successful than she was”
I usually don't have good luck with coming of age novels - I like them to some extend, but then there's always something that ruins the whole experience for me. But let's start with the good stuff first.
I loved that Kwok wasn't holding her punches when it came to ruining the image of "the American dream". For some reason, it's an image that is embedded into the minds of all of those who migrate to United States. Better future, better jobs, better housing ect. When it comes to this story - it was nothing like that.
Due to some poor family relations Kim and her mother end up in a dead end job, which was also illegal and basically a slave exploitation, but since they don't know better - that's all they've got. Their place is unlivable, to the point to where I honestly think it would have been smarter for them to be homeless than stay in that "apartment", but stay they did. Despite coming to America and wanting to experience it, they were stuck for years and years on end in Chinatown, without barely experiencing anything else. Mostly due to not having any money, but also due to her mother's very traditional and limited views on the other cultures.
The Girl in Transition showed a very ugly, but very true side of mass production of clothing - and because of that I will never again set foot into a store that manufactures its products in sweat shops. Yes, sweat shops still exist and not only in China, India or Bangladesh, in the United States too. To name a few companies that still exploit people for 2$ an hour - Forever21, H&M, Zara, Victoria's Secret, Aldo, Banana Republic and sadly, many many more (google it, and you will see).
I knew this before, but for some reason reading it on paper made it sound so much more real.
It's hard to believe that conditions in which Kim and her mother had to live still exist to this day, it definitely sounds like something from a movie, but they definitely do. Especially in big cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and such. You wouldn't believe the conditions people have to live in, because it's easier to pretend that it's just fiction, that real life just can't be that cruel.
A thing that I found very not believable was how was handled. Her mother, who was portrayed as extremely religious and old fashioned throughout the whole book, her mother, who didn't want to buy her any new underwear because she thought it to be too western and americanized to care about underwear, had nothing to say whatsoever about her I had the hardest time believing that - I wanted, maybe a last showdown, I wanted Kim to tell her mother that it was her choice and her body and finally separate herself that way.
Also, I really hated the way Kim handled Matt at the end as well. Unrealistic once again, it honestly felt like the ending was just a weird scramble of the most cliche endings possible - it just didn't go with the tone of the novel at all (I know I'm repeating myself, but only because it's true!)
Kim's mother wasn't a character I had any sympathy for. I know I should have, but she was just way too spineless for me. She never did anything to leave the horrible place, in a way she gave everything to the hands of her horrid sister and just went with it, meanwhile burdening her very young daughter with everything else.
Sure, she worked hard, but something just working harder is not the best choice. If you are at a horrible place, no matter how hard you work - it will still be a horrible place.
It was a very sad thing to see how she was not only stuck at a horrible place physically, but mentally she wasn't able to adapt or leave her views and prejudices behind. In the end it was Kim who got them out of there, and her mother just went with it.
Despite many decisions of Kim's that I disliked, my heart ached for her when she wished to be just a kid, and not the caretaker of her family, because her mother, on some level, refused to adapt, to try and change anything at all.
And where was Annette at the end of the novel? She was Kim's best friend and there was not a word about her in the end? Did she just disappeared from her life? Really irks me when people leave strings untied in their books.
Would I still recommend this book? Absolutely! I hated the cliche direction the plot took, but I absolutely loved everything else. This book has a lot to offer and the writing was very enjoyable as well.
______________________________________________
Because I don’t know how to rate this book. I loved most of it - like 95% of it, but I also found something to hate.
It’s not really the book’s fault, but more of a personal thing - so that’s why no rating yet, I have to separate my personal feelings and the book first.
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“There's a Chinese saying that the fates are winds that blow through our lives from every angle, urging us along the paths of time. Those who are strong-willed may fight the storm and possibly choose their own road, while the weak must go where they are blown. I say I have not been so much pushed by winds as pulled forward by the force of my decisions.”
If you are an immigrant who came to United States - read this book.
If you are a person who thinks of migrating to United States - read this book.
If you are a person who lived in United States your whole life - read this book.
This book will help you see the things you knew of, but ignored for so long, it will knock off the pink glasses you view the world through right off your head, and then hit you with them for good measure too.
My family moved to United States about 10 years ago, and while my experience was thankfully nothing like hers, some things sang true anyway. It's that line between the illusion and reality that many people try to blur out, but it stands out big time for those who experienced it firsthand.
I'm going to be honest though- I feel betrayed by this book. I loved it so much, adored it even all the way through, but then the ending happened and literally ruined everything for me. I was so sure that this was a 5 star read - and in some sense it still is - there's just too much important and amazing stuff in it to ignore, but personally I didn't like how some things were handled in the end.
“We would be allowed to work and not cause any trouble for her, but she didn't want us to be any more successful than she was”
I usually don't have good luck with coming of age novels - I like them to some extend, but then there's always something that ruins the whole experience for me. But let's start with the good stuff first.
I loved that Kwok wasn't holding her punches when it came to ruining the image of "the American dream". For some reason, it's an image that is embedded into the minds of all of those who migrate to United States. Better future, better jobs, better housing ect. When it comes to this story - it was nothing like that.
Due to some poor family relations Kim and her mother end up in a dead end job, which was also illegal and basically a slave exploitation, but since they don't know better - that's all they've got. Their place is unlivable, to the point to where I honestly think it would have been smarter for them to be homeless than stay in that "apartment", but stay they did. Despite coming to America and wanting to experience it, they were stuck for years and years on end in Chinatown, without barely experiencing anything else. Mostly due to not having any money, but also due to her mother's very traditional and limited views on the other cultures.
The Girl in Transition showed a very ugly, but very true side of mass production of clothing - and because of that I will never again set foot into a store that manufactures its products in sweat shops. Yes, sweat shops still exist and not only in China, India or Bangladesh, in the United States too. To name a few companies that still exploit people for 2$ an hour - Forever21, H&M, Zara, Victoria's Secret, Aldo, Banana Republic and sadly, many many more (google it, and you will see).
I knew this before, but for some reason reading it on paper made it sound so much more real.
It's hard to believe that conditions in which Kim and her mother had to live still exist to this day, it definitely sounds like something from a movie, but they definitely do. Especially in big cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and such. You wouldn't believe the conditions people have to live in, because it's easier to pretend that it's just fiction, that real life just can't be that cruel.
A thing that I found very not believable was how was handled. Her mother, who was portrayed as extremely religious and old fashioned throughout the whole book, her mother, who didn't want to buy her any new underwear because she thought it to be too western and americanized to care about underwear, had nothing to say whatsoever about her I had the hardest time believing that - I wanted, maybe a last showdown, I wanted Kim to tell her mother that it was her choice and her body and finally separate herself that way.
Also, I really hated the way Kim handled Matt at the end as well. Unrealistic once again, it honestly felt like the ending was just a weird scramble of the most cliche endings possible - it just didn't go with the tone of the novel at all (I know I'm repeating myself, but only because it's true!)
Kim's mother wasn't a character I had any sympathy for. I know I should have, but she was just way too spineless for me. She never did anything to leave the horrible place, in a way she gave everything to the hands of her horrid sister and just went with it, meanwhile burdening her very young daughter with everything else.
Sure, she worked hard, but something just working harder is not the best choice. If you are at a horrible place, no matter how hard you work - it will still be a horrible place.
It was a very sad thing to see how she was not only stuck at a horrible place physically, but mentally she wasn't able to adapt or leave her views and prejudices behind. In the end it was Kim who got them out of there, and her mother just went with it.
Despite many decisions of Kim's that I disliked, my heart ached for her when she wished to be just a kid, and not the caretaker of her family, because her mother, on some level, refused to adapt, to try and change anything at all.
And where was Annette at the end of the novel? She was Kim's best friend and there was not a word about her in the end? Did she just disappeared from her life? Really irks me when people leave strings untied in their books.
Would I still recommend this book? Absolutely! I hated the cliche direction the plot took, but I absolutely loved everything else. This book has a lot to offer and the writing was very enjoyable as well.
