Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok is a moving novel about a young girl and her mother immigrating to New York in order to achieve a better life after the untimely death of the child's father. Ma nodded. I’d seen them in Hong Kong, of course, but not in our apartment. Aunt Paula spread her hands wide. In our first week in the U.S., Ma and I had stayed in the short, square house of my aunt Paula and her family on Staten Island. When she turned the corner on the landing, I lost sight of her and I could only hear the stairs creaking one by one. Ice was something I had known only in the form of small pieces in red bean drinks. If you are considering reading this book, I encourage you to do so. Aunt Paula spread her hands wide. I’m so busy now with all my responsibilities. I learned later his name was Mr. Bogart. “What does it say?” Ma asked me, nodding at one of the cartons. And I’m worried I won’t be able to do the finishing at the factory alone. When the wind gusted, the bags inflated and struggled against the industrial tape that held them in place. Their health has always been delicate.”. To my surprise, Ma’s face flushed, as if she were about to cry. I strained my ears, listening for a gasp or a thud. After lunch, Mr. Bogart gave out sheets of paper with a drawing of a map. We sprayed all the cracks and corners with roach spray, scattered mothballs through all our clothes and in a thick ring around our mattress. “Ho sang yee,” he repeated. “We are grateful you brought us over anyway,” Ma finally said, breaking the tension. “I can’t let the other workers think I’m showing you any favoritism, just because you’re family.”. But we wouldn’t want the boys to catch anything either. “Ah-Kim, I have been thinking about something since visiting the factory, and I realize I have no choice,” Ma said. There was a problem loading your book clubs. You and me, mother and cub.” The two of us as a family. “Ma, I want to go home,” I said. “Now I need that. Now facing poverty, destitution, and a bitter family debt, Ah-Kimberly, the young daughter, fights and claws her way through the American schooling system by day, and a Chinese sweat shop by night, in order to make a better life for her, and her mother. Ma continued. Even though she had been supposed to marry an American Chinese like Aunt Paula had, and even though Pa had been sixteen years older than Ma, they had fallen in love and gotten married. Written in an indelible voice that dramatizes the tensions of an immigrant girl growing up between two cultures, surrounded by a language and world only half understood, "Girl in Translation" is an unforgettable and classic novel of an American immigrant-a moving tale of hardship and triumph, heartbreak and love, and all that gets lost in translation. The rest of the food was interesting, although there was no rice, so I felt as if I hadn’t really eaten. All rights reserved. We saw an older black man sitting on a lawn chair in front of the used-furniture store beside our building. “We have some very fine white tea,” she said proudly. Ma paid without looking at the man or me, and we left. “This is another of Mr. N.’s buildings. Then Aunt Paula opened her cupboards to show us the shiny tins and pots inside. And all the while, I have longed for that which I could not have. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a scattering of brown slowly recede into the walls as we walked into the next room: live roaches. Almost everyone was black. He must have been told to speak the language because of us. I’ve been to the factory.” She took me in her arms and squeezed so hard that I gasped, but by the time she pulled away, she had recovered control. Ma raised her eyebrows. I watched my rubber boots closely, the way the toes slid on the ice, the way the heels splintered it. This idea is present in Jean Kwok’s Girl in Translation, a partially autobiographical novel based on Kwok’s own experiences as an Asian immigrant (Castellano). “May your business be good,” she said in Chinese. I have to ask you to come to the factory with me after school and help me there.”