Girl in Translation is about a girl named Kimberly Chang who emigrates with her mother from Hong Kong to the U.S. The book is about Kimberly's struggle with adapting to a new culture while respecting her own cultural beliefs.
I read this book in a day and a half because the story was so good. While I can't relate at all to aspects of Kim's and her mother's lives (their living conditions, working in a sweatshop, their reliance on Kim's aunt), I have so much respect for Kim's experience and the decisions she made throughout the book.
The writing style was great: Kim's voice and meaning come through so well that I was able to understand her experience very well. While her daily experiences in school were not action packed, I wanted to keep reading because of how she related to her classmates and teachers and her internal thoughts and feelings. I suppose what I liked most about this book is that it did not dramatize anything; Kwok was honest and straightforward about Kim's life. It was difficult at times, but realistic. There were romantic parts in the book, but they were not overwhelming or sappy. There were sad parts that made me tear up and my heart swell, but they were not over dramatized.
Through Kim's experiences, I understood better how children who emigrate to a new country develop their own kind of culture; Kim remained true to some of her traditionally polite, respectful Chinese culture while also adapting the more independent, outspoken American aspects that I see often in young people. I've never had so much respect for a character in a novel before because Kim is truly herself throughout the whole book; even though her life is difficult, she knows what she wants and keeps true to that. Kwok herself immigrated to the U.S. from Hong Kong, which is probably why this story seems to honest and true.
This books also has one of the best endings I have read because for Kim's character and her life, it makes the most sense.
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