Elise Kronquist
Freshman Honor's English
A2
In Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok, Ah-Kim(Kimberly) and her mother have just moved to the U.S. from Hong Kong. Poor and barely speaking English, they are helped out by Kimberly’s aunt, Paula, who moved years before and runs a successful clothes factory. Paula moves them into an abandoned and forsaken apartment building and leaves them there to settle. Kimberly begins going to the public elementary school where she has problems understanding English. Though she has difficult life, she is extraordinarily smart and perseveres. On a scale of one to ten, I would rate it a seven. I really enjoyed the language the author used to show that Kimberly could not understand pop culture references and spoke very formally. I also liked that Kimberly did not get the perfectly happy ending, but had to grow to where she is at the end. I think most girls would like this book.
Freshman Honor's English
A2
Kimberly's bitterness is very apparent in the beginning. Her life in America wasn't a smooth road at all, and the prologue heavily implies that. The chapters I've read prove it, everything from factory work to their roach-infested apartment to trouble in school.
ReplyDeleteThe characters are quite realistic to me. Kimberly being the top student of her class in Hong Kong is of no surprise. If she weren't, then her troubles in school wouldn't have been stressed as much. However, for her to give up after the first day of school is unusual...what happened to her top-of-the-class determination?
Her mother is also very realistic, being kind and very generous to others even though she has to spend what little money she has to thank them. It may sound a little odd to others, but I know it well enough. It's pretty much a custom for us to give people gifts.
Some things that left me confused were the year that this story took place in and the words that Kimberly heard incorrectly. If this story took place after 2000 (the year is never mentioned), then I'm shocked that the living and working conditions haven't changed much from the late 1900s. As for the words that Kimberly doesn't understand (indicated by italics and a combination of words or a phonetic pronunciation), it is sometimes hard for me to understand what the real meaning is.
Other than that, I am eager to read the rest of the book.
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ReplyDeleteAu contraire to Shannon, I thought Girl in Translation was very unrealistic. The reason being, there is no joy. Yes, I do realize that Kimberly and her mother are living in unimaginably bad conditions, are dirt poor and have trouble with English. Yet, even in the worst of circumstances, it’s almost human nature to find some form of happiness.
ReplyDeleteJean Kwok is portraying a grim situation. She’s trying to open a window into the possible life of an American immigrant…. people who are working in sweatshops so that they can pay the rent for a dingy, cockroach infested apartment. People who pull fabric from the dump to sleep under. People who are invisible to the majority of the population.
Kwok is doing quite a good job; so far the book has been an eye-opener. Yet, she forgets to add happiness into all the despair. Kimberly is a little girl. Children, no matter how they live, attempt to find some play in all their work. They have imaginations that could create a castle out of a broken down building, or a dollhouse from an old box. They can pretend that they are a princess, lost in a land stricken with poverty, or Robin Hood, stealing from the rich to give to the poor. Yet, Kimberly does not experience any fun except for watching television. And even then, it’s just to disrupt the eerie sound of silence.
Hopefully, as the book progresses, the characters will become more real, allowing the reader to truly ‘experience’ the life of a poverty-stricken immigrant.
I tend to agree with Shannon. Kimberly in her life seems to have enjoyed school and it did not seem like before she moved to America she played at home. I doubt that she really played with other kids. Kimberly never created castles when she was in Hong Kong. Why would she now? How far did you both read?
ReplyDeleteShannon, I thought that this book seemed to be set before 2000. It seemed to be set in maybe the 90s or perhaps earlier. It's a lot easier to understand the phonetic words if you say them out loud. As for the determination, she loses it when she gets an F on a test. She is so upset that she has dropped to the bottom of the class.
No this book is not perfect, i think that this is the author's debut novel.
I'm reading from Chapter 5 to Chapter 7. Aunt Paula has become something of an antagonist in these chapters, so I'm going to focus on her for this post.
ReplyDeleteAunt Paula is evil. Yes, evil; there's no other way to put it. The only reason she makes Kimberly and her mother live in terrible conditions is because she doesn't want her sister to be better than her or for Kimberly to be better than Nelson. Even though they are family, Aunt Paula purposely gives them the least she can. However, Kimberly's mother believes in paying back the debt a little too much and refuses to complain to Aunt Paula. It just isn't fair sometimes.