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Because I don’t know how to rate this book. I loved most of it - like 95% of it, but I also found something to hate.
It’s not really the book’s fault, but more of a personal thing - so that’s why no rating yet, I have to separate my personal feelings and the book first.
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March 15, 2012
I see I'm against the grain here, but I was not into this book AT ALL. I read it for my Kinshasa book club- if not for that I would have stopped halfway through. The story is the most average, unsurprising "coming of age" tale I have ever read. The fact that the girl grows up working in a sweat shop would have been shocking if I was as naive as the main character's best friend, Annette. And the love of her life made no sense. She kept calling him beautiful, talked about what a wonderful person he was, but he pretty much demands that she spend her life living in a crappy apartment in Chinatown, having babies starting at 18, dropping out of school, and basically give up every dream she'd ever had so that he can "take care of her and be a man." The big surprise hinted at on page one of the book was not a surprise at all when it is revealed, 10 pages towards the end, and it also didn't seem to effect her life's journey in any meaningful way, which made no sense. And I hated how Chinese language usage was written about here. Almost every page would have some random Chinese phrase that made not much (but some sense) in English. The meaning could be inferred from context, but the author, every time, insists on immediately, after every line, explaining exactly what that meant. Either allow the reader to figure it out and appreciate the uniqueness of the language, or translate it like you do the rest of the dialogue. I found it to be so condescending to the reader. An example (spoiler ahead!):
"You have the big stomach." She knew I was pregnant.
Yeah, no shit. Thanks.
"You have the big stomach." She knew I was pregnant.
Yeah, no shit. Thanks.
November 22, 2020
I've read this book twice now, once on my own and several years later for book group. Both times I had the same experience. I just love the first half of it, when she is younger and they are struggling to learn English and American ways. As she assimilates I find my attention moving to anger at the heartless aunt who has them in virtual bondage, living in a condemned building without heat, working 12 or more hours a day. Kim is a hard working student struggling to balance her school and economic demands, living two lives: private prep school phenomenon and Chinese factory girl. This is where I have a little trouble with her character. She is in honors classes at a private academy, skips two grades in math and science, works in the library, has a period off during which she necks with boys, takes the subway to China Town and works until at the factory until 9, 10 or later? Are there really this many hours in a day? There are some other choices and consequences later in the book that cause me to question reality. But I'll let you decide if you agree with her or not. Over all I recommend this book. It is mostly interesting and entertaining, just don't look too closely at the details.
August 25, 2011
When Kimberly Chang and her mother emigrate from Hong Kong to America, they are forced to reside in a cheap Brooklyn apartment with no heating and a copious amount of mice and roaches. To survive their horrible living conditions and financial struggles Kimberly works with her mother at a sweatshop in the afternoon while attending school in the daytime. Despite her initial inability to speak English, Kimberly works her way up to the top of the class in order to secure a better life. But when she meets Matt, a compassionate boy who also works at the sweatshop, she'll choose between everything she's worked so ambitiously to achieve and her first love.
I'm not a stranger when it comes to immigrant experiences - my mother and father were both immigrants, and the stories they share with me motivate me to work harder. But seriously, cockroaches? I remember one dreadful description of when Kimberly could feel the mice racing across her body as she slept... gross. Yet, even though she's not allowed to have friends over and spends all of her time studying and working, Kimberly doesn't whine and give up. She does everything in her power to succeed, and she does. That's one reason why I fell in love with her voice.
That's not to say she's an over-achieving robot. Kimberly, as well as the other characters in this book, are relatable - Kimberly herself succumbs to peer pressure and other adolescent issues. I was rooting for her and felt personal satisfaction whenever she aced a test or rose above her cultural confusion.
My only complaint is that some of the romance that didn't involve Matt seemed unnecessary to the plot. I understand that it was included to show how Kimberly is just like any other girl, but I doubt she would've had time to hang out with guys after school when her mother needed her at the sweat shop.
Overall, a 4.5. Jean Kwok has crafted a fantastic debut novel that portrays the struggle of a Chinese girl growing up in the US.
*cross-posted from my blog, the quiet voice.
I'm not a stranger when it comes to immigrant experiences - my mother and father were both immigrants, and the stories they share with me motivate me to work harder. But seriously, cockroaches? I remember one dreadful description of when Kimberly could feel the mice racing across her body as she slept... gross. Yet, even though she's not allowed to have friends over and spends all of her time studying and working, Kimberly doesn't whine and give up. She does everything in her power to succeed, and she does. That's one reason why I fell in love with her voice.
That's not to say she's an over-achieving robot. Kimberly, as well as the other characters in this book, are relatable - Kimberly herself succumbs to peer pressure and other adolescent issues. I was rooting for her and felt personal satisfaction whenever she aced a test or rose above her cultural confusion.
My only complaint is that some of the romance that didn't involve Matt seemed unnecessary to the plot. I understand that it was included to show how Kimberly is just like any other girl, but I doubt she would've had time to hang out with guys after school when her mother needed her at the sweat shop.
Overall, a 4.5. Jean Kwok has crafted a fantastic debut novel that portrays the struggle of a Chinese girl growing up in the US.
*cross-posted from my blog, the quiet voice.
February 21, 2018
I should probably bring this book down to a 3 for how terrible the end is. And clearly the characterizations of everyone except our narrator are fairly unsubtle. But I was completely engrossed in the details of this story of growing up dreadfully poor in Brooklyn a generation ago, a Tree Grows in Brooklyn for the late 20th Century. Kwok's tale really grabs you, and if you have a hard time crediting some of the details, the deeper unease is with the undeniable fact that the world she portrays - piecework for far less than minimum wage, children laboring in factories, squatting in unheated condemned buildings - is not a sepia-toned memory of my great-grandparents' (or A Tree Grows in BK's) New York, but a contemporary reality.
But, having a great story to tell does not excuse cheap ripped-from-Harlequin double-twist endings. Without spoilers, there's nothing about the last 10% of the book that I found credible, or true to the story that Kwok has told up to that point. I've convinced myself - down to a 3!
But, having a great story to tell does not excuse cheap ripped-from-Harlequin double-twist endings. Without spoilers, there's nothing about the last 10% of the book that I found credible, or true to the story that Kwok has told up to that point. I've convinced myself - down to a 3!
January 8, 2025
Kim and her mom moved from Hong Kong to New York looking for a better life. However, when they arrived in NY, nothing was like Kim’s aunt had promised them. Instead of working as a teacher for her sister’s son, Kim’s mom spends her days working on her sister’s fabric, with illegal contracts and precary conditions, and with a wage so low that Kim, only eleven, has to help her after school. They live in a flat with no windows or heating, infested with rats and bugs, and struggle to comprehend a world that speaks a completely different language. But they don’t give up, because little Kim is determined to transform her academic talents into a way out.
I wrongly picked up this book thinking it was a biography, but I loved it the same. I couldn’t help but care about little Kim, so I couldn’t stop reading until I reached the end. It’s one of those stories that keeps moving you forward, hoping for everything to finally be alright. It was hard to read at times, but it also had great moments. I liked that nobody was perfect, but some characters were more gray than others, and you won’t be able to care about the good ones.
The book took a turn I didn’t love by the end, but I have to give it to the author for the bold move-even if I thought she was going to be even bolder. I don’t agree with Kim's decisions. I think I'd have preferred the boldest choice for the author, but it was better than other alternatives so I was okay about it. I can see how it would bother a lot of readers, though, so I’m fascinated that the average rating right now is almost 4 stars.
Maybe, like me, people appreciate this book for what it was: Kim’s story, and she deserved to make her own choices. I’d recommend this book if you are interested in reading about an immigrant girl who is brilliant at maths but terrible at English, and how she tries to survive surrounded by privileged kids who call her a liar when she admits she has to work after class. The pacing was really good and, even though I would have liked to have a different final problem, I felt good when I finally closed the book.
