LS5623: "A Step From Heaven" by An Na

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY

Na, An. A Step From Heaven. United States: Speak, 2003. Print.

2.     PLOT SUMMARY
Young Ju and her family immigrate from South Korea to America. She is told America is heaven. After arriving to America, Young Ju realizes that America is not heaven. Her father works multiple jobs to keep their family afloat, barely. She struggles with her new baby brother, the cultural differences and the huge language barrier as well as a struggle of who she is.

3.     CRITICAL ANALYSIS characters, plot, setting, theme, style, authenticity

The insular nature of Young Ju’s family is reflected in the low number of character’s in the book. All of them are very complex, but none moreso than Young Ju herself. The writing style of the book adjusts as Young Ju ages and learns English, starting out as very simple, direct sentences when she is a child to much more complicated thoughts and ideas as she grows older. As she grows older, there’s a shift in her personality from her quiet “Korean” self to her “American” self that is willing to not just think about the hard questions, but ask them to the people who have the power to hurt her the most. Even her family have complex personalities, and that complexity, especially with her mother and father, is one of the things that will cause the most heartbreak in the reader.

The setting is fairly modern, though a lack of cell phones and modern technology indicate a slightly older era, possibly the 1990s. However, the exact date of the book doesn’t matter, since the story feels it could happen today or twenty years ago. Since it focuses heavily on the characters and Young Ju’s thoughts it feels timeless when one reads it.

There are some dark themes in this book, most prevalently domestic abuse. An Na handles the subject matter well, and it feels authentic to the reader.

4.     CREATIVE ACTIVITY

I feel like it would be remiss if one was teaching this book to not talk about domestic abuse. A discussion of what constitutes as violence and what someone can do when in a compromising position.

For an actual creative activity, have the teens brainstorm about fears the different characters (Young Ju, her father and her mother) might have had about coming to America. Have the students choose one of the characters and then draw a picture to represent the fears.

5.     RELATED RESOURCES

Thehotline.org/ 1−800−799−7233 or TTY 1−800−787−3224. These are the two ways to get in touch with the national domestic abuse hotline.

http://www.anwriting.com/index.html An Na’s website

http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/lit_resources/authors/interviews/AnNa.html an interview with An Na about A Step From Heaven.

6.     PUBLISHED REVIEW 

Chira, Susan. A Step From Heaven Review. The New York Times. 2001. https://www.nytimes.com/books/01/05/20/bib/010520.rv123225.html