Moving is strenuous. My whole life I have moved around and about: Italy, Florida, Pennsylvania. Adjusting to my new surroundings,struggling to fit in. Man, getting to the place I am now was a journey. I have always loved traveling and hearing stories of other travelers. Learning about immigrants is captivating and really plays with my emotions as I have also experienced the struggle of moving overseas to the great America. New York Times Bestseller, Jean Kwok’s Girl in Translation is definitely one of the best immigration stories I have ever read. Girl in Translation features a heart wrenching, coming-of-age story: deeply moving, it gets the point across in a simplistic, yet beautiful, manner.
General Summary • 150 words
Young chinese immigrant Kimberly Chang and her mother emigrated from Hong Kong to Brooklyn with nothing but a few suitcases. Struggling to survive in the “Big Apple”, Kim realizes she needs to take matters into her own hands. An exceptional schoolgirl in the day and a Chinatown sweatshop worker at night, Kimberley had to conceal the harder realities- like the staggering degrees of poverty, the weight of her family's future lying on her shoulders, or her love for a factory boy who has no ambition or talent- Kimberley learns to translate not only her language but herself back and forth between her two worlds. This novel highlights the struggle of countless immigrants who are caught in the pressure of succeeding in America. This is a beautifully crafted novel that tackles the many issues of hardships, family, racism, bullying, working-class struggles, love, and power of tradition. Meaningful and moving, its truly an eye-opener!
Point-1 • Vicarious Experience • 311 words
Girl in Translation, a heart-wrenching novel, has unforeseen hardships that Kim and many other Chinatown workers go through daily. Imagine being surrounded by people who speak a language you only half understand and trying to fight