Rating: 
Summary: A Step from Heaven
Review: A Step From Heaven
The plot of the story is about two girls who are traveling to Mi Gook which in Young Ju's mind before they went to Mi Gook she called it heaven. Young Ju and her mother are getting ready to go to Mi Gook. When Young Ju and Uhmma get to Mi Gook Young Ju realizes that they are not in heaven when they are really I the southern part of California. I both liked and disliked A Step From Heaven, I liked this book because it was interesting to see such a difference in cultures and I disliked this book because it was hard to go along with what they were saying for instance they would be saying something about something and then start a whole other subject/ place. Mi Gook is Korean for America
Rating: 
Summary: Superb!
Review: A young girl from Korea, Young Ju, and her family experience what may be considered the underbelly of the American Dream, the hardship and struggle associated with making a new life in America once it's discovered that the streets are not paved with gold. Adding to the confusion of life in a new country, Young Ju's father acutely feels the mounting pressure to become a successful American while maintaining a proper Korean family. Chronicling her childhood years in southern California, Ju speaks frankly and hauntingly of the ways in which Ju, her brother, and mother create a new life while coping with the growing physical and emotional abuse associated with her dad's worsening alcohol addiction. One can't help but feel Ju's every pain and joy owing to Na's superb writing. This story leave you irrevocably wondering and concerned about the immigrant children who cross your path daily.
Rating:
Summary: Poignant, beautiful.
Review: Being a Korean myself, I was able to identify at a more profound level with this book than some of my friends. The author was able to remind me of where I come from, all the while telling a beautiful and sad story that tugged at my heart-strings and drew tears as I read the final words.
This story is about a girl and her family moving from Korea to America, looking for a better life but finding themselves faced with difficult decisions in the process of trying to reach the American dream. The main character, Young Ju, is wonderfully represented, even as a child. An Na has managed to write out a child's thoughts without sounding childish at all, but entirely realistic. This book covers a lot of ground, as Young Ju ages from a young girl to a young woman, about to come into the world as a strong woman shaped by her hardships and triumphs that is shown throughout the novel. The clipped, select memories that we are shown helps us understand how and why Young Ju grew up to the woman she became, especially through her family's hardships as she is forced to mature quickly as the oldest daughter, torn between her Korean heritage and her American one.
This semi-autobiographical novel is worth the read. If you pick this book up, you will be sure to be drawn in by An Na's moving voice.
Rating:
Summary: A step from Hades as well
Review: Despite its somewhat cynical title, this Printz Award winner of 2002 is worthy of its praise. Having immigrated to American with her parents from Korea at age four, Young Ju finds acclimation to their new life to be filled with personal difficulties and private accomplishments. Many stories about immigrants coming to America pay the full brunt of their attention to how that child does at school. More than one book is ALL about children trying to fit in with others and wondering why they are so different. "Molly's Pilgrim" type stuff. This book's focus, however, rests squarely on the story of Young Ju's home life and the difficulties she has dealing with her parents. It is a clear-eyed look at how people come to terms with difficult circumstances. For Young Ju's mother, life means working two jobs while maintaining a home and dealing with a difficult husband. For Young Ju's father, life is filled with disappointments. As his life seemingly disintegrates before his eyes, he takes out all his frustrations and anger on his cowering family. His pride is a source of continual pain. I marvel that this book was recognized for its beauty. An Na does not flinch from the harsh details of Young Ju's family life. Physical violence at the hands of her father is never treated lightly or accepted as a way of life. Nor does the text demonize this man who has brought his family so much misery. There are moments (moment Young Ju herself describes as, "not always, hardly even any") where Young Ju's father is shown as affectionate and caring. A fun kind of dad that his children adore. This same man, however, will kick his unsuspecting son in the stomach in the hopes of making him a man. The book does not condemn Apa (father) with anything but his own actions. By the story's end, Young Ju has found an inner strength that allows her to acknowledge the right thing to do, all the while seeing her mother for the amazing person that she is. Finally, the book is so well written that it really does take your breath away. Na is just as comfortable creating the thoughts and actions of a four year-old as she is a fifteen year-old. You are in safe hands with this author. Beautifully written. Simple. Perfect.