I wrongly picked up this book thinking it was a biography, but I loved it the same. I couldn’t help but care about little Kim, so I couldn’t stop reading until I reached the end. It’s one of those stories that keeps moving you forward, hoping for everything to finally be alright. It was hard to read at times, but it also had great moments. I liked that nobody was perfect, but some characters were more gray than others, and you won’t be able to care about the good ones.
The book took a turn I didn’t love by the end, but I have to give it to the author for the bold move-even if I thought she was going to be even bolder. I don’t agree with Kim's decisions. I think I'd have preferred the boldest choice for the author, but it was better than other alternatives so I was okay about it. I can see how it would bother a lot of readers, though, so I’m fascinated that the average rating right now is almost 4 stars.
Maybe, like me, people appreciate this book for what it was: Kim’s story, and she deserved to make her own choices. I’d recommend this book if you are interested in reading about an immigrant girl who is brilliant at maths but terrible at English, and how she tries to survive surrounded by privileged kids who call her a liar when she admits she has to work after class. The pacing was really good and, even though I would have liked to have a different final problem, I felt good when I finally closed the book.
September 10, 2019
This book was just okay for me. It tells the story of a young girl immigrating to Brooklyn from Hong Kong. Essentially, this is a coming of age story, that I think was supposed to make me feel something, but it most definitely failed, in that sense.
The characters were not described in a lot of detail, and that bothered me. I was expecting to find out more about the characters, but I was left feeling rather detached from them.
Halfway through the book, I felt like the author had lost her way a little, and I was reading some YA romance, and I was constantly informed how buff Matt's body was, and, the plot had lost all sense of direction. The ending came upon me like a slap in the face, and that epilogue, well, it had no sense of a time frame. Overall, this was okay for a debut novel, but it was definitely missing that magic.
The characters were not described in a lot of detail, and that bothered me. I was expecting to find out more about the characters, but I was left feeling rather detached from them.
Halfway through the book, I felt like the author had lost her way a little, and I was reading some YA romance, and I was constantly informed how buff Matt's body was, and, the plot had lost all sense of direction. The ending came upon me like a slap in the face, and that epilogue, well, it had no sense of a time frame. Overall, this was okay for a debut novel, but it was definitely missing that magic.
March 7, 2016
This was a really good read. A mom and daughter immigrate to America and endure hardships working in a sweatshop owned by a relative. It's about a girl who is smart as a whip who is finding her way to save her and her mother by getting an education. It's a story of survival. Good character development and an interesting perspective. Unbelievable that such conditions did exist. I think her story is one of many stories of these immigrants who were taken advantage of and didn't have the knowledge or courage to fight back.
August 16, 2018
I was loving and enjoying this book, but the last fourth of the book Jean Kwok changed Kimberly's personality. She also changed Matt into a jerk by making him randomly unsupportive of Kim’s aspirations. After Kim decided against having an abortion, she withheld her child from having a good father. She wouldn't have had to give up Yale--or even a career--for a marriage and family with Matt. It was unrelatable! The only reason Kim didn't try to get back together with Matt, after she decided against an abortion, was because he went back to Vivian afterwards? Really?? I think it's more important that you tell him that HE’S GOING TO BE A FATHER! She held off a year at Yale anyway, while she and her mother did the jewelry business. Then they moved near Yale while Kim worked and went to school and her mother helped care for the baby. I don't see how Matt could not have fit into that picture. I'm positive he would have sacrificed his random desire to stay in China Town and would have chosen instead to be with his love and child. Seriously, I was so annoyed at the last 1/8th of this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2010
Remember the popular song in the 90s, It's a Hard Knock Life? That song kept popping into my head as I read this novel. For Kimberly, a Chinese immigrant residing in the slums of Brooklyn, it's a hard knock life indeed. Her mother and her come from Hong Kong when Kimberly is approximately eleven years of age and fully dependent on Aunt Paula, a jealous relative, they find themselves living intimately with roaches and rats in a garbage-bag-in-place-of-windows, illegal apartment with no heat or air. While struggling to learn English in public school, Kimberly also helps her mom work in Aunt Paula's sweatshop.
Kimberly soon realizes that the only way to turn her sob story into a success story is thru education. This novel is all about her school years from the age of eleven to the time of graduation when a very adult Kimberly tries to get her mother and herself out of the roach infested apartment and far away from Aunt Paula's control and wrath. It's a journey full of hard knocks, but this gal doesn't let life knock her down. Reading about Kimberly growing up, finding herself, and growing a backbone was like watching a flower evolve from a bud to a fully opened delight.
Can this girl that barely speaks any English and curls up with blankets from a dumpster while stomping on the floor to scare off roaches achieve the American dream? Can a young immigrant dressed in rags and castoffs find love? Scholarships are great, but they don't guarantee happiness...
I really enjoyed this. I enjoyed seeing American public school from the eyes of an immigrant. I even found bits of humor here and there. (The Sahara pipeline.. the bra lady at Macy's..LOL) I found myself cheering for the heroine constantly. To top it off, it had a surprise ending. This is one that is staying on my bookshelf for sure.
Kimberly soon realizes that the only way to turn her sob story into a success story is thru education. This novel is all about her school years from the age of eleven to the time of graduation when a very adult Kimberly tries to get her mother and herself out of the roach infested apartment and far away from Aunt Paula's control and wrath. It's a journey full of hard knocks, but this gal doesn't let life knock her down. Reading about Kimberly growing up, finding herself, and growing a backbone was like watching a flower evolve from a bud to a fully opened delight.
Can this girl that barely speaks any English and curls up with blankets from a dumpster while stomping on the floor to scare off roaches achieve the American dream? Can a young immigrant dressed in rags and castoffs find love? Scholarships are great, but they don't guarantee happiness...
I really enjoyed this. I enjoyed seeing American public school from the eyes of an immigrant. I even found bits of humor here and there. (The Sahara pipeline.. the bra lady at Macy's..LOL) I found myself cheering for the heroine constantly. To top it off, it had a surprise ending. This is one that is staying on my bookshelf for sure.
June 24, 2016
An insightful debut about immigration, hardship, and striving for education and success against all odds, enveloped by a tentative love story.
Girl in Translation follows the storyline of Kimberly Chang, a Chinese girl who migrates to the United States with her mother. The narration beautifully illustrates the struggles of being pushed into a foreign world, where people look different, have other traditions, other norms, and speak an entirely different language. Based on her own childhood experiences as a migrant from Hong Kong, Jean Kwok tells the story of young and exceptionally intelligent Kimberly Chang who finds herself doing the splits between a life in Chinatown, wasting away as a sweatshop worker and living in a run-down apartment, and striving for a successful career at a fancy private school. Kimberly translates herself back and forth between a world where she can barely afford clothes and a world where, in spite of her intelligence, she's supposed to look the part as she reaches for higher education.
It is a tale of survival and beating the odds, but ultimately, it is also a fragile love story in an unforgiving environment.
The narration is raw, honest, and authentic, with the Chinese culture being cleverly woven into the storyline. It provides insight into a world hidden behind the facade of Chinatown, a place where we might order a Sezuan chicken to go and never imagine what may lie beneath the surface.
Girl in Translation provides a powerful message of hope, narrated by a strong and inquisitive character whose mind and soul sometimes seems divided in two.
Threre's a Chinese saying that the fates are winds that blow through our lives from every angle, urging us along the paths of time. Those who are strong-willed may fight thestorm and possibly choose their own road, while the weak must go where they are blown. I say I have not been so much pushed by winds as pulled forward by the force of my decisions.
Girl in Translation follows the storyline of Kimberly Chang, a Chinese girl who migrates to the United States with her mother. The narration beautifully illustrates the struggles of being pushed into a foreign world, where people look different, have other traditions, other norms, and speak an entirely different language. Based on her own childhood experiences as a migrant from Hong Kong, Jean Kwok tells the story of young and exceptionally intelligent Kimberly Chang who finds herself doing the splits between a life in Chinatown, wasting away as a sweatshop worker and living in a run-down apartment, and striving for a successful career at a fancy private school. Kimberly translates herself back and forth between a world where she can barely afford clothes and a world where, in spite of her intelligence, she's supposed to look the part as she reaches for higher education.
