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aliciasirois's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this book! It made me think a lot about the students I teach who come from financial hardships. I loved the main character and her tenaciousness!
jgintrovertedreader's review against another edition
4.0
After her father's death, young Kimberly Chang and her mother immigrate from Hong Kong to New York in hopes of building better lives. Kimberly's aunt and uncle run a factory and have promised Kimberly's mom a place to live and work. The work turns out to be in a sweatshop and the place to live is in an abandoned, derelict apartment building where they're forced to burrow under old carpeting to stay warm. Their only means of heating the apartment is by turning on the oven and leaving the door open.
Kimberly is a brilliant student and eventually sets herself apart, despite speaking very little English when she first arrives in New York. In the evenings, she works in the factory, even at the age of eleven, helping her mom meet her impossible quotas and earn the few dollars they live on weekly.
This book was so heartbreaking so much of the time. I adored Kimberly. She's such a good daughter, friend, and student. She's trying so hard to be everything to everyone. Her life is always hard, but it's hardest when she first arrives, with no comprehension of American culture and little comprehension of the language. School bullies and harsh teachers make her transition harder than it has to be. But isn't that the way of things? Why is kindness so hard for some people?
Kimberly's aunt is terrible! Kimberly has been taught to honor her elders and she does her best. But the aunt just treats them worse and worse. She seems to have always been jealous of her sister, Kimberly's mom. Now, as Kimberly's intelligence becomes evident, she's jealous of Kimberly too. She takes revenge in some pretty heinous ways. I just wanted to reach through the pages and throttle this woman!
I could never quite place when this was supposed to be taking place. I think that's on purpose. Or maybe I just missed it. Either way, I know I always think of sweatshops and child labor as occurring in other countries or decades ago. I got the feeling that this was supposed to be in the recent past, especially since it seems to be loosely based on the author's own childhood. There are always greedy people who will manipulate the system and take advantage of others' fear of authorities and ignorance of the law.
I loved the ending. I found it to be absolutely perfect. Would I have said the same thing even ten years ago? No. Back then I think I would have been very unhappy with it. Older and wiser, I can fully appreciate it now. As a book that seems to be written for young/new adults, I'm not sure how the ending will be received by that audience.
I listened to this on audio, narrated by Grayce Wey. I liked her reading but it did take me some time to get accustomed to the accents she used.
I highly recommend this book. It has a strong main character and will open your eyes to how others live. Hopefully it will help us all to gain a little more understanding and empathy as well.
Kimberly is a brilliant student and eventually sets herself apart, despite speaking very little English when she first arrives in New York. In the evenings, she works in the factory, even at the age of eleven, helping her mom meet her impossible quotas and earn the few dollars they live on weekly.
This book was so heartbreaking so much of the time. I adored Kimberly. She's such a good daughter, friend, and student. She's trying so hard to be everything to everyone. Her life is always hard, but it's hardest when she first arrives, with no comprehension of American culture and little comprehension of the language. School bullies and harsh teachers make her transition harder than it has to be. But isn't that the way of things? Why is kindness so hard for some people?
Kimberly's aunt is terrible! Kimberly has been taught to honor her elders and she does her best. But the aunt just treats them worse and worse. She seems to have always been jealous of her sister, Kimberly's mom. Now, as Kimberly's intelligence becomes evident, she's jealous of Kimberly too. She takes revenge in some pretty heinous ways. I just wanted to reach through the pages and throttle this woman!
I could never quite place when this was supposed to be taking place. I think that's on purpose. Or maybe I just missed it. Either way, I know I always think of sweatshops and child labor as occurring in other countries or decades ago. I got the feeling that this was supposed to be in the recent past, especially since it seems to be loosely based on the author's own childhood. There are always greedy people who will manipulate the system and take advantage of others' fear of authorities and ignorance of the law.
I loved the ending. I found it to be absolutely perfect. Would I have said the same thing even ten years ago? No. Back then I think I would have been very unhappy with it. Older and wiser, I can fully appreciate it now. As a book that seems to be written for young/new adults, I'm not sure how the ending will be received by that audience.
I listened to this on audio, narrated by Grayce Wey. I liked her reading but it did take me some time to get accustomed to the accents she used.
I highly recommend this book. It has a strong main character and will open your eyes to how others live. Hopefully it will help us all to gain a little more understanding and empathy as well.
foreverj's review against another edition
4.0
This book reminded me of all the struggles immigrant families endure while trying to re-locate to a new place. It outlines the hardships that some families have to go through to settle into what they think will be a "land of dreams" but often falls very short of their expectations. The story itself was easy to read and the characters were at times frustrating. However, the feelings of frustration made me realize that if you were to put yourself in those positions, you may not have done anything differently. Trying to survive in a new country with a foreign language is difficult and at times, people respond due to a lack of understanding. However, they are judged as if they are fully informed. This book reminded me of the struggle to relocate to a new country as well as reminded me of what may drive people for excellence.
pilarentrelibros's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
emmaas_bookshelf's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
An absolutely lovely book about generational trauma, immigration, racism, language barriers, poverty, and growing up in the US. I love the way this book is written and how the author portrays Kim. I love the artistry in that we get a glimpse into what it’s like to learn English as a second language.