It's when Kimberly recieves a full scholarship to Harrison Prep that she and her mother find out the true nature of Aunt Paula. All mail that is sent to them goes to Aunt Paula, and when Aunt Paula finds the letter of acceptance, she becomes jealous and asks why it was done without asking her first. If she was asked first, Kimberly definitely would not have gone to Harrison.
The feelings of jealousy last for quite a while. According to Kimberly, when she and her mother are invited over to Aunt Paula's for dinner, Aunt Paula had "never made such an effort for us before, and I could see that our status in her mind had been raised". However, Aunt Paula still makes sure that Kimberly is not doing as well as Nelson, so her feelings have not changed.
...Honestly, I'd hate to have Aunt Paula as a relative. If Kimberly's mother and Aunt Paula were not related, then the tensions would not be as bad as they are now.
I'm reading from Chapter 5 to Chapter 8.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Shanon in the aspect of Aunt Paula as the 'bad guy'. While reading, I would get so frustrated when Kim and her mother just let Aunt Paula take advantage of them, without putting up a fight. But then again, you have to step into another person's skin, to understand the reason behind their actions.
Aunt Paula has had to live with her little sister being the best. Yes, we don’t learn too much about Aunt Paula and Ma’s (What is her real name?) previous relationship, but I suspect that this is the case. So, when Aunt Paula was presented with the opportunity for a new life, she took it. Off she goes to America with her new husband.
Now, she gets a break from her sister’s perfection, and has a whole ocean to separate them. But when Kim and her Mother arrive, Aunt Paula’s getaway is over. She still holds a grudge against her younger sister, and shows it through cruel ways, such as making them live in a dirty apartment and proving that her son is smarter than Kim. In other words, Aunt Paula is going out of her way to ensure that her little sister isn’t the best, anymore.
Aunt Paula was one of my least favorite characters. I could put up with Kimberly's uncle because he was so obviously controlled by his wife. However, you both bring up good points about Aunty. I disagree that she is purely evil; Aunt Paula is jealous of her sister, as Sidney said, and goes to great lengths to prove how much better she is. When she compares Nelson's grade to Kimberly's she knows that she is being cruel, but it makes her feel better. There is a reason to come later in the book as to why Paula moved to America... wait and see!
ReplyDeleteThis time I'm reading from Chapter 8 to Chapter 10. In this section Kimberly's two lives--the life at school and the life at the factory--become much more pronounced.
ReplyDeleteAt the factory, Kimberly still faces the wrath of Aunt Paula; she picks up the pace for her job and works as hard as she can, but instead of being impressed by her work, Aunt Paula instead lowers the price of the skirts that they finish. Not only that, but after she and Matt argue against it, Aunt Paula sends Matt into the worst job into the factory: the steamers.
At school, Kimberly does extremely well on the math and science placement tests, but this catches the attention of Dr. Copeland and makes her suspicious. According to Dr. Copeland, no student her age has had such high placement scores; thus, she must take an oral examination to prove that she is actually that intelligent. I found this odd; did Harrison Prep have no prodigies? Also, the fact that they didn't believe Kimberly's scores based on previous records...that's quite sad. They did say that tests were stolen, but that means that some people actually got those high scores, right? So why doubt? Thankfully, though, Kimberly passes the oral exam and is placed two years ahead in science.
Romance has also started to develop in this part of the book. Kimberly starts to develop feelings for Matt, but those feelings quickly lessen once she finds out about the girl he sees every day, whose name is Vivian. Then, there is a hinted relationship between Curt and Kimberly; Curt sees Kimberly for tutoring lessons and always seems to flirt with her. Kimberly doesn't like it, but I think she will develop feelings later.
One last thing: Curt says something really meaningful, and it could possibly affect Kimberly on how she views life later: "'...when something is not realistic, it becomes a container for whatever you want it to be...you can pour anything you want into it.'" The future is the container but what it looks like is unknown; it all depends on the decisions that the person makes in life.
