A Step from Heaven
by An Na
Book Description
When she is five, Young Ju Park and her family move from Korea to California. During the flight, they climb so far into the sky she concludes they are on their way to Heaven, that Heaven must be in America. Heaven is also where her grandfather is. When she learns the distinction, she is so disappointed she wants to go home to her grandmother. Trying to console his niece, Uncle Tim suggests that maybe America can be "a step from Heaven." Life in America, however, presents problems for Young Ju's family. Her father becomes depressed, angry, and violent. Jobs are scarce and money is even scarcer. When her brother is born, Young Ju experiences firsthand her father's sexism as he confers favored status upon the boy who will continue to carry the Park name. In a wrenching climactic scene, her father beats her mother so severely that Young Ju calls the police. Soon afterward, her father goes away and the family begins to heal.
About the Author
An Na was born in Korea and grew up in San Diego, California. She graduated from Amherst College and received her MFA from Norwich University. A former middle school teacher, she now divides her time writing in Oakland, California, and Warren, Vermont. A Step from Heaven is her first novel. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.
Keywords: A Step from Heaven, Books, An Na, Korean Americans, Juvenile fiction, Fiction, Family life, Emigration and immigration, Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General, Social Situations - Emigration & Immigration, Ethnic - Asian American, Girls & Women, Social Situations - New Experience, Social Situations - Violence
|