This story is moving, heart wrenching, and wholesome. I loved everything about it.
This story is moving, heart wrenching, and wholesome. I loved everything about it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia and Racism
Minor: Sexual content
rhodaj's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
licurl64's review against another edition
5.0
I finished this book awhile ago, yet it still has me thinking. The main character, Kimberly, is so strong throughout the story and at the end makes a very tough decision. Ultimately I think she made the right - and least selfish decision - and I wonder if I could have done the same myself?
The few characters in the story are well thought-out from Ma to Mike to Annette. It's fun seeing Kimberly progress from 11 or so with very limited English abilities and new to the country to a fully integrated and confident teenager to a successful adult that had fulfilled her goal of providing a better life for herself and her family.
I loved watching Kimberly's relationship with her mother unfold. I enjoy reading stories about generational cultural clashes {my all-time favorite is Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri} and generally these stories are filled with angst on behalf of the child when dealing with their parent's language limitations or cultural insecurities. In Girl in Translation, Kimberly rarely seems to experience that frustration and doesn't seem to begrudge taking care of her mother and making sure they eventually have a better life. She goes to a fancy private school and receives the best education among Brooklyn's elite during the day, and then works in the factories all night to help her mom earn more money. When they earn just 1 cent per garment that they work on, they need all of the extra hours they can get. Kimberly lives this double life until she goes off to college and rarely complains; instead, she's just thankful that she even has the opportunity to receive the good education and that they're making those pennies at the slum factory that's run by her own aunt and uncle.
All of the odds are against Kimberly and her mother after their move to the United States, and yet they make it through by having faith that things will get better and being resourceful when necessary. I'm not sure I'll ever forget them finding the leftover stuffing and coverings from stuffed animals and using those to sew robes and sweaters so that they could keep adequately warm during the winter when their slum apartment had no heat. This scene was alternately happy and heart-breakingly sad. It was happy because finding the fabric ensured they would survive the winter and not freeze to death and heart-breaking because without the find they surely wouldn't have made it through the winter, as they didn't even have enough money to buy a proper winter coat or get an apartment with heat.
As for the romantic elements of the book, I couldn't help but root for Kimberly because she was always in control. She made the choices in her relationships, and it was refreshing to see that she wasn't passive in this regard.
It's cliche, but this is one book I could not stop reading once I started.
The few characters in the story are well thought-out from Ma to Mike to Annette. It's fun seeing Kimberly progress from 11 or so with very limited English abilities and new to the country to a fully integrated and confident teenager to a successful adult that had fulfilled her goal of providing a better life for herself and her family.
I loved watching Kimberly's relationship with her mother unfold. I enjoy reading stories about generational cultural clashes {my all-time favorite is Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri} and generally these stories are filled with angst on behalf of the child when dealing with their parent's language limitations or cultural insecurities. In Girl in Translation, Kimberly rarely seems to experience that frustration and doesn't seem to begrudge taking care of her mother and making sure they eventually have a better life. She goes to a fancy private school and receives the best education among Brooklyn's elite during the day, and then works in the factories all night to help her mom earn more money. When they earn just 1 cent per garment that they work on, they need all of the extra hours they can get. Kimberly lives this double life until she goes off to college and rarely complains; instead, she's just thankful that she even has the opportunity to receive the good education and that they're making those pennies at the slum factory that's run by her own aunt and uncle.
All of the odds are against Kimberly and her mother after their move to the United States, and yet they make it through by having faith that things will get better and being resourceful when necessary. I'm not sure I'll ever forget them finding the leftover stuffing and coverings from stuffed animals and using those to sew robes and sweaters so that they could keep adequately warm during the winter when their slum apartment had no heat. This scene was alternately happy and heart-breakingly sad. It was happy because finding the fabric ensured they would survive the winter and not freeze to death and heart-breaking because without the find they surely wouldn't have made it through the winter, as they didn't even have enough money to buy a proper winter coat or get an apartment with heat.
As for the romantic elements of the book, I couldn't help but root for Kimberly because she was always in control. She made the choices in her relationships, and it was refreshing to see that she wasn't passive in this regard.
It's cliche, but this is one book I could not stop reading once I started.
gingerliss's review against another edition
4.0
A beautifully honest book. Couldn't put it down. I would have given it five stars but from a certain point the plot concentrated on romance, when before that it had been so much more. Still loved it though and would definitely recommend.