Step from Heaven by An Na

Bibliographic Data

Na, An. A Step from Heaven. New York: Speak, 2002. Print.

Summary

A Step from Heaven, written by An Na, is story of a young Korean girl’s transition to life in a foreign country.  With America’s being the land of promise and opportunity, Young Ju’s family travels from their homeland of Korea across the Pacific in search of a better life.  On arrival, they find their dreams out of reach because of money, pride, language, and tradition issues.  Feel what Young Ju experiences as she grows up in an American house under Korean cultural restrictions, attends an American school, and makes an American friend.  Read as her hard-working mother struggles to save money and her prideful father loses himself in drink and violence because of his grief and anger.  Observe as Young Ju attempts to find her authentic self in the cultural mix.

Analysis

          An Na’s first novel, A Step from Heaven, is a genuine first-person narrative which explores a young Korean girl’s experiences growing up in America.  It touches on many of the cultural adjustments and misinterpretations possible when immigrant life is so different from expectations.  Young Ju’s mother has Young Ju’s hair permed because she believes that all Mi Gook girls (American girls) have curly hair.

          Besides coping with cultural differences, Young Ju experiences problems those differences cause within her family.  Asian cultures are paternalistic and obedience-oriented.  Apa (“father”) and Uhmma (“mother”) have marital difficulties which are exacerbated by Apa’s drinking and not working and therefore gradually losing “face” in Asian terms.  He spirals into depression, alcoholism, and incidents of family violence. 

          The strengths of the novel lie in its writing style.  An Na writes this first novel in the first-person and in present tense.  The reader feels as though he or she is inside the mind and heart of Young Ju.  For example, “I close my eyes and put my hands together tight. I move my lips the way I see Halomoni do, but without the sounds.  God must have very strong ears to hear the words” (9).  The lack of quotation marks contributes a diary-like quality to the story.  Finally, using Korean terminology throughout draws the reader into the culture immediately and creates a relationship to the characters.

          The novel is so well-written that weaknesses aren’t readily identifiable to the reader.  Perhaps because details are implied more than stated, the reader doesn’t always know when Young Ju has become older as the story progresses.

          A Step from Heaven holds appeal to young adult readers.  It deals with several of the struggles which teenagers might experience: saving money, being obedient, studying, lying, and feeling jealousy.  Readers might also enjoy participating in Korean culture by all of its references included in the text.

 

          The novel is developmentally appropriate for younger as well as older teenagers.  It accurately portrays the ups and downs of cultural assimilation with sensitivity.  Although incidents of family violence are present, there exists restraint in their exposition.  “I do not see Apa’s hand.  It is too fast.  I only hear the slap, loud as breaking glass” (35).

          A Step from Heaven has earned its place among culturally diverse Young Adult novels.  It has been honored with several awards, such as the Michael L. Printz Award, a New York Times Best Book of the Year, and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults.

Activity

To expose students to various cultures, the librarian could schedule an interactive, cultural Jeopardy Game.  In addition to the categories and dollar numbers, there could be a section of slides of such multicultural subjects as art, objects, and famous people for young adults to identify.  Money earned by all participants could be used to purchase Friends of the Library (FOL) books and game winners could win prizes donated by the community or FOL.       

One resource would aid in creating the Jeopardy questions:

Morrison, Terri, and Wayne A. Conaway. Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: The Bestselling Guide to Doing Business in More than 60 Countries. 2^nd ed. Avon, Mass.: Admas Media, 2006. Print.

Related Resources

1.  Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preuss

Should any young adult ask for a Read-Alikes for A Step from Heaven, the librarian could recommend Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preuss.  It is based on a true story of a young Japanese boy who was rescued by a sea captain after being shipwrecked and who was eventually adopted by him and taken to America.  Manjiro learns whaling and American culture of the time, all the while confronting issues of discrimination and trying to maintain his Japanese identity.

Preus, Margi. Heart of a Samurai: Based on the True Story of Nakahama Manjiro. New York: Amulet, 2010. Print.

2.  The Art of Crossing Cultures, 2^nd ed. By Craig Stori

This anecdotal, but mostly seriously informative book contains advice for anyone who is contemplating living in foreign country and experiencing a foreign culture.

Storti, Craig. Art of Crossing Cultures. 2^nd ed. Yarmouth, Me.: Intercultural, 2001. Print.

Published Review

Brabander, Jennifer M.  Rev. of A Step From Heaven. An Na. Horn Book Magazine 77.4 (2001): 458-459. Web. 27 June 2015.