A Step from Heaven

Reach for this book when your teenager is grappling with the silent pressure of being the bridge between their home culture and the outside world, or when they feel the weight of family secrets. This moving story follows Young Ju from her early childhood in Korea to her high school years in America. It explores the heartbreak of seeing parents struggle, the shame that often accompanies financial and social hardship, and the quiet strength required to define oneself. It is a deeply honest look at the immigrant experience that handles heavy themes of domestic volatility with poetic grace. Parents choose this to validate a child's complicated feelings about family loyalty and the courage it takes to grow into your own person.