May is a special month with so many celebrations such as Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Ramadan/Eid, Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month, Asian American Pacific Islander Month, and the most important, Mental Health Awareness Month. May is a time to raise awareness of those living with mental or behavioral health issues and help reduce the stigma that so many experience every day. Mental health has been a big problem nowadays, especially in children during the pandemic. It has affected many children’s lives, even having them to end it. I really want to help people struggling with mental health issues. The book I am reviewing today will discuss the mental health challenges of a Korean American middle schooler. I want to share this wonderful book I’m reading called Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh. I hope that you will enjoy reading it. This book covers important themes like family, culture, racism, war, immigration, courage, mental health, recognizing your inner strength, and finding out who you are.
Junie Kim knows that she isn’t alone. She has her family, including her brother, her mother, father, grandparents. Also, she has her friends Emily, Patrice, Hena, Lila, and Marisol. But Tobias, the racist bully, bugs Junie the most. He calls her racist names, as she is Korean. When Junie starts having problems in her mind, her parents send her to a therapist who says that she was diagnosed with depression and maybe with suicidal thoughts. Things change when her social studies teacher, Ms. Medina, assigns a topic on Generation X. Junie initially doesn’t know what to do. But when her grandfather shares his life stories like surviving the Korean War, marrying his wife as an arranged marriage, his immigration to America, and how he survived racism in America, Junie decides to record his stories. Junie learns so much from his stories that she stays strong and creates a group with her friends from diverse backgrounds. Junie continues to face racism, but now her grandfather and grandmother’s stories give her the strength to stand up instead of giving up to the bullies. When her grandfather gets sick, everything changes. What will happen next? Will Junie find who she really is? Will she overcome her mental health challenges? Read this book to find out.
What I really liked about this book is the way the author has presented the story. She talks about Junie first and then Doha, (Her Grandfather) and her Grandmother’s heroic story. The language is easy to understand. I really like how she included characters representing diverse groups. She talks about important topics of Black Lives Matter, Representation Matters, Problems with racism, Mental Health and xenophobia. That really stands out in the book and even mentions small things happening today.
I think that this book would be perfect for young asian women to know that they aren’t alone and to be strong during tough times. It also highlights the importance of family and heritage. In life, sometimes when you are struