Finding My Voice [Paperback]

Marie G. Lee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 27, 2001

Ellen Sung is taken unawares by Tamper Sandel, and when he kisses her, her whole world shifts. She doesn't have time for a boyfriend, especially one who's probably not going to college. She's completely absorbed in keeping her grades up to please her strict immigrant parents, who will freak out if she doesn't get into Harvard. Even an evening with her best friend, Jessie, feels like guilty time away from her studies. She can't tell her parents about Tomper, or about the racist slurs she receives in school. These days, Ellen's not sure whom to please. And what about what she wants: does that matter at all?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ellen Sung's senior year at a small Minnesota high school begins inauspiciously: on the first day of school a blond jock calls her "chink." The younger daughter of her town's only Korean-American family, Ellen is apparently unfamiliar with bigotry and seems unprepared when other classmates taunt her and a teacher makes racist jokes. But Ellen has other worries--fulfilling her father's expectations that she get into Harvard, like her perfect sister; earning a varsity letter for gymnastics; wondering why Tomper Sandel kissed her at a party but started going out with someone else. If Lee's story line is somewhat familiar, her portrayal of her heroine is unusually well balanced. Ellen may be too scared to confront the local bigots and not yet secure enough to stand up to her exacting parents, but she's steely in other ways. She works hard--and unapologetically--to maintain her 4.0 average, and she conducts her relationship with Tomper with an easy dignity. The author's depiction of first-generation anxieties demonstrates similar depth and candor, two hallmarks of this sensitive novel. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up-- Ellen, 16, is the only Korean student in her small - town high school. Her senior year presents problems that compound the usual challenges and uncertainties of adolescence; she is anxious to fit in and ambivalent about her heritage. Her immigrant parents live in a kind of suspended exile between the past and the present, never speaking about their homeland or struggles as refugees. A series of racist taunts and incidents hurt and puzzle Ellen. Meanwhile, her parents insist that she concentrate on academics to the exclusion of the social life she craves. This likable, gentle teen has a lot going for her: intelligence, common sense, good friends, some supportive teachers, a budding romance, etc. Her friends and antagonists are, in the main, believable. The portrayal of her parents is not as satisfying; they are too stereotypically inscrutable and remote. However, the process by which they slowly, reluctantly, loosen their hold is described with poignancy and empathy. Obscenities of ``typical'' high school conversation are included. The bittersweet romance involves much physical contact, but is apparently unconsummated. This title gives voice to a point of view that has been wanting until recently in fiction about Asian-Americans. It is a welcome addition.
-Libby K. White, Schenectady County Public Library, NY
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (November 27, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064472450
• ISBN-13: 978-0064472456
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #859,948 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #95 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Multicultural Stories > Asian & Asian American

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Successfully Voicing the Korean-American Experience, April 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Finding My Voice (A Laurel-Leaf Book) (Mass Market Paperback)

I read this book when it first came out in 1994, and I still consider it a ground-breaking, moving story that echoed my own experiences as a Korean-American growing up in a largely non-Asian community. Through Ellen, Ms. Lee captured the experience of straddling two cultures, each of which have their own set of norms. I applaud her work in Finding My Voice, and I thank her for helping me find my voice. This book is outstanding, and I wish it weren't out of print.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finding my Voice, November 26, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Finding My Voice (Hardcover)

Finding My Voice

Ellen Sung is a great student, but she lives in the shadow of her older sister Michelle, who is a straight A student, and got into Harvard. Ellen has a best friend named Jessie too. Jessie stands up for Ellen if she needs it. Then Ellen meets a boy named Tomper. They soon start to like each other and that makes a girl named Marsha Randel angry. Marsha also likes Tomper and gets a little jealous of Ellen. Marsha hates Ellen, and calls her rude names that have to do with Ellen's Heritage. Ellen is from Korea, although she was born in the United States. Brad a friend of Tomper; also starts to call Ellen rude names. When Tomper finds out what his friend is doing he decides that he doesn't want to be friends with him anymore. Things only get worse with Marsha and Brad's name calling too.

I liked this book because it seemed like I was there when Ellen was hit with the bottle. There was a ton of detail and it was an inspirational and heartwarming story. I think that the author made this book to tell anyone who reads it that if you don't stand up for yourself you will have a low selfesteam and you won't feel good about yourself. It also told me that you shouldn't make fun of someone just because they look different from you. I think that anyone, who likes a book about heritage or peoples feelings and about standing up for yourself, will really like this book. It may not have a lot of action in the beginning of the book but it is about a lot of the challenges that are most likely to happen to everyone in real life.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a great multicultural book for ages 12 and up, August 17, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Finding My Voice (A Laurel-Leaf Book) (Mass Market Paperback)

Ellen is a Korean girl who is in for her last year of high school. And she wants it to be a fun one. This is not easy to do, for she is under pressure from her parents who want all Ellen's grades A's or no fun. A friendly girl, yet she is teased by her Asian features, by popular kids in her school. In the end she gets together with a boy named Tomper, who she has secretly liked for a long time. There is also a sequel, Saying Goodbye about Ellen's life in college. Please read them both. They are too good to read only once