Girl In Translation: Appreciation

     I just finished Girl In Translation, by Jean Kwok.  It is the story of Kimberly Chang.  Her father died when she was quite young, leaving only Kim and her mother.  When Kim was eleven, they immigrated from Hong Kong to the U.S.  Life is incredibly hard for both of them, and much responsibility is put on Kim.  Kim is very, very smart, but she has troubles.  For example, she must work with her mom in the sweatshop everyday after school and well into the night.  She also can barely speak English for a while; seeing as she just immigrated to a completely new country.  They also have terrible living conditions, they practically freeze to death in the summer.  Kim's greatest dream is to get her and her mother out of there.  With her intelligence and hard work, this goal is pretty uninterrupted; until she meets Matt.

     Matt works with Kim in the sweatshop and is kind, funny, handsome, and wonderful in all ways except that he completely lacks Kim's great intelligence and work motive.  Matt obviously does not enjoy working in a sweatshop as a child, but he has accepted that he will for the rest of his, as his mother has done since they immigrated, and as his children will do.  Sadly though, his conditions are probably even worse than Kim's causing him to drop out of high school to work.  Kim would never accept something like this.  But Kim and Matt fall in love. 

     Eventually, it does not work out.  Kim is brilliant, and I think that she also feels some obligation to her mother and any children she might have.  She feels responsible for getting her mother out of these terrible conditions, and she never wants to see her children working in a sweatshop, and living in the conditions that she did.  She takes classes that are many years ahead of her in high school, even while she must spend most of her time with her mother in the sweatshop.  She gets a full scholarship first to Harrison, one of the best high schools in the city, then a full scholarship to Yale, and then to Harvard Medical School.  Matt does not complete high school.  This becomes one of the most challenging decisions Kim has ever made.  She is forced to choose between Matt, whom she loves, and the future she has worked so incredibly hard for, that she knows she can achieve.  I thought that this decision was an interesting part of the book, but also very sad.  I wish she could have somehow had both. 

     I also found the complete separation she learns to incorporate into her life, between her fancy school, and the reality of her poor, sweatshop life to be interesting.  I think that the title, Girl in Translation relates in a direct sense to the culture change from Hong Kong to America, including the new language.  But I think that is a more metaphorical way it relates to her two opposite lives.  She changes her clothes, often her language.  Very few from one part of her life ever know about the other part.  Her status even changes from quiet but super smart, and slightly popular girl, to low sweatshop worker.  In middle school, before she even goes to Harrison, she tells her one true friend that she works in a factory with her mother, and that is why she is never free to do other things.  Her friend,  Annette, is upper middle class,  a billionaire to Kim, white, and will never have to work at all compared to what Kim does.  Annette comes back the next day to school and tells Kim that she told her father and that her father says that there is no child labor in America, and that what Kim said is not true.  Although Annette turns out to be a great, and one of the few people who Kim trusts enough to let see both parts of her life, this causes Kim to realize that she should keep her two lives separate. 

     I also had trouble figuring out the antagonist in this book.  It could be Matt, or Kim's love for Matt because being with Matt would have prevented Kim from being successful and changing her life.  On the other hand, it could be Kim's drive for success that is the antagonist.  It prevents her from being with Matt, who she loves.  It really depends on which you view to be more important for Kim.  That is why I found the book sad in the end.  She has to choose between these two things that are both good. 

     In conclusion, I loved this book.  I dealt with some harsh issues, while always remaining exciting to read.  I thought it dealt with some interesting issues, and in the end, I guess I'm glad that Kim chose her future, but I still wish that she could have had both.