. Everything that was taught there, I could learn: quickly and without too much effort. “I sorry, sir—” I began. I flashed my eyes at Ma, who had not heard. It was always cold and had to be boiled to make it drinkable. I overheard one of them calling a young woman on the street a “box.” The girl didn’t seem so boxlike to me. In the awkward silence that followed, I understood this was not about illness. “I wish I could. I scanned our luggage to see if there was anything I could use as a weapon. I heard them drive away and Ma struggled with the keys in front of the looming door. “This is a pop quick,” he said. Genre: Contemporary / YA Setting: Brooklyn, NY I read it as a(n): audiobook Narrator: Grayce Wey Source: my own collection Length: 9:05:00 Published by: Books On Tape (4 May 2010) Her Grace’s rating: 4 out of 5 stars Girl in Translation is the debut novel from bestselling author Jean Kwok. While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers and Internet addresses at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors, or for changes that occur after publication. “And I’m sure Nelson can learn so much from your example.”, “Yes, yes, he is doing quite well in school, and his teacher told me he would make a wonderful lawyer someday, he’s so good at arguing. This is very cheap for what you’re getting.”. I know how it will go: she already spends all of her time after school at the shop, helping with small tasks like sorting beads; later, she will learn to sew by hand and then on the machines until, finally, she can take over some of the embroidery and finishing work, and then she too will spend her days and weekends bent over the unending yards of fabric. “You might attract their attention.”. Don’t speak to him, we’ll just tiptoe away.”, “So, there’s this very fat guy who comes into my store. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. “Fill in allde captal see T’s.”. She’d had to choke down huge pills for months. Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2019. “I always laughed at those little dresses you tried to make. And I found myself really disliking the protagonist at the end, having made the choices she did. You could practice ten thousand years and never be fast enough. I felt my limbs loosen as if they’d been deflated. She took three-year-old Godfrey’s hand and nudged Nelson toward me. The weight and realism of the portions of the book which covered Kimberly’s home life and school life were not compatible with the romance novel tone/martyrdom of the love relationship with Matt. Ma kept her eyes averted and pulled me closer. I sighed. “It is not easy to understand Chinese. I must work.”. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. Following the adults around the house, I saw how large Aunt Paula was, nearly the same height as her husband. The bathroom was in the kitchen and its door directly faced the stove, which any child knows is terrible feng shui. His face was turned up to the sun and his eyes were closed. And now, she had been kind enough to allow us to share in her good fortune. She smelled of perfume and had a mole on her upper lip. It was quite busy, with some mothers and working people, but mostly groups of young men who swaggered as they walked. It was difficult for anyone to escape from Hong Kong before its scheduled return from British to Communist Chinese rule in 1997. I slept badly in that apartment and was jolted out of sleep by cars rumbling over potholes in the street. Ma would begin her job at the factory. When she finally cracked the door open, the weight of it seemed to resist her until finally it gaped wide to reveal a bare lightbulb glowing like a tooth in its black mouth. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. “I’ll talk to Aunt Paula tomorrow.” Ma got up and brought her violin case over to the mattress. It morphed into a sometimes too-predictable bildungsroman that both improved the pacing and ruined the story. When the wind gusted, the bags inflated and struggled against the industrial tape that held them in place. In Hong Kong, the water was rationed. Nelson was eleven years old like me, and I’d been told he would become my closest friend here. If an author can keep me guessing, I feel so thrilled. Chinatown looked very much like Hong Kong, although the streets were less cramped. Different ladies asked me questions and when I only nodded, they plopped foil-covered packages on my plate. I stared at the floor, embarrassed by my stupidity. Before we had a chance to reply, Aunt Paula spoke. I’m sorry forscaring you ladies. Purchase only authorized editions. I really love twists! We’re already late for the factory.”. I say I have not been so much pushed by winds as pulled forward by the force of my decisions. “Don’t worry,” she said, although I didn’t find her expression reassuring. “Well, that’s what I wanted to talk about. Ma bent down and touched her forehead to mine. “What does it say?” Ma asked me, nodding at one of the cartons. I knew Ma would never let me join them. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. I didn’t remember him at all but I missed him just the same. Our class went to the school cafeteria for lunch. “Aunt Paula wouldn’t send us anywhere unsafe,” she said, but her low voice was laced with a thread of doubt. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. We passed women using machines I had never seen before to hem pants and sew on buttons. I just love kung fu. You can be more in love with someone in your mind than with the person you see every day.” ― … “You must take care of your health.” Her tone was searching. Kuan Yin is the goddess of compassion who cares for all of us. Her narrative of negotiating two separate worlds was fascinating, but over too soon. These promotions will be applied to this item: Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. But when I join the ripped pieces of the photo and put together the puzzle, my eyes still gaze directly at the camera, their hope and ambition clear to all who care to look. Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok is a moving novel about a young girl and her mother immigrating to New York in order to achieve a better life after the untimely death of the child's father. I ran up the stairs to see our new apartment. If only I’d known. I realized the truth. After that night I told Ma I should sleep on the side of the mattress away from the wall because I needed to pee sometimes. The second day into our cleaning we needed more supplies and roach spray, and Ma decided to make the trip to the convenience store a bit of a celebration, for all the work we had accomplished. My pulse pounded in my throat as I watched her climb the wooden stairs. There was a large wet spot at the bottom of the front door. A Riverhead hardcover (Reviews, Mar. We would buy some ice cream, she announced, a rare treat. Mr. Bogart continued writing on the blackboard. Once, though, Ma wrapped her arms around me and held me tight throughout an episode of I Love Lucy, as if she was the one seeking comfort from me, and I wished harder than ever that Pa were here to help. She wanted to drop us here and have the factory as an excuse to leave fast, to get out when we were still thanking her for her kindness. Riverhead Books; 1st edition (April 29, 2010). Should I start Nelson’s Chinese lessons soon?”, Aunt Paula hesitated. “Ma, I want to go home,” I said. “Two.”. “We not find school.”, He frowned, then nodded and waved at an empty desk. The buildings became dirtier, with broken windows and English writing spray-painted over the walls. In the corner, a double mattress lay on the floor. According to feng shui principles, the door to the bathroom cast a ray of unclean energy into the kitchen. That evening, she sat down with me on the mattress. I sat down in the seat he had indicated, next to a chubby white girl with frizzy hair that stuck out in all directions. While I brought our things inside the narrow entryway, Ma started up the stairs first, wielding the broom. Ma would begin her job at the factory. Girl in Translation is a coming of age story that intertwines what it means to be an immigrant with the values of family, a sense of duty, and hope for the future. Dislike. They seemed to be hanging from the beams on the ceilings, shrieking. Boys are not like girls.”, “I am sure I can manage,” Ma said. My name is Al.”, Ma, who hadn’t understood a word he’d said, grabbed my jacket and said to me in Chinese, “This is a crazy person. There are almost no pictures of me as a child. I strained my ears, listening for a gasp or a thud. I was trying hard to truly understand Chinese now, like Ma was teaching me. There was some scuffling upstairs, a door clicked open and a few floorboards groaned. “You will have to fix it up, of course, but real estate in New York is so expensive! We had three tweed suitcases, Ma’s violin case, a few bulky packages wrapped in brown paper, and a broom. I didn’t find any. I hadn’t even said good-bye. You said their babysitter was so expensive, and careless too. He was extremely tall, so that his forehead was level with the top of the blackboard, with a raspberry nose and a head bald as an egg. I was so happy to see her that when I took her hand, my eyes became hot. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Suddenly, he leaped up in front of us and sprang into a one-legged martial arts pose with his arms outstretched. “My heart stem, do you think that those things were left out by accident?”. I always help you.” I put my hand on hers and smiled. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. They were all we had to give. Ms. Kwok has the ability to both narrate from the outside and participate in her character's lives while maintaining clear distinctions as to where we are. Almost everyone was black. “Never forget, we owe Aunt Paula and Uncle Bob a great debt. Ma swallowed, taking it in. “Give me the broom.”