A Step From Heaven - Fiction, Fantasy and YA

Bibliography

Na, An. 2001. A STEP FROM HEAVEN. Asheville: Front Street.
ISBN 1-886910-58-8.

Plot Summary

            An Na’s A STEP FROM HEAVEN is the story of Young Ju and her family who immigrate to the United States, a place they think is heaven, from Korea. Young Ju’s parents want her to act American to the outside world and live up to her traditional Korean upbringing at home; these are complicated roles for her to play and her dual personalities are increasingly difficult to maintain due to her father’s alcoholism and their extreme poverty. After her parents divorce Young Ju matures and adapts to her circumstances, eventually going to college. Her story ends on a hopeful note, her mother works three jobs and buys her family a house of their own and Young Ju has her future ahead of her and can now discover what life holds for her.

Critical Analysis

            An Na’s book A STEP FROM HEAVEN is, at its core, about hope. This feeling of hope is first discovered in the way Young Ju and her family choose to leave the only home they know for what they believe are better circumstances in California. The family struggles to fit in, having trouble learning the new language and customs. During her life journey the reader sees Young Ju exposed to many situations that would weaken the strongest hope. Young Ju is tested by not only her new home, but also by what the changes of moving to California do to her family. However even though it may not always be present, hope remains in their lives. At the end of the novel we see Young Ju, her mother and brother starting over again after their father abandoned them. Here again the reader is shown the idea that hope for a better future can come from the bleakest of circumstances.

An Na paints an authentic portrait of an immigrant family. Through a series of events in a young girl’s life, we see how the family learns to adjust to life in their new home. The book does not shy away from portraying events with realism and harshness. We see and feel the struggle that Young Ju and her family experience to try to understand their new home. The characters are credible and authentic. The reader sees Young Ju evolve from an innocent little girl into a stronger, more world wise young adult. The characters in her family are described with the same level of realism. Young Ju’s mother or Uhmma is depicted as a woman trying her best every day to provide for her family while dealing with an ever increasingly abusive husband. The reader experiences her pain and her determination to retain her dignity and elevate herself. Young Ju’s father or Apa is the opposite character. He makes no effort to control his drinking, does not feel it is wrong to abuse his family and ultimately abandons them. Finally, Young Ju’s brother Joon becomes an apathetic person. He skips school and does not strive to succeed or better himself. Each of these characters deals with immigration and acculturation differently and An Na presents an honest portrayal of this difficult experience. 

          A STEP FROM HEAVEN has a plot structure that brings to mind a series of photographs. Each chapter is like a snapshot in Young Ju’s life. The reader undergoes a sense of what is happening to her at that moment, what she is feeling, and how the other people in her life play a role in that moment in her life. We see these snapshots unfold in two locations, Korea and California. Each setting affects the characters and changes them. In Korea we see a family preparing to depart their homeland and all that is familiar. In California we see a family unprepared for the changes a new life and new country create. How they each chose to respond to their new life defines them.

Review Excerpts and Awards

Children’s Book Award Winner for Young Adult Fiction 2002

National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature 2001

VOYA review 2001: “In this luminous, bittersweet debut novel, a young Korean girl crosses the Pacific and does her best to adapt to life in Mi Gook, the United States, despite the difficulties involved in learning western customs and the English language.”

COOPERATIVE CHILDREN’S BOOK CENTER CHOICES review 2002: “An Na's stunning first novel depicts Young's development by showing the complexities of her world, screened through her mind.”

Connections

·       A good way to help students learn something from this book would be a discussion of personal experiences. Have you ever had to move to a new place? Do you know someone who has moved from another country? Having students talk about their own experiences makes the book much more personal.

·       Similar books include FINDING MY VOICE by Marie G. Lee ISBN 0064472450 and FINDING MY HAT by John Son ISBN 0439435390.

·       An Na has a website that provides Educators with links to lesson plans for A STEP FROM HEAVEN. The author’s website can be found at this URL http://www.anwriting.com/astep_lessons.html.

·       There is a book trailer for A STEP FROM HEAVEN available on You Tube at this URL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5HNA398L0Y.