It is a tale of survival and beating the odds, but ultimately, it is also a fragile love story in an unforgiving environment.
The narration is raw, honest, and authentic, with the Chinese culture being cleverly woven into the storyline. It provides insight into a world hidden behind the facade of Chinatown, a place where we might order a Sezuan chicken to go and never imagine what may lie beneath the surface.
Girl in Translation provides a powerful message of hope, narrated by a strong and inquisitive character whose mind and soul sometimes seems divided in two.
December 9, 2020
The Girl in Translation is a book that talks about an immigrant young girl named Kimberly Chang, a voice for survival in a land not of her own. A journey where she goes back and forth between TWO worlds. The old ways and the new American culture.
It all started when Kimberly and her mom emigrated from Hong Kong to Brooklyn. She envisioned living the “American Dream,” where life would mean better days and better futures. Little did she know, it wasn’t as anticipated. Life was tough and rough. Leaving her no choice but to take on the journey of juggling between the two lives; smart schoolgirl throughout the day, bagging clothing in a Chinatown sweatshop by the evenings.
By doing so, she tried to hide and blend in with the challenging truths of her life. The vicious amount of poverty! The weight of her Ma’s hope for her to amount to something carried on her shoulder! The secret love of her for a factory boy whom she bonded with......
Kimberly cleverly maneuvers between the TWO worlds and translating from the old ways to the new culture, shouldering two roles, in the hope of bringing the meaning of this hardship comprehensible for herself. She constantly goes back and forth between the two worlds discreetly.
Aunt Paula is another character of crucial importance, not because she was a kindred but villain. She was the one who paid out for getting Kimberly and her Ma to America. Just so, she is obliged that they should be indebted to her for the vast majority of their life. Even though Aunt Paula did not say this out loud, but Ma can sense the subtlety of her intention through the cold gesture that hit and hint, now and then. Every single month, Uncle Bob (Aunt’s husband) scrupulously deducts an aspect of Ma's earnings for rent and their immigration repayment expenditures. Mother and child live on what's left, in a poor living condition, infested with bugs, and barely adequate to cover for foods.
When Kimberly earns a complete scholarship to an extraordinary prep school, Aunt Paula's expression was in shock and dismay, which quickly went away. Kimberly then knew she is not to be any better than her aunt's children.
Going to an excellent school and getting good grades is a top priority in most Asian societies. We think it is the route to a much better life; a good looking report card with many A's is actually the sole benchmark parents can keep up as validation of their decision to leave behind the security and comfort.
Kimberly’s story could resonate with anyone, and it could have been yours and mine too. Many of us are alike, have our feet plunged into two different lives? Translating life between home, work, and school? Always balancing out those different roles we tend to play out?
In light of a very different angle, this country, to some people, was a place for dreams comes true, maybe a shelter and refuge but definitely needing relentless willpower to get by. While reading, I was transported into the world of Kimberly Chang, whose life choices kept me on my toes, reflecting on the choices I would make for myself if given the same situation. I believed Kimberly’s sacrifices for her dreams will resonate with many of us who have given up many precious things in return for our dreams. The story kept me reading and reading.........., and her sufferings and hardship feel real, touching to the hearts. It is hard not to sympathize with her, Kimberly, the Girl in Translation.
Like it or not, yes, it’s worth reading.
It all started when Kimberly and her mom emigrated from Hong Kong to Brooklyn. She envisioned living the “American Dream,” where life would mean better days and better futures. Little did she know, it wasn’t as anticipated. Life was tough and rough. Leaving her no choice but to take on the journey of juggling between the two lives; smart schoolgirl throughout the day, bagging clothing in a Chinatown sweatshop by the evenings.
By doing so, she tried to hide and blend in with the challenging truths of her life. The vicious amount of poverty! The weight of her Ma’s hope for her to amount to something carried on her shoulder! The secret love of her for a factory boy whom she bonded with......
Kimberly cleverly maneuvers between the TWO worlds and translating from the old ways to the new culture, shouldering two roles, in the hope of bringing the meaning of this hardship comprehensible for herself. She constantly goes back and forth between the two worlds discreetly.
Aunt Paula is another character of crucial importance, not because she was a kindred but villain. She was the one who paid out for getting Kimberly and her Ma to America. Just so, she is obliged that they should be indebted to her for the vast majority of their life. Even though Aunt Paula did not say this out loud, but Ma can sense the subtlety of her intention through the cold gesture that hit and hint, now and then. Every single month, Uncle Bob (Aunt’s husband) scrupulously deducts an aspect of Ma's earnings for rent and their immigration repayment expenditures. Mother and child live on what's left, in a poor living condition, infested with bugs, and barely adequate to cover for foods.
When Kimberly earns a complete scholarship to an extraordinary prep school, Aunt Paula's expression was in shock and dismay, which quickly went away. Kimberly then knew she is not to be any better than her aunt's children.
Going to an excellent school and getting good grades is a top priority in most Asian societies. We think it is the route to a much better life; a good looking report card with many A's is actually the sole benchmark parents can keep up as validation of their decision to leave behind the security and comfort.
Kimberly’s story could resonate with anyone, and it could have been yours and mine too. Many of us are alike, have our feet plunged into two different lives? Translating life between home, work, and school? Always balancing out those different roles we tend to play out?
In light of a very different angle, this country, to some people, was a place for dreams comes true, maybe a shelter and refuge but definitely needing relentless willpower to get by. While reading, I was transported into the world of Kimberly Chang, whose life choices kept me on my toes, reflecting on the choices I would make for myself if given the same situation. I believed Kimberly’s sacrifices for her dreams will resonate with many of us who have given up many precious things in return for our dreams. The story kept me reading and reading.........., and her sufferings and hardship feel real, touching to the hearts. It is hard not to sympathize with her, Kimberly, the Girl in Translation.
Like it or not, yes, it’s worth reading.
November 3, 2012
Girl in Translation is the story of Kimberly Chang, an eleven-year old girl who arrives in Brooklyn from Hong Kong with her widowed mother. Their immigration has been arranged and paid for by Aunt Paula, her mother’s older sister. They are hopeful -- and why not? America is the country where dreams come true.
Every novel needs a villain and here it’s Aunt Paula who takes on the role. Having paid for bringing her sister and niece to America, she now feels they owe her total obedience for the rest of their lives. Aunt Paula doesn’t say this in so many words, but Kimberly’s Ma understands the reality of their situation and makes Kimberly understand that except for Aunt Paula’s help they are completely without resources. But even Ma can’t guess how little her own sister is willing to do for them.
Aunt Paula gives them housing, but it’s an illegal apartment in a derelict neighborhood of tenements. The apartment has no heat and is infested with vermin. When winter comes, ice forms inside the windows. As for work, first Aunt Paula protests that Ma is too frail to babysit her two sons; then she puts Ma to work in the clothing sweatshop that she manages. Like all the sweatshop workers’ children, Kimberly comes to the factory after school to help Ma with the piecework so that they can make their quota. Each month, Uncle Bob scrupulously deducts part of Ma’s earnings for rent and their immigration repayment costs. Mother and daughter live on what’s left, barely enough to cover food.
Unused to American ways and unable to achieve the stellar grades she earned in Hong Kong, Kimberly plays hooky to escape from her difficulties at school. Then one day she realizes how little her mother earns, that Ma will never have the time or energy after a grueling day’s work to learn English and get a better job, and that if they depend on Aunt Paula, Kimberly will end up working at the sweatshop when she finishes school. From then on, it’s all about grades; not only because of her deeply-engrained belief that education is the ticket to a better life, but because Kimberly has no other avenue. It’s up to her to get them out of the factory.
