I recently finished reading my friend Paula’s new book, GOOD ENOUGH, and have to recommend it to everyone I know! It’s warm and funny and just a touch bittersweet and I loved all of the cultural details. Paula is a Korean American and this book is chock full of all sorts of tidbits like Spam recipes (you’ll have to read to understand why she’s included those) and mini-Korean lessons (her character doesn’t speak the language fluently so she explains to us what little she understands). I have a very good friend who is Korean American and I just know she will love this book – and will probably recognize a lot of the material from her own life!
GOOD ENOUGH tells the story of Patti Yoon, an accomplished violinist who is a senior in high school and who studies constantly! Her parents are pushing her to go to HYP (that’s Harvard, Yale, or Princeton) because they believe that’s the only way to assure success and financial stability. They will accept nothing less than perfection from their only child. Patti is chasing this dream as well but she also has a passion for music and part of her would really like to attend Juilliard instead but her parents would never allow that. When she falls in love with Ben, a gorgeous trumpet player who asks her to jam with him, her studies fall to the wayside and she begins to seriously consider applying to Juilliard.
Paula is about to set out on a whirlwind tour of appearances for her book so if you’re in any of the areas where she will be, definitely check her out. If you’re lucky, she’ll play a little violin! Visit her webpage or her MySpace page for more info. And more good news for her: her book has been nominated for the ALA's 2009 Best Books for Young Adults list! How amazing for her!
Go, Paula!
