A step from Heaven

A Step From Heaven

A Step From Heaven is a story of a Korean girl named Young Ju Park who immigrated to the U.S. at the age of four with her father (Apa in Korean) and her mother (Uhmma). Before her family came to the U.S., Young Ju believed that America would be heaven because her grandma (Halmoni) once told her that Heaven was far away from Korea like the U.S. In addition to this, she liked the word, Mi Gook (America) that made her parents smile overspread their faces. However, her hope and expectation ended in disappointment when she realized that the U.S. was not a heaven. In fact, the life in the U.S. got worse than Korea. Her parents, especially her Apa, had to work multiple jobs to make a living, and her Apa’s violence against her Uhmma got worse and worse as time passed. Meanwhile, Young Ju was having tough time at school because she couldn’t understand English at all. Not long after, her younger brother, Joon was born; as a girl, Young Ju felt jealous toward her brother, Joon who became her Apa’s dream just because he was a boy. (In Korea, a boy is valued more than a girl because the boy can carry on a family line and can have more opportunities to become a great person in the world.) After years passed, Young Ju’s English skill was improved remarkably as she studied hard for her future. After her Apa learned that his mother, Halmoni died in Korea, her Apa began using violence against his family, even against Young Ju and her younger brother. They began to lean on each other all the time. Apa had been causing difficulties for his family; he was caught by police driving drunk, he did not come home for days, he was violent, and he cheated on his wife. Finally, Young Ju decided to report her Apa to 911, to tell that her Apa had been violent against her family. She wanted to save her Uhmma from Apa. After she reported her Apa, the life of her family changed totally. How? If you want to know the ending of the story, then go to library and grab this book now! I enjoyed reading this book to hear the story. This book is special to me as a Korean because hear the Korean words and feel Korean culture that I had experienced in my life before and makes me miss my home country, too. So, I want to recommend this book to people who are children of immigrant family because they would connect their lives to Young Ju’s life as understanding her better than any others. As you read this book, you will know how Young Ju overcame difficulties that made her stopped every moment and you will grow your hope in your heart at last.