When Kimberly earns a full scholarship to an exclusive prep school, Aunt Paula’s surprising reaction is one of anger, quickly smoothed over; from this, Kimberly and Ma realize they are not allowed to outshine Aunt Paula’s family. From then on, they lie about Kimberly’s grades, hiding the fact that she is smarter than her cousin Nelson so that Aunt Paula can save face. In the scenes with Aunt Paula, we see tyranny and strong emotions concealed behind the elaborate courtesies of Chinese etiquette, occasional cracks in the veneer revealing just enough to communicate the true meaning of practiced, polite assurances.
I really liked the way Kwok drops in literal translations of Chinese expressions into Kimberly and her Ma’s speech; for example, to be of “small heart” means to be very careful. I also liked the way she constructs English idioms and phrases as they sound to a bewildered Kimberly, so that we understand why they don’t make sense. Kwok manages to put the reader so firmly in Kimberly’s mind that we also journey through the story straddling both cultures.
Kimberly may be naïve, but so are her well-meaning American friends. A classmate argues with Kimberly, saying that she can’t be working in a factory because her father says it’s against the law to put children to work.
There have been many books about the Chinese immigrant experience and Girl in Translation is only the second such book that has made me feel as though I had fallen right into the narrator’s life – or that the author had been spying on mine. The other was Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club. The writing captured me from the start. You feel as though you’re reading a diary, an account of true events and not a work of fiction. There is immediacy to Kimberly’s unvarnished observations.
The novel takes you behind the stereotypes of Asian immigrants. Education is a priority not just because it’s the route to a better life; sometimes a report card is the only benchmark parents can hold up as validation of their choice to leave behind the safe and the familiar. This is an immigrant experience that explores the conflicting dynamics of family, poking holes at the notion of a cohesive community that takes care of its own. It exposes the world of sweatshops and the exploitation of new arrivals by those who are more established. Jean Kwok opens to us the heart and mind of a young girl doggedly steering her way out of that world, and it’s an unforgettable ride.
What I Learned About Writing from Reading This Book
This is a novel drawn from personal experience and there is an authenticity to Girl in Translation you rarely encounter. So I can tell you in one word what I learned about writing from this book: courage.
Hemingway said “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”
But how many of us are willing to cut so close to the bone and expose ourselves in this way? Not only to relive a terrible time but also to examine those memories closely, discover their meaning, and render them into words that can move others?
In no way was my journey to Canadian citizenship as fraught as Kimberly’s. I managed to avoid the worst experiences of being a stranger in a strange land because I already spoke English (my father worked overseas all through my childhood). We were not wealthy and my parents cultivated a habit of thrift, but there was never any doubt that they would send us to university.
But Kimberly’s story so easily could have been mine. There, but for the grace of English and financial security, could have been my family. There were countless scenes in the book I found extremely difficult to read. It was like reliving the first difficult years of adjusting to life in Canada, but worse: that feeling of being apart, helplessly different and unwanted, amplified by culture shock, language barriers, racism and poverty. As I read, Girl in Translation peeled away the protective layers I had acquired over the years. I felt the truth of those experiences and cringed. I could hardly bear to read some of the passages, and can’t imagine what kind of bloodletting it took for Kwok to actually write those scenes.
Authenticity doesn't depend upon writing about your own life experiences. It takes truth, which is sometimes pitiless and relentless. And it takes courage to delve into truth, no matter what the topic. Even for this book review, I can't summon up the courage to write about the emotions it dredged up to the surface.
One day I will sit at the typewriter and bleed, truly bleed. Until then, this book will stay on my bookshelf as a reminder of what you can achieve when you allow your authentic voice to speak.
Jean graciously allowed me to interview her (read here)
Every novel needs a villain and here it’s Aunt Paula who takes on the role. Having paid for bringing her sister and niece to America, she now feels they owe her total obedience for the rest of their lives. Aunt Paula doesn’t say this in so many words, but Kimberly’s Ma understands the reality of their situation and makes Kimberly understand that except for Aunt Paula’s help they are completely without resources. But even Ma can’t guess how little her own sister is willing to do for them.
Aunt Paula gives them housing, but it’s an illegal apartment in a derelict neighborhood of tenements. The apartment has no heat and is infested with vermin. When winter comes, ice forms inside the windows. As for work, first Aunt Paula protests that Ma is too frail to babysit her two sons; then she puts Ma to work in the clothing sweatshop that she manages. Like all the sweatshop workers’ children, Kimberly comes to the factory after school to help Ma with the piecework so that they can make their quota. Each month, Uncle Bob scrupulously deducts part of Ma’s earnings for rent and their immigration repayment costs. Mother and daughter live on what’s left, barely enough to cover food.
Unused to American ways and unable to achieve the stellar grades she earned in Hong Kong, Kimberly plays hooky to escape from her difficulties at school. Then one day she realizes how little her mother earns, that Ma will never have the time or energy after a grueling day’s work to learn English and get a better job, and that if they depend on Aunt Paula, Kimberly will end up working at the sweatshop when she finishes school. From then on, it’s all about grades; not only because of her deeply-engrained belief that education is the ticket to a better life, but because Kimberly has no other avenue. It’s up to her to get them out of the factory.
When Kimberly earns a full scholarship to an exclusive prep school, Aunt Paula’s surprising reaction is one of anger, quickly smoothed over; from this, Kimberly and Ma realize they are not allowed to outshine Aunt Paula’s family. From then on, they lie about Kimberly’s grades, hiding the fact that she is smarter than her cousin Nelson so that Aunt Paula can save face. In the scenes with Aunt Paula, we see tyranny and strong emotions concealed behind the elaborate courtesies of Chinese etiquette, occasional cracks in the veneer revealing just enough to communicate the true meaning of practiced, polite assurances.
I really liked the way Kwok drops in literal translations of Chinese expressions into Kimberly and her Ma’s speech; for example, to be of “small heart” means to be very careful. I also liked the way she constructs English idioms and phrases as they sound to a bewildered Kimberly, so that we understand why they don’t make sense. Kwok manages to put the reader so firmly in Kimberly’s mind that we also journey through the story straddling both cultures.
Kimberly may be naïve, but so are her well-meaning American friends. A classmate argues with Kimberly, saying that she can’t be working in a factory because her father says it’s against the law to put children to work.
There have been many books about the Chinese immigrant experience and Girl in Translation is only the second such book that has made me feel as though I had fallen right into the narrator’s life – or that the author had been spying on mine. The other was Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club. The writing captured me from the start. You feel as though you’re reading a diary, an account of true events and not a work of fiction. There is immediacy to Kimberly’s unvarnished observations.
The novel takes you behind the stereotypes of Asian immigrants. Education is a priority not just because it’s the route to a better life; sometimes a report card is the only benchmark parents can hold up as validation of their choice to leave behind the safe and the familiar. This is an immigrant experience that explores the conflicting dynamics of family, poking holes at the notion of a cohesive community that takes care of its own. It exposes the world of sweatshops and the exploitation of new arrivals by those who are more established. Jean Kwok opens to us the heart and mind of a young girl doggedly steering her way out of that world, and it’s an unforgettable ride.
What I Learned About Writing from Reading This Book
This is a novel drawn from personal experience and there is an authenticity to Girl in Translation you rarely encounter. So I can tell you in one word what I learned about writing from this book: courage.
Hemingway said “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”
But how many of us are willing to cut so close to the bone and expose ourselves in this way? Not only to relive a terrible time but also to examine those memories closely, discover their meaning, and render them into words that can move others?
In no way was my journey to Canadian citizenship as fraught as Kimberly’s. I managed to avoid the worst experiences of being a stranger in a strange land because I already spoke English (my father worked overseas all through my childhood). We were not wealthy and my parents cultivated a habit of thrift, but there was never any doubt that they would send us to university.
But Kimberly’s story so easily could have been mine. There, but for the grace of English and financial security, could have been my family. There were countless scenes in the book I found extremely difficult to read. It was like reliving the first difficult years of adjusting to life in Canada, but worse: that feeling of being apart, helplessly different and unwanted, amplified by culture shock, language barriers, racism and poverty. As I read, Girl in Translation peeled away the protective layers I had acquired over the years. I felt the truth of those experiences and cringed. I could hardly bear to read some of the passages, and can’t imagine what kind of bloodletting it took for Kwok to actually write those scenes.