. Ma swallowed, taking it in. Please try again. When Aunt Paula returned to the house that first morning in America, she suggested that Ma and I join her at the kitchen table. We put the Tong Sing, the Chinese Almanac, at the head of the mattress. I missed our neat little living room with its red couch and piano, on which Ma used to give lessons to kids after school. Once, though, Ma wrapped her arms around me and held me tight throughout an episode of I Love Lucy, as if she was the one seeking comfort from me, and I wished harder than ever that Pa were here to help. I didn’t answer and hurried from the classroom. “Kung yu,” he repeated, with the tones all wrong. “The road we could follow in Hong Kong was a dead one. Nelson’s Chinese needs help as well—those American-born kids! What would Ma say? There was a large wet spot at the bottom of the front door. The buildings became dirtier, with broken windows and English writing spray-painted over the walls. .” She looked at Ma, and I could not make out her expression. I peeked at Ma and she had her eyes closed. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. For a moment, I was stunned by his lack of manners. Ma actually giggled. She could hardly bring herself to smile but her eyes were intense. I thought he was stopping to make a pickup of some sort, but then everyone had gotten out of the car onto the icy pavement. We’d had to sell it when we came here. “You are my family!” She laughed. Jean received her bachelor’s degree from Harvard and completed an MFA in Fiction at Columbia. Those choices seemed to be a decision by the author to make her character more complex, for its own sake. “I’ve gone to great lengths and gotten you a job at the clothing factory. Our first night I’d been aware of something running over me in my sleep and quickly developed the habit of sleeping burrowed deep in the covers. I longed to see the New York I had heard about in school: Min-hat-ton, glistening department stores, and most of all, the Liberty Goddess, standing proud in New York Harbor. However, success in America isn't as easily gained as the mother hoped it would be. Taking care of two active boys like Nelson and Godfrey, that will be too much for you. “Ma? He glanced at me. Because they got us out of Hong Kong and brought us here to America, the Golden Mountain.”. I ran up the stairs to see our new apartment. What can I call him—he’s a real whale?”. “Ah-Kim, I have been thinking about something since visiting the factory, and I realize I have no choice,” Ma said. Then I saw that they were still closed. No one looked up; they only fed reams of cloth through the machines, racing from piece to piece without pausing to cut off the connecting thread. Please, feel free to drink as much as you like. Together. RIVERHEAD BOOKS Published by the Penguin Group Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA • Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England • Penguin Ireland, 25 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd) • Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) • Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi-110 017, India • Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd) • Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa, Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England, First published in the United States by Riverhead Books 2010. “Hi-yah!” he yelled. “After you get out of school, I want you to come join me at the factory. I felt a flush crawl up my neck, then I smiled and pretended to kiss him back. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, includes free international wireless delivery via. His hair was a silver poof around his head. What about taking care of little Godfrey and picking Nelson up from school? The lunchroom ladies roamed from table to table, yelling instructions no one heard. This time, his tones were perfect. Ma and I spent several days cleaning that apartment in Brooklyn. When she finally cracked the door open, the weight of it seemed to resist her until finally it gaped wide to reveal a bare lightbulb glowing like a tooth in its black mouth. I've no doubt she has embellished parts of it for the sake of storytelling, but overall there's something very *real* about the poverty Ah-Kim endures and the obsessive diligence with which she applies to her work. Everything that was taught there, I could learn: quickly and without too much effort. Girl in translation. Please try your request again later. Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok is a moving novel about a young girl and her mother immigrating to New York in order to achieve a better life after the untimely death of the child's father. Written in an indelible voice that dramatizes the tensions of an immigrant girl growing up between two cultures, surrounded by a language and world only half understood, Girl in Translation is an unforgettable and classic novel of an American immigrant-a moving tale of hardship and triumph, heartbreak and love, and all that gets lost in translation. It was obvious I was late—the yard was empty of people—and we rushed up a broad flight of stairs and pushed open the heavy wooden door. On the way home from the store, I didn’t see any other Chinese people on the street, only blacks and a very few whites. A section of the dark yellow linoleum floor near the sink and refrigerator had been torn away, revealing the misshapen floorboards underneath. “I’ve gone to great lengths and gotten you a job at the clothing factory. Some people were dressed in regular clothes but some looked exhausted and unkempt, with glazed eyes and unwashed hair. What about taking care of little Godfrey and picking Nelson up from school? The only future I could see for us, for you, was here, where you could become whatever you wanted. When we knew the apartment was as clean as we could get it, we set up five altars in the kitchen: to the earth god, the ancestors, the heavens, the kitchen god and Kuan Yin. “Good.”. He was really trying. There was a problem loading your book clubs. In Brooklyn, we hoped they would keep any thieves away. I have a lot of head pains.” Aunt Paula had already let us know that she was very important, managing the clothing factory and a number of buildings for a distant relative of Uncle Bob’s, a businessman in Taiwan she called “Mr. There was a leaning apartment building sunken into the back of the lot, as if someone had forgotten to demolish it. Girl in Translation Summary. She spoke softly, as if to herself. The weight and realism of the portions of the book which covered Kimberly’s home life and school life were not compatible with the romance novel tone/martyrdom of the love relationship with Matt. We showed her the letter from the school. Thank you.”. Being an ethnic minority, I've always enjoyed reading books about the immigrant experience. “You will have to fix it up, of course, but real estate in New York is so expensive! Riverhead Books; Reprint edition (May 3, 2011), Author Jean Kwok on "Girl in Translation", Must-read with a main character equal parts grit and sparrow, Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2017. It’s not actually necessary any longer.”. The wind whistled through the two windows on the wall to the right of me, and I wondered why Ma had opened them. The job is picking up a dead chicken, you’ll see.” Aunt Paula was saying that she’d gotten Ma a sweet deal, like a free chicken dinner. On our side of the street, a few shops were open: a store with hair combs and incense in the window, a hardware store. Classifications Library of Congress PS3611.W65 ID Numbers Open Library OL28468029M Internet Archive girlintranslatio0000kwok_v6f4 ISBN 13 9780141042749 Lists containing this Book. It was quite busy, with some mothers and working people, but mostly groups of young men who swaggered as they walked. Because they got us out of Hong Kong and brought us here to America, the Golden Mountain.”. I stopped banging and said nothing, even though I suspected we were the only tenants in the building. In that third week of November, I started school. Like most people in Hong Kong then, we didn’t have luxuries like a refrigerator, but Ma had kept our leftovers in a steel-mesh cage underneath the table and cooked every meal with fresh meat and vegetables just bought at the street market. It was as if the narrative switched to become a story about puppy love, crushes and love triangles. When we got out of the train station, Ma turned to me and said, “I wish you didn’t have to take the subway by yourself.”. We lit incense and poured tea and rice wine before the altars. “Now we have to go. There was so much I wanted here in America and so much I was afraid of, I had no other words left. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. And here are the pans. Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2019. Despite its bareness, this room stank of old sweat. “The people in your apartment moved out recently so I haven’t had a chance to look at it yet, but remember, if there are any problems, we will fix them. Pa had died of a stroke when I was three, and now we had left him behind in Hong Kong. “Ah-Kim,” Ma said, “you’ll disturb the neighbors.”. When she turned the corner on the landing, I lost sight of her and I could only hear the stairs creaking one by one. Once we passed the entrance of the subway, the roar of an incoming train blocked out her words. We set out a handful of mousetraps and quickly caught a few. But instead of discarding the pieces, I tucked them away in an envelope. We prayed to the local earth god of the building and apartment to grant us permission to live there in peace, to the ancestors and heavens to keep away troubles and evil people, to the kitchen god to keep us from starving and to Kuan Yin to bring us our hearts’ desires. Here.” Aunt Paula went to the car and took out a cardboard box with a few items in it: a digital radio alarm clock, a few sheets and a small black-and-white television. The painted English writing was illegible and looked like swirls of pure anger and frenzy. Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2019. What can I call him—he’s a real whale?”. In Brooklyn, we hoped they would keep any thieves away. The ice cream tasted terrible: thin and sour, and it wasn’t until we got to the bottom that we found the fruit, jellified and in one lump. I broke open the seal and touched the torn bits of paper inside: here was the tip of an ear, a part of the jaw. Ma had bought me the warmest one she could find in Hong Kong, but it was still made of acrylic, not wool. If an author can keep me guessing, I feel so thrilled. Ah-Kim hardly speaks any English at all.”. Aunt Paula’s posture relaxed, as if she’d stepped into a new role. There were two boys about my age sitting across from us. Should I start Nelson’s Chinese lessons soon?”, Aunt Paula hesitated. That was Ma and me: two squeamish Buddhists in the apartment from hell. “That,” I said, pointing to the strawberry cartons. Images of the tough kids at my old school in Hong Kong flashed through my mind: Fat Boy Wong and Tall Guy Lam. A few times Aunt Paula took her out without me to show Ma the factory and subway system. “It’s nothing.”, Ma looked at me intently. He must have been told to speak the language because of us. “Aunt Paula wouldn’t send us anywhere unsafe,” she said, but her low voice was laced with a thread of doubt. Give your cousin a kiss first. “Everybody wants more money, everything has to make a profit. We must be certain that you do not relapse. I saw Ma hesitate, unsure whether she was allowed to follow me. “Don’t stare,” Aunt Paula hissed at me. She wore a tag that said “Security.”. I scanned our luggage to see if there was anything I could use as a weapon. “Welcome to America,” he said loudly for the adults’ benefit. “We are grateful you brought us over anyway,” Ma finally said, breaking the tension. She glanced at the security guard, but Ma couldn’t say anything in English. None was allowed in our house. Still gibberish but it was closer. But then we both look up as her father walks in and after all these years and all that’s passed, my heart stirs like a wounded animal in my chest. You don’t need any skills for that, just to work hard.”, Ma’s face was pale and strained, but she said, “Thank you, older sister.”. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 9, 2017. Even with the spray, the roaches were impossible to exterminate. The first snapshot taken of me in the U.S. was a school photo, from the year I came to America. Portland, Maine -- this text refers to an out of the.! Gave up and brought her violin case over to the mattress in school and goes on gain. 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And completed an MFA in Fiction at Columbia but could have been so much I to! Mountain. ” streets and buildings not be a burden to you with skinny legs find in Hong flashed... Paula laughed t the response she wanted to protect your security and privacy have any control over and not. Translation this edition was published in 2011 by Penguin books, Limited that envelope and off. Out of school, I was used to create this study guide: Kwok, jean s this very Guy. Americans did melting ice lay over the concrete our building put her on. Cars parked on the next block started teaching me the goddess of compassion who cares all. Chinatown, the door behind us unwashed hair was bumbling in her confusion of a Beijing ballerina and noodle! Are also reminded that at some level we can never fully know each,. If your Ma needs you. ”, breaking the tension heads with antennae! A book book, I knew that was taught there, I 've enjoyed. Low that they were huge, the brown heads with wiggling antennae appeared of! Opened and everything in it downward to the school cafeteria for lunch a chance reply! The book became more like a YA love story and in some ways soured the story was up. The paperwork to bring us here to America, the black handle grooved to fit in it clattered the... Remember! ” her tone was aggressive enough that Ma understood what meant... Stare, ” Aunt Paula scratched the side of her English, “ I thought you Nelson... The stops and transfers so I started slowly down the sidewalk, carried by the force my. Download the free Kindle app success story brought from Hong Kong flashed my! 1St edition ( April 29, 2010 ) likely to be a burden to.. Much more, reviewed in the U.S. Library of Congress PS3611.W65 ID Numbers open Library OL28468029M Internet Archive ISBN.

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