A Step From Heaven was fantastic, short, and very touching.  As I was reading it, I found the language and the style reminded me of Speak, and then I found that the publisher is “speak”, a part of Penguin Putnam Inc.  They have just a handful of other books that they’ve published so far- but if they are anything like Speak or A Step From Heaven, I wouldn’t mind picking them up.  This is a very short read, and the style is in stream of consciousness and about a Korean girl growing up with her family now in America.  Boozy, you would love it.  The book starts with Young Ju at a very young age, and the author An Na does a marvelous job transitioning from the mind of a seven year old, to the mind of a nineteen year old.  I’ve also chosen to include an excerpt.  Enjoy!

I like my straight hair, I tell her.  I am too old to change.  I do not want to be a Mi Gook girl.  Let us go before the ahjimma comes back. 
Uhmma bites her bottom lip and her noes holes open big.  Young Ju, why are you talking such nonsense?  Uhmma says.  We are going to Mi Gook so you can have the very best education.  So someday you will be better than a fisherman’s wife.  Uhmma holds out her hands.  Look at my rough hands.  Do you think I always had hands like these? Do you want to end up like this? Uhmma touches my cheek with her cat-tongue fingers and says, Your Apa thought you were too young to have such an expensive hairstyle, but I told him you were old enough now.  You can understand how important it is to look like a real Mi Gook girl.  Young Ju, are you a big girl who understands?
No, I cry.  No Curly hair.
Uhmma grabs my shoulders.  What is wrong with you?  Be quiet.  Here comes the ahjimma.
I do not want curly hair, I say. No. No. No.
Uhmma raises her hand.  Open.  Flat as a paddle.  Young Ju, Uhmma growls.
No, Uhmma.
Young Ju.
I hold my breath.
Uhmma keeps her hand in the air.  Young Ju, are you going to be a good girl?
I swallow.  Yes.
Uhmma pats her cheek the way she does when she is worried and tells the ahjimma, I am so embarrassed.  Please accept my apology for my spoiled daughter.
No need to apologize, the ahjimma says.  Children can be very difficult these days.  Young Ju, come sit over here.
I stare at the floor and walk over to the red chair.  I sit down.  The ahjimma pulls out my bow.  My hair falls around my face.  It tickles my cheeks.  I close my eyes.
Making curly hair takes a long time.  The ahjimma and Uhmma talk about Mi Gook the whole time.  Comb some hair.  Mi Gook.  Pull. Twist. Mi Gook.  Pour on some stinky laundry water.  Mi Gook. My stomach wants to push out all the morning rice.
The ahjimma washes my hair and dries it with a towel.  She pokes her fingers all over my head.  There, she says.  Stand up now.  You can open your eyes. We are done.  Your hair looks very pretty.
I stand up, but I do not open my eyes.  I am afraid.  My hair is ticking my ears now.  Not my cheeks. 
Young Ju, come here, Uhmma says. Look in the mirror.  Look at all your pretty curls.  Uhmma holds my shoulders and turns me around. 
Who is that girl? She cannot be me.  Her hair is too big.  It stands up big as a bush, just like the hair of the toy man with the rainbow face.  Uhmma did not tell me this was curly hair.  She said it would look like the sea.  But it does not.  I am a Mi Gook girl with big ugly toy-man hair.
Do you like it, Young Ju?  Uhmma is smiling.  Happy lost of teeth smile.  Happy as the letter about Mi Gook.  Happy at me.  Even though Uhmma tells me I should always tell the truth, and Halmoni says God will be very angry if you lie, I want Uhmma to smile happy lots of teeth at me.
Young Ju, do you like your curly hair?
I look at the floor.  Yes, I lie, quiet as snow.