A Step from Heaven

Bibliography

Na, An. 2001.  A STEP FROM HEAVEN.  Asheville: Front Street.  ISBN 9780142500279

Plot Summary

When Young Ju is four years old, she learns that her family is leaving their small fishing village in Korea behind and moving to California in search of a better life.  From everything Young Ju has heard about their new home, she becomes convinced that America is a paradise that is as close to heaven as you can find here on Earth.  However, once Young Ju and her family arrive in their new home, she quickly discovers that this new world feels nothing like heaven as her family struggles to adjust to an unfamiliar language, cultural differences, and the harsh reality of poverty.  As it becomes harder to make ends meet, Young Ju's disillusioned father turns to liquor, and his alcoholic tendencies eventually leads him to emotionally and physically abuse his wife and children.  Although her family gradually appears to be disintegrating in front of her eyes, she excels in her studies at school and easily makes friends.  It seems that just as Young Ju and her brother have found a balance between discovering American culture without losing their Korean identity, their parents fear that they have forgotten their past.  A Step from Heaven follows Young Ju's life as she transforms from a hopeful young girl into a reflective young adult who has watched her family's struggle to survive her entire life and worked hard to create a different future for herself.

Critical Analysis

Told from the point of view of Young Ju, this award-winning young adult novel follows the progression of her voice and experiences from childhood to adulthood.  Since her mother and father dream of providing their children the opportunity to live a better life, they decide to immigrate to America.  As Young Ju grows older, her thoughts and feelings reflect her growing maturity as she gradually learns the English language and begins to understand the events happening around her.  The language used throughout the story is strikingly authentic as Young Ju's translation of English is intermixed with Korean - providing credibility to the story's multicultural characters.  Although her family encounters language difficulties and feelings of isolation after immigrating to America, nearly everyone learns how to adapt to their new home - with the exception of her father, Apa.  As Young Ju grows older, he begins to resent her acquisition of the English language and her successful assimilation into American culture, which ultimately leads him to become abusive with his family.  The fact that Young Ju doesn't feel as though she is part of her own family is a feeling that young adult readers might be able to identify with, and her search for her own unique identity will undoubtedly appeal to young adult readers everywhere.

Awards

• 2002 Michael L. Printz Award
• 2001 National Book Award Finalist
• 2002 Children's Book Award in YA Fiction - International Reading Association
• 2005 Asian American Booklist, Grades 9 and Up - National Education Association
• 2001-2003 Asian Pacific American Award for Literature - Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association
• 2002 Notable Books for a Global Society - International Reading Association
• 2002 Notable Children's Book - American Library Association
• 2002 Best Book for Young Adults - American Library Association
• 2002 Children's Books of Distinction Award - Riverbank Review
• 2002 Fanfare Book - The Horn Book Honor List
• 2002 Notable Books for the Language Arts - NCTE
• 2001 Editor's Choice - Booklist
• 2001 New York Times Book Review Notable Book
• 2001 Best Books - School Library Journal
• 2001 Best Children's Books - Publishers Weekly
• 2001 Top 10 Youth First Novels - Booklist

Review Excerpts

“The journey Na chronicles in Young's graceful and resonant voice is an acculturation process that is at times wrenching, at times triumphant and consistently absorbing...By its conclusion, readers can see a strong, admirable young woman with a future full of hope.  Equally bright are the prospects of this author; readers will eagerly await her next step."

               – Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"As in the best writing, the particulars make the story, a first novel, universal."

               – Booklist

"A beautifully written affecting work."

               – School Library Journal

"This is a coming-of-age novel as well as a coming-into-the-country novel.  It allows young people to step outside themselves for a moment and walk in the shoes of a hesitant, troubled peer who is not sure she likes being here.  Poignant and powerful, the book is written with lyrical inventiveness that startles and delights and makes us see all things about us with new eyes."

               – Multicultural Review

“This book enriches readers' understanding of Korean culture and of the immigrant experience shared by many."

               – Children's Literature


"This beautifully written book, a tale of both tragedy and eventual triumph, is likely to bring tears to the eyes of any reader.  Its author must be considered an important new voice in Asian American children's literature."
               – Voice of Youth Advocates


"An Na's first novel, A Step from Heaven, is the engaging tale of a young girl's childhood in the shadow of an abusive father, and of how she gains the courage to choose freedom for herself and her family...The book is endowed with a haunting grace by the exquisite voice of a new young writer."
               – New York Times Book Review

Connections
This novel presents a wonderful opportunity for children to learn more about the history of immigration in the United States.  Children can discuss what would cause an individual, family, or group of people to leave their native home and establish a new life in another country.  Have children imagine what immigration would feel like, and brainstorm a list of problems that immigrants like Young Ju's family often encountered in their new country (language/communication barriers, cultural/religious differences, racial intolerance).  After multiple discussions on the topic, children can compose a letter that is written from an immigrant's point of view to a relative who stayed behind.  In the letter, children can write about what they think of their new home and how they are dealing with the problems listed above.


In addition to learning about immigration, children may also be interested in learning more about Korean culture.  Depending on the age of the children, they can research the Gateway to Korea website to discover information about the cultural and lifestyle differences between Korea and America.


A Step from Heaven was partially autobiographical.  Children can learn more about author An Na by reading the in-depth interview that is posted on the Cynthia Leitich Smith Children's Literature Resources website.  What are the parallels between the lives of An Na and Young Ju?  After researching the author's life, children can report on the similarities and differences they discovered between the lives of An Na and Young Ju.