A Timely Read: Girl in Translation

Well whaddaya know, the first book I read when I got back was this one:

Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok

I have had it for a while and thought this was the perfect time to dig into it. 

Girl in Translation is the story of 11-year old Kimberly Chang and her mother, who emigrate from Hong Kong to a hovel in Brooklyn.  They were assisted in their immigration by Kimberly's auntie, her mother's sister, and believed they were going to experience the joys of Manhattan (Min-hat-ton) only to discover that they were both locked in to working long hours in a sweat shop and living in an abandoned, roach-infested building.

Kimberly is a natural student, and despite her initial shortcomings speaking English, she soon develops a double life:  star student by day, sweat shop worker by night.  The people in each part of her life are clueless about the other part.  Will she manage to be a good enough student to carve out a real American future for her and her mom?  Or will she fail?  Will they be out on the streets or be sent back to Hong Kong?  (Though it is written from a child's perspective, it is an adult book, not a children's book.)

Kwok portrays a Chinese-American experience in creative ways that make the reader empathetic; for example, her dialogue skews the American language just enough that the reader can both piece together what is being said (it's not laborious) and also experience almost first-hand how hard it would be for a non-native speaker.  The writing is also a nice mix of humorous and beautiful.

...........

"I'd heard about the myth of Santa Claus in Hong Kong, although we'd assumed that he chose not to visit the warmer countries.  Since he wasn't an active presence there and no one talked about him much, I hadn't learned that he wasn't real, unlike most other kids my age.  Now that I was in the U.S., I assumed he would be appearing like all the other strange things I had heard of but had not seen until now, like red hair and mittens."

...........

"Ma, her head bowed in prayer, was standing alone at the border of where the earth met concrete in our backyard, and I caught a trace of her words.  Merciful Kuan Yin, beloved relatives, please let good people come to us and allow the bad ones to walk away.  I went over and linked my arm through hers.  I thought, Pa, I wish you were here to help us.  Please help me perfect my English so I can take care of us.  Ma pressed my hand gently and we prayed together for our future."

...........

The book is eloquent and flows very well - it's a super quick, easy, and engaging read.  And for me, it was timely.  Although I saw the more prosperous parts of Hong Kong on our vacation, I still learned exactly how hard people work there, and how seriously they take their work.  It is a part of their identity and their honor.  While I wouldn't want to go that far with my own job (I have struggled most of my career to specifically prevent it from becoming my identity), it was an eye-opener to me that I need to continue to take my job as seriously as I did on Day One and that I need to be more thankful for it.  So many times I think of it as getting in the way of my life instead of providing for my life.  Work, though it should not be an idol, should definitely be viewed as a blessing, as an opportunity, an advantage.  Especially in today's economic climate.

I appreciated the insight into Kimberly's academic career and the goals she set for her future.  It is a refreshing read, and a page-turner all the way.  I have since looked for other books by Jean Kwok and I believe this is the only one published.  Crossing my fingers she'll get on the ball and release another one soon.