Rating:
Summary: A step from Hades as well
Review: Despite its somewhat cynical title, this Printz Award winner of 2002 is worthy of its praise. Having immigrated to American with her parents from Korea at age four, Young Ju finds acclimation to their new life to be filled with personal difficulties and private accomplishments. Many stories about immigrants coming to America pay the full brunt of their attention to how that child does at school. More than one book is ALL about children trying to fit in with others and wondering why they are so different. "Molly's Pilgrim" type stuff. This book's focus, however, rests squarely on the story of Young Ju's home life and the difficulties she has dealing with her parents. It is a clear-eyed look at how people come to terms with difficult circumstances. For Young Ju's mother, life means working two jobs while maintaining a home and dealing with a difficult husband. For Young Ju's father, life is filled with disappointments. As his life seemingly disintegrates before his eyes, he takes out all his frustrations and anger on his cowering family. His pride is a source of continual pain. I marvel that this book was recognized for its beauty. An Na does not flinch from the harsh details of Young Ju's family life. Physical violence at the hands of her father is never treated lightly or accepted as a way of life. Nor does the text demonize this man who has brought his family so much misery. There are moments (moment Young Ju herself describes as, "not always, hardly even any") where Young Ju's father is shown as affectionate and caring. A fun kind of dad that his children adore. This same man, however, will kick his unsuspecting son in the stomach in the hopes of making him a man. The book does not condemn Apa (father) with anything but his own actions. By the story's end, Young Ju has found an inner strength that allows her to acknowledge the right thing to do, all the while seeing her mother for the amazing person that she is. Finally, the book is so well written that it really does take your breath away. Na is just as comfortable creating the thoughts and actions of a four year-old as she is a fifteen year-old. You are in safe hands with this author. Beautifully written. Simple. Perfect.
Rating:
Summary: A moving first-person story
Review: Four year old Young Ju believes America must be heaven even though there are many adjustments to be made from life in Korea; but as she and her family face problems in the new world, they find both family life and traditions challenged. A moving first-person story of a young girl's struggles with change and a new culture.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT!
Review: Good book! Really a must read. You can get inside it so easily. The best! I would read again and again!
Rating: 
Summary: What it's like to be in 2 worlds
Review: I liked this book because it's about a girl who's trying to fit in America. I know a lot of my friends who are new to America have this problem too. I think it's funny how she thinks America is heaven only to find it isn't. This book is a little older for me, but I liked it. I'd also recommend the Gifted Girls books by Victoria London. Lucy and the Liberty Quilt: Book 1 and Lucy and the Beauty Queen: Book 2 if you like to read stories about a young girl who feels different but is trying to fit in.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful book
Review: I read A Step from Heaven last year and the story still haunts me. It's the best YA book I've ever read. The language is as dense and precise as poetry. Amazingly, the voice and perceptions of the narrator change in the course of the novel, as she grows from a young child with no understanding of American culture or language to a culturally-fluent, ambitious high school senior. An Na's depictions of Young's complicated family relationships--with her mother, her abusive father, and her rebellious brother--are beautifully drawn, piercing in their honesty but also full of understanding and compassion. Life for this Korean immigrant family seems almost unrelentingly difficult. But throughout the novel, the characters find redemption through small acts of courage and determination. A Step from Heaven is a remarkable book.
Rating:
Summary: amasing story, by a strong spirit
Review: I really enjoyed the story A Step From Heaven! I was really surprised at what a Korean family had to go threw just to live in America. I did not realize how lucky all of us Americans are and how blessed we are to live in such a wonderful place. This book gave me a new outlook on life, in a way, because it made me realize that my life is perfect compared to some of the things that Young Ju's family had to go threw.
At the start of the book, it talks about a scared little girl who does not want to go to America. By the end of the story, she is a young woman, who realizes that what she had in Korea could never be as great as what she had and learned in America.
I recommend this book to everyone who loves a good story! Even more so, I recommend it to those who don't realize how lucky they really are and how great where they live really is. Read it! You will enjoy the entire story.
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