A Step from Heaven
by An Na 
This is the story of a Korean family that immigrates to California in search of a better life, only to find that the American Dream is harder to achieve than they thought. The tale is told through the eyes of Young Ju, as she grows from preschooler to young woman. |
Enrichment Activities
Internet Resources
Books for Asian-American History Month
Enrichment Activities
- Topic for Discussion
- As a class or in small groups, have your students discuss the complex questions raised by immigration. What would make an individual, family, or group of people leave their homeland and seek to establish a new life in another country? Ask them to imagine what immigration would feel like. What kinds of problems might be encountered in the process? (Consider language/communication, cultural and religious differences, ethnic and racial intolerance.)
Research: Getting Inside the Author's Head - A Step from Heaven is semi-autobiographical. Ask students to research the author's life and find parallels between An Na and Young Ju. They can begin their research using the biographical websites listed below. They should then report where they found similarities and where they found differences. Discuss why the author might have chosen to include or change certain aspects of her life.
Conflict Dissection - Ask students to use the Conflict Dissection graphic organizer to explore one of the many conflicts described in the novel. They should identify the characters involved in the conflict, and analyze the setting, problem, and solution.
"Being Too American" - Young Ju's father takes her to task for "being too American." Have your students use short phrases to describe characteristics that Young Ju considers American and those she considers Korean. Do they agree with Young Ju? What characteristics would students add to each list, based on their own observations of Americans and their reading of this book?
Internet Resources
Author Bio: An Na
A brief biography of author An Na from the National Book Foundation.
http://www.nationalbook.org/anabio.htmlInterview with An Na
An in-depth interview conducted with An Na for the Cynthia Leitich Smith Children's Literature Resources site.
http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/auth-illAnNa.htmGateway to Korea
At this site, students can probably find the answer to any question about Korea they can devise. Includes a comprehensive section on Korean arts and culture.
http://www.korea.net
Books for Asian-American History Month
Chasing Hepburn: A Memoir of Shanghai, Hollywood, and a Chinese Family's Fight for Freedom, by Gus Lee
Recommended Ages: 15-Adult
This is the story of the Lee family — a saga spanning four generations, two continents, and a century and a half of Chinese history. In the masterful hands of author Gus Lee, his ancestors’ stories spring vividly to life in a memoir with all the richness of great fiction.
China Boy, by Gus Lee
Recommended Ages: 15-Adult
Although he is from an aristocratic Chinese family, Kai Ting becomes street smart to survive in America. Uncle Shim, a teacher and Mandarin Scholar, wants to teach Kai classical learning of Chinese, but Kai has instructors who want to teach him boxing.
Finding My Voice, by Marie G. Lee
Recommended Ages: 11-18
Growing up in a small Minnesota town, Ellen feels pressures from all sides. From her Korean parents, there is pressure to go to Harvard. From her classmates and some teachers, there is pressure caused by simmering racism.
The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan
Recommended Ages: 15-Adult
This award-winning book presents the stories of eight Chinese women. Four are mothers, all of whom experienced hardships that forced them to leave China. Four are their daughters, who all face personal struggles in everyday living.
Shizuko's Daughter, by Kyoko Mori
Recommended Ages: 15-Adult
Yuki Okuda knows her mother would be proud of her grades and her achievements in sports if she were alive. But she committed suicide. Like her mother, Yuki is talented and resilient. But she is struggling with a restrictive society and a miserable life at home with her father and stepmother. A beautifully written, ALA award book about a painful coming of age.
Year of the Impossible Goodbyes, by Sook Nyul Choi
Recommended Ages: 15-Adult
A moving fictionalized account of Choi's last months as a child in Pyongyang under the brutal Japanese rule that oppressed Korea for more than 30 years before 1945, and her harrowing escape with her seven-year-old brother south across the 38th parallel.
