“A Step From Heaven” is a novel told from a perspective of a young Korean girl who learns that her family will move to a place called Mi Gook, which she believes to be heaven. Mi Gook is a literal romanization of the Korean word for America, which happens a lot throughout the novel.
As Young Ju steps on the American soil, she soon realizes that it is, in fact, not heaven. The novel follows her growing up, her parents become another child, a son, which becomes the priority in their life. Her father develops a drinking problem and becomes abusive, and Young Ju has to make a decision to protect her family from him.
The novel explores themes of the American dream and the reality of it, theme of family, domestic abuse and gender inequality. It was published in 2001 and received several awards for its impact on the young adult readers.