Authenticity doesn't depend upon writing about your own life experiences. It takes truth, which is sometimes pitiless and relentless. And it takes courage to delve into truth, no matter what the topic. Even for this book review, I can't summon up the courage to write about the emotions it dredged up to the surface.
One day I will sit at the typewriter and bleed, truly bleed. Until then, this book will stay on my bookshelf as a reminder of what you can achieve when you allow your authentic voice to speak.
Jean graciously allowed me to interview her (read here)
November 15, 2016
*In person book club read #2.*
I liked this debut overall. I came off it feeling a message that family is there to help with the big life changing events, but when it comes to day to day survival, ya gotta have friends, as Bette Midler would say.
It is told from the perspective of Kimberly, fresh off the boat with her mother from Hong Kong, and placed by her aunt (evil woman) in a condemned NYC apartment with no heat but plenty of cockroaches and rats. Neither spoke much English, but Kimberly's spunk and ingenuity got them through time and time again. The level of their poverty and bad luck sort of broke my little heart. In the end, I felt a disconnect from the characters but thought it a nice enough story.
I liked this debut overall. I came off it feeling a message that family is there to help with the big life changing events, but when it comes to day to day survival, ya gotta have friends, as Bette Midler would say.
It is told from the perspective of Kimberly, fresh off the boat with her mother from Hong Kong, and placed by her aunt (evil woman) in a condemned NYC apartment with no heat but plenty of cockroaches and rats. Neither spoke much English, but Kimberly's spunk and ingenuity got them through time and time again. The level of their poverty and bad luck sort of broke my little heart. In the end, I felt a disconnect from the characters but thought it a nice enough story.
August 11, 2010
I’m not sure why this book has garnered such buzz and great reviews. The writing is straightforward and easy to read, but far from being literature. This book seems to belie the fact the author has an MFA in fiction, or perhaps this is all it takes to get an MFA in fiction from Columbia these days-I don’t know. Perhaps the book should have been categorized as YA since it seems to have been written for an eighth grade reading level. I was especially annoyed by the use of italics to start each new thought within a chapter. Someone needs to teach this author and/or the editor how to use italics.
This is a coming of age story about an 11-year old Chinese girl who comes from Hong Kong with her mother to live in NY in an abandoned tenement with no heat, and work in a clothing factory sweatshop. Kimberly, the young girl, is exceptionally bright so is able to get into a private school on a scholarship and is able to fulfill the American dream of working hard and becoming a success.
There is no depth to her story or characters. The story is told in a linear “just the facts” manner: “And then this happened, And then this happened, And then this happened, And then 12 years Later…” And she does not make the reader see or feel any real weariness or despair despite the weariness and despair that Kimberly must feel going to school all day and then going straight to the factory to work, sometimes until 2a in the morning, and then coming home to an apartment with no heat in the dead of winter. There are no descriptions of bags under her eyes, or even of her falling asleep at her desk or on the subway. The fact that her mother doesn’t pass her naturalization test which in turn means Kimberly will not automatically become a naturalized citizen is only briefly mentioned. There is nothing said about how great their disappointment must be.
On a positive note, Kwok does use her own experience working in a clothing factory to add authenticity to these parts of the story showing that the sweatshop conditions have not changed much from the days of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory; only the immigrants are just a different ethnic group now. But this and the great cover of the book are not enough to save this book from being anything but mediocre and forgettable.
This is a coming of age story about an 11-year old Chinese girl who comes from Hong Kong with her mother to live in NY in an abandoned tenement with no heat, and work in a clothing factory sweatshop. Kimberly, the young girl, is exceptionally bright so is able to get into a private school on a scholarship and is able to fulfill the American dream of working hard and becoming a success.
There is no depth to her story or characters. The story is told in a linear “just the facts” manner: “And then this happened, And then this happened, And then this happened, And then 12 years Later…” And she does not make the reader see or feel any real weariness or despair despite the weariness and despair that Kimberly must feel going to school all day and then going straight to the factory to work, sometimes until 2a in the morning, and then coming home to an apartment with no heat in the dead of winter. There are no descriptions of bags under her eyes, or even of her falling asleep at her desk or on the subway. The fact that her mother doesn’t pass her naturalization test which in turn means Kimberly will not automatically become a naturalized citizen is only briefly mentioned. There is nothing said about how great their disappointment must be.
On a positive note, Kwok does use her own experience working in a clothing factory to add authenticity to these parts of the story showing that the sweatshop conditions have not changed much from the days of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory; only the immigrants are just a different ethnic group now. But this and the great cover of the book are not enough to save this book from being anything but mediocre and forgettable.
November 21, 2019
“Sometimes our fate is different from the one we imagined for ourselves.”
What a beautiful, bittersweet, and moving book. Girl in Translation is not an comforting story, but the various colorful characters and Kimberly’s determination to succeed pulled me through.
This novel is a harsh check to the charming “American Dream” stories. When Kimberly Chang and her mother immigrate to America, they don’t find a better future, but an apartment filled with roaches and work at a sweat shop.
Kwok never softens the blow: reading about the family’s horrible living conditions, or how they are exploited in the factory, is so painful because you know it exists. People truly live like this, even (especially) in wealthy countries as America.
Thankfully, Kimberly’s drive to get herself and her mother away from this life brings positivity and hope to the story. Her talent and smarts carry her forward, but Kimberly also is a real teenager, who has to handle peer pressure, trying make-up, and crushes.
All the other people that we meet – Kimberly’s mother, Annette, aunt Paula – too have this flawed humanity, which enriches the plot all the more.
Sadly, the author suddenly loses sight of reality at the end, and gives us a conclusion that feels uplifting – yet uncomfortable. I wasn’t supportive of the romance anyway, but this? This ending is selfish and out of tune.
Still, would I recommend this book? Definitely! It left a big impression on me, and apart from the ending, is a very compelling and insightful debut novel. 3,75 stars.
What a beautiful, bittersweet, and moving book. Girl in Translation is not an comforting story, but the various colorful characters and Kimberly’s determination to succeed pulled me through.
This novel is a harsh check to the charming “American Dream” stories. When Kimberly Chang and her mother immigrate to America, they don’t find a better future, but an apartment filled with roaches and work at a sweat shop.
Kwok never softens the blow: reading about the family’s horrible living conditions, or how they are exploited in the factory, is so painful because you know it exists. People truly live like this, even (especially) in wealthy countries as America.
Thankfully, Kimberly’s drive to get herself and her mother away from this life brings positivity and hope to the story. Her talent and smarts carry her forward, but Kimberly also is a real teenager, who has to handle peer pressure, trying make-up, and crushes.
All the other people that we meet – Kimberly’s mother, Annette, aunt Paula – too have this flawed humanity, which enriches the plot all the more.
Sadly, the author suddenly loses sight of reality at the end, and gives us a conclusion that feels uplifting – yet uncomfortable. I wasn’t supportive of the romance anyway, but this? This ending is selfish and out of tune.
Still, would I recommend this book? Definitely! It left a big impression on me, and apart from the ending, is a very compelling and insightful debut novel. 3,75 stars.
March 4, 2017
This was a super sweet story about a subject I can't get enough of: a mother and daughter starting their life in America after immigrating from China. It is told from the daughter's perspective, Kim, and covers the sacrifices her mother made to bring her to New York, the abysmal (and illegal) living situations they endured, and their ultimate triumph.
This is a quick read, but I took my time listening to the audiobook performance during my lunch break walks. I particularly enjoyed the voice of "young Kim," with her Chinese accent, mixed up American words, and her polite and formal phrases and greetings. The bond Kim has with her mother, even at a young age, really resonated with me: how responsible she was forced to become, and how brave.
The novel spans Kim's life from grade school to her adult years, and the first half was particularly touching. The second half has a bit of a love story in it, and while it was necessary to forward the plot, (and to spur a major decision from Kim), I truly feel the real love story was between Kim and her mother.
Their first New York "apartment" is a cockroach-infested, run-down slum with no heat. It is too cold to do anything in the winter, and they can't afford any clothes or blankets. One day on their way to work (sewing skirts at a Chinese factory/sweatshop), they spot a truck unloading tons of colorful stuffed animal fabric by a dumpster. They cannot stop and risk being late for work, and the whole time at work, Kim's mother worries that someone will take the rolls of fabric. When they leave the factory late that night and rush back to the dumpster and discover it is still there, it is the jackpot of all jackpots: Carpet, pillows, bedding, tablecloths, underwear, sweaters are all fashioned from the lime green fabric.
Kim's struggles and ultimate triumph at school are also happy tearjerkers. (There was one particular moment that made me so proud of Lil Kim that I burst into tears at the exact moment I saw my CFO drive by in the parking lot. Whoops.)
The story isn't Faulkner. It's told simply and it covers a slew of "fish out of water" situations I have read about before. But the story hits close to home: my mom was born in Okinawa and came to New York when she was 16 with my grandmother and her little brother in tow. Reading these type of accounts always makes me feel closer to them, and warms my heart.
This is a quick read, but I took my time listening to the audiobook performance during my lunch break walks. I particularly enjoyed the voice of "young Kim," with her Chinese accent, mixed up American words, and her polite and formal phrases and greetings. The bond Kim has with her mother, even at a young age, really resonated with me: how responsible she was forced to become, and how brave.
The novel spans Kim's life from grade school to her adult years, and the first half was particularly touching. The second half has a bit of a love story in it, and while it was necessary to forward the plot, (and to spur a major decision from Kim), I truly feel the real love story was between Kim and her mother.
Their first New York "apartment" is a cockroach-infested, run-down slum with no heat. It is too cold to do anything in the winter, and they can't afford any clothes or blankets. One day on their way to work (sewing skirts at a Chinese factory/sweatshop), they spot a truck unloading tons of colorful stuffed animal fabric by a dumpster. They cannot stop and risk being late for work, and the whole time at work, Kim's mother worries that someone will take the rolls of fabric. When they leave the factory late that night and rush back to the dumpster and discover it is still there, it is the jackpot of all jackpots: Carpet, pillows, bedding, tablecloths, underwear, sweaters are all fashioned from the lime green fabric.
Kim's struggles and ultimate triumph at school are also happy tearjerkers. (There was one particular moment that made me so proud of Lil Kim that I burst into tears at the exact moment I saw my CFO drive by in the parking lot. Whoops.)
The story isn't Faulkner. It's told simply and it covers a slew of "fish out of water" situations I have read about before. But the story hits close to home: my mom was born in Okinawa and came to New York when she was 16 with my grandmother and her little brother in tow. Reading these type of accounts always makes me feel closer to them, and warms my heart.
August 28, 2011
I bought this because I enjoy immigrant fiction: it often gives interesting insights into American or British life, and I'm an immigrant myself. And for about two-thirds of this book, I was not disappointed. But then … Ah Kim (Kimberly) turns into a teenager. She's been granted a full scholarship at an exclusive New York secondary school despite living in an appalling slum with her widowed mother who works all the hours God sends in a garment sweatshop in Chinatown run by her elder sister and brother-in-law, who carefully extract payment for the medicines the mother needed to overcome TB in Hong Kong before emigrating, for the airline tickets to the US, and for rent of the so-called 'apartment' in a fully-decayed area of Brooklyn. Kimberly can't even afford underwear: it would cost too much. But she's very bright and willing to work hard. Then she suddenly seems to have the time, despite helping her mother meet quotas at the sweat shop, to become a more 'typical' American teenager. What next? Well, a full scholarship to Yale.
OK, I'll grant that those who are very bright and work very very hard might just get so lucky. But by the end of the novel any critical look at an America that tolerates such poverty, provides so little protection to its people, and clearly doesn't care has gone by the board. Kimberly makes it as a pediatric cardiac surgeon, buys a house for her and her mother (and son now) in Westchester and rides around on a Ducati. She's achieved the American dream, and any reflection on her part about the fate of the boyfriend Matt she left behind at the sweat shop (he's made it up the social ladder to UPS driver) or the others in Chinatown sweatshops is completely missing, as is any critical look at her aunt and uncle, who exploit their countrymen ruthlessly (but perhaps may have reasons? let's hear them!). It's an "I'm all right, Jack" novel without the social (or psychological) criticism. All that opportunity to look at so many possible social and psychological factors, passed up by this author in favor of a cheap women's magazine ending! What a shame!
My copy of this book will be making its way very quickly to the charity shop. That way it might do a little good for somebody who needs a spot of help.
OK, I'll grant that those who are very bright and work very very hard might just get so lucky. But by the end of the novel any critical look at an America that tolerates such poverty, provides so little protection to its people, and clearly doesn't care has gone by the board. Kimberly makes it as a pediatric cardiac surgeon, buys a house for her and her mother (and son now) in Westchester and rides around on a Ducati. She's achieved the American dream, and any reflection on her part about the fate of the boyfriend Matt she left behind at the sweat shop (he's made it up the social ladder to UPS driver) or the others in Chinatown sweatshops is completely missing, as is any critical look at her aunt and uncle, who exploit their countrymen ruthlessly (but perhaps may have reasons? let's hear them!). It's an "I'm all right, Jack" novel without the social (or psychological) criticism. All that opportunity to look at so many possible social and psychological factors, passed up by this author in favor of a cheap women's magazine ending! What a shame!
My copy of this book will be making its way very quickly to the charity shop. That way it might do a little good for somebody who needs a spot of help.
June 21, 2016
4.5 stars
I really liked this book, a lot. Hence how I was able to finish it in a single sitting. It was very interesting. The story revolves around an Chinese mother/daughter duo's immigration from Hong Kong to New York. The book focuses on the experiences of culture clash, isolation and all the other difficulties they go through to adapt to the strange new world they find themselves in. Perhaps I resonated with this so strongly because both of my parent's were immigrants, it was because of their experiences in life that I was constantly pushed to work harder then everyone around me. Kimberly Chang (the protagonist) is everything I wish I was and hope to secretly be: independent, mysterious, and insanely driven.
There was a lot of bits that had me laugh out loud, one particular part where a boy in school wouldn't stop bullying Kimberly because of her clothes. The rest of his friends would chime in and bully her as well and this bothered her so she came up with a brilliant idea to play him at his own game. She decided to approach him and apologize whilst looking innocently adorable, he confusedly says "For what?" and she goes "I just not like you in the way you like me" then kisses him on the cheek in front of all of his friends, mind you these are immature 12 year olds. Poor Greg was teased for weeks and he avoided Kimberly like the plague after that. HA! Overrall, this is a book I would recommend to everyone. Short, amazingly insightful and relatable.
fav line:
I thought "I never want to love someone like that, no even him, so much that there would be no room left for myself, so much that I wouldn't be able to survive if he left me."
I really liked this book, a lot. Hence how I was able to finish it in a single sitting. It was very interesting. The story revolves around an Chinese mother/daughter duo's immigration from Hong Kong to New York. The book focuses on the experiences of culture clash, isolation and all the other difficulties they go through to adapt to the strange new world they find themselves in. Perhaps I resonated with this so strongly because both of my parent's were immigrants, it was because of their experiences in life that I was constantly pushed to work harder then everyone around me. Kimberly Chang (the protagonist) is everything I wish I was and hope to secretly be: independent, mysterious, and insanely driven.
There was a lot of bits that had me laugh out loud, one particular part where a boy in school wouldn't stop bullying Kimberly because of her clothes. The rest of his friends would chime in and bully her as well and this bothered her so she came up with a brilliant idea to play him at his own game. She decided to approach him and apologize whilst looking innocently adorable, he confusedly says "For what?" and she goes "I just not like you in the way you like me" then kisses him on the cheek in front of all of his friends, mind you these are immature 12 year olds. Poor Greg was teased for weeks and he avoided Kimberly like the plague after that. HA! Overrall, this is a book I would recommend to everyone. Short, amazingly insightful and relatable.
fav line:
I thought "I never want to love someone like that, no even him, so much that there would be no room left for myself, so much that I wouldn't be able to survive if he left me."
March 13, 2014
While looking at the upcoming release from Jean Kwok, I went back to my review and decided to update it. I have increased the rating from 4 to 5 stars as this is one of a few novels that has stayed with me a couple of years after reading.
I actually obtained this book for my wife as it was on a "top twenty books a woman should read" list. Having found it on such a list, I assumed that it would be some form of "chick-lit". Needing something to read and finding the synopsis to be interesting, I read it before my wife got her hands on it. I am glad that I did.
While I am no expert on what women should read, I am confident this is a book that all genders should read. I found this story, which is based (how loosely I am not sure) on the real life experiences of the author to be uplifting and engaging. Personally, I have a soft spot for well written coming of age stories. Here we have a girl being introduced to a new culture while living in impoverished conditions. Despite excelling academically in her home country, she has to essentially start over in a place and a new language. Most readers can identify with a character in a position where they do not fit in. This is a universal theme and one that resounded with me.
Without revealing the content of the book, the story focuses on the life of a bright young girl who moves from Hong Kong to the USA with her mother. In an attempt to build a new life they work in their aunts garment factory. The story follows this young girls transition into a new culture as she attempts to maintain her two worlds, her school and friends and the garment factory.
It has been too long for me to recall the content and provide my regular analysis. I do recall some minor and youthful sexual content and some minor adult language.
Overall, I found the story to be moving and enduring. When looking for a coming of age story, I continually come back to this story to compare. I give this my highest recommendation.
I actually obtained this book for my wife as it was on a "top twenty books a woman should read" list. Having found it on such a list, I assumed that it would be some form of "chick-lit". Needing something to read and finding the synopsis to be interesting, I read it before my wife got her hands on it. I am glad that I did.
While I am no expert on what women should read, I am confident this is a book that all genders should read. I found this story, which is based (how loosely I am not sure) on the real life experiences of the author to be uplifting and engaging. Personally, I have a soft spot for well written coming of age stories. Here we have a girl being introduced to a new culture while living in impoverished conditions. Despite excelling academically in her home country, she has to essentially start over in a place and a new language. Most readers can identify with a character in a position where they do not fit in. This is a universal theme and one that resounded with me.
Without revealing the content of the book, the story focuses on the life of a bright young girl who moves from Hong Kong to the USA with her mother. In an attempt to build a new life they work in their aunts garment factory. The story follows this young girls transition into a new culture as she attempts to maintain her two worlds, her school and friends and the garment factory.
It has been too long for me to recall the content and provide my regular analysis. I do recall some minor and youthful sexual content and some minor adult language.
Overall, I found the story to be moving and enduring. When looking for a coming of age story, I continually come back to this story to compare. I give this my highest recommendation.
June 16, 2011
I had a hard time giving this book a rating. I keep going between and 2 and 3. I loved the first 85% of it and then hated the rest. I found the trials and perseverance of Kimberly and her mother very profound and it makes you grateful for the blessings you have.
*SPOILER: I can't get over the dishonesty and immorality involved in the ending of the book. To have someone's child and not even tell them about it is disgusting and disgraceful. It ruined the character and the entire book for me. That she would tell an old "boyfriend" and not even tell the father is terrible. Although it appears she is a loving and caring mother, what she did is unforgiveable, in my eyes. I was also very disappointed when Matt and Kimberly kissed after she dropped him off. For a married man to kiss an old love, or anyone for that matter, is inappropriate. I was disappointed in Matt for choosing to betray his wife this way. I know how I would feel if I found out my husband had met with and kissed an old girlfriend...especially while I was pregnant with his child. Unforgiveable, again. For this reason, I give the 2 stars. I really enjoyed the rest of the book.
*SPOILER: I can't get over the dishonesty and immorality involved in the ending of the book. To have someone's child and not even tell them about it is disgusting and disgraceful. It ruined the character and the entire book for me. That she would tell an old "boyfriend" and not even tell the father is terrible. Although it appears she is a loving and caring mother, what she did is unforgiveable, in my eyes. I was also very disappointed when Matt and Kimberly kissed after she dropped him off. For a married man to kiss an old love, or anyone for that matter, is inappropriate. I was disappointed in Matt for choosing to betray his wife this way. I know how I would feel if I found out my husband had met with and kissed an old girlfriend...especially while I was pregnant with his child. Unforgiveable, again. For this reason, I give the 2 stars. I really enjoyed the rest of the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
May 3, 2013A moving portrayal of one immigrant girl's struggle to find a place for herself in the United States. A star student at an elite school by day--and a sweatshop worker at night--the narrator relies on her fierce intelligence to find a way out of her situation and make a better life for herself and her mother.
This novel has some parallels with the author's life, and I admired it for its honesty and bravery. It did a great job, too, at rendering the rhythms of Chinese speech in English--always a tricky issue for a writer to navigate.
This novel has some parallels with the author's life, and I admired it for its honesty and bravery. It did a great job, too, at rendering the rhythms of Chinese speech in English--always a tricky issue for a writer to navigate.
January 5, 2011
Weird and disappointing to have the exact same reaction to two consecutive novels (both on Amazon's list of best books of 2010, incidentally) -- the story had potential, but was told way too superficially. Only this book was actually less enjoyable for me than Secret Daughter, the last book I read.
I felt like I'd read this story many times before. Eleven-year-old Kimberly emigrates from Hong Kong to the U.S. with her impoverished widowed mother in seek of a better life; the two struggle with adversity in the form of unsympathetic teachers and classmates, exploitative relatives, extreme poverty, etc., etc. There was nothing new here -- not the literary voice, not the story, not the characters. Nothing.
Worse, many things didn't ring true to me although I hesitate to say this, having learned that the author herself emigrated from Hong Kong as a girl. Could the teacher really be that insensitive to the plight of a non-English speaking student? Were the Americanized relatives so avaricious and uncaring? And if so, how could Kimberly's mother be so utterly clueless about her older sister? Speaking of cluelessness, the author seemed to enjoy creating incidents where Kimberly's language foibles and general naivete led to misunderstandings which were supposed to be funny, I guess, but got old, especially since I would have expected Kimberly to catch on to a thing or two by Christmas. Especially if she was so very bright.
I got through a little more than 25% of this before skimming reviews to see if others felt the way I did, and read more than one review reporting that the book started off good and went downhill. Since I didn't even think the book started off good, I decided not to stick around for the downward spiral.
I felt like I'd read this story many times before. Eleven-year-old Kimberly emigrates from Hong Kong to the U.S. with her impoverished widowed mother in seek of a better life; the two struggle with adversity in the form of unsympathetic teachers and classmates, exploitative relatives, extreme poverty, etc., etc. There was nothing new here -- not the literary voice, not the story, not the characters. Nothing.
Worse, many things didn't ring true to me although I hesitate to say this, having learned that the author herself emigrated from Hong Kong as a girl. Could the teacher really be that insensitive to the plight of a non-English speaking student? Were the Americanized relatives so avaricious and uncaring? And if so, how could Kimberly's mother be so utterly clueless about her older sister? Speaking of cluelessness, the author seemed to enjoy creating incidents where Kimberly's language foibles and general naivete led to misunderstandings which were supposed to be funny, I guess, but got old, especially since I would have expected Kimberly to catch on to a thing or two by Christmas. Especially if she was so very bright.
I got through a little more than 25% of this before skimming reviews to see if others felt the way I did, and read more than one review reporting that the book started off good and went downhill. Since I didn't even think the book started off good, I decided not to stick around for the downward spiral.
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