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ReplyDeleteShannon. The school isn't accusing her of cheating just because of her high scores. Remember how earlier in the book, she was caught with a cheat sheet, when really it was her friends who had dropped it on the floor. The teachers let her slip then, but ever since, they've been cautious with her actions.
ReplyDeleteI read from Chapter 8 to Chapter 11
ReplyDeleteKimberly is finally starting to develop. Before, she was a dry character, with a weak personality. But now, Jean Kwok is giving her spirit.
Even though this young girl is restricted by her obligation to the factory, she is starting to find her identity. In school, Kimberly is working extremely hard on studying and improving her English. Her perseverance is rewarded in the end: Kim is bumped up two grades in math and science.
Another log that adds to the fire of Kim’s character is her rebellion. The girl is now beginning to defy her mother’s rules. By going behind the school to kiss boys or lying to her mother to attend a movie with her friend, Kim is entering the life of an adolescent. I’m not saying that her actions are good, on the contrary, but rebellion helps Kim establish her identity and grow up.
The thing that astonishes me, though, is that she is capable to do these things, while working at the factory. Every day, she must wake up early, go to school, go to the factory, come home at about 9 or 10 in the evening, do her homework, and finally go to sleep. It’s an endless cycle that does not allow time for fun. Can you imagine being a teenager with little or no amusement? Yet, this is how many adolescents must live.
Kimberly’s struggles with school and maturation allow the reader to take a glimpse into the protagonist’s minds, letting us better understand the harsh, but livable life of a Chinese immigrant.
Time for the final review.
ReplyDeleteGirl in Translation by Jean Kwok is a truly inspiring story of a girl who has risen to success out of nearly nothing. Kimberly Chang and her mother came to America with nothing to fall back on; they can only rely on Kimberly's aunt, Paula, who gives them a low-paying job at a factory and an abandoned apartment building to live in. To add on to that, they both have very limited English, making it difficult to communicate with others around them.
Kimberly knows that they both have to maintain a life in America and works as hard she can in both the factory and the school. At first she struggles in school due to her English, but with sheer determination, she drastically improves her English and manages to rise above everyone else.
I give this book a 7.5 out of 10. The writing style is very effective in setting a mood and it is what makes the book a page-turner. Although there are prevailing moments for Kimberly, the book is mainly consisted of problems that Kimberly has to face over and over again, and she thinks these problems through all the time (especially about her love for a fellow teenage factory worker). I researched the author a little bit and found out that the book's plot is heavily based on her life. If that is so, did all those problems happen to her or did she add in a few problems for the sake of the story? We'll never know. I'm starting to agree with Sydney; the lack of joy is not realistic, but I'll never know because my life has never been as hard as Kimberly's.
I recommend this book to teenage girls and anyone who likes reading coming-of-age, romantic, and slightly cultural books.
Shannon, Sydney is right. The reason they are so suspicious is because she was caught with the cheat sheet that Tammi(i think that was her name) had passed to her. The fact that Matt agrees with her is interesting. Also, Curt's words are pretty profound for a slacker. This is an important quote and it is neat that you picked it out.
ReplyDeleteSydney, Kimberley is a very strong and perseveres through the worst of circumstances. Her rebellion begins to show and in the end it helps her grow into a mature young woman. It does not always come out in the best of circumstances, but it is essential to her growth.
We think we know the life of the poverty-stricken, yet we have never walked in their shoes. Therefore, we can never truly understand all their hardships. Yes, we’ll give to charities and feel good about helping. But can we grasp the gravity of their situation?
ReplyDeleteJean Kwok provides a window into this world. She opens the curtains and allows the reader to get a glimpse of the intensity of deprivation in America.
Kimberly is a girl. A teenager, like any of us. Yet she is forced to work in a sweatshop, in the 21st century. Every night after school, she must go directly to the factory to help her mother finish her workload so that they may get their pay. Kimberly is a teenager who has little pleasure, yet does not live a sorrowful life. What I’m trying to say is, she lives through these challenges and still finds joy.
Girl in Translation deserves a 7 out of 10. The writing does make the book a little harder to get into, but once you do, you’ll want to finish. I would suggest this book to those who’d like a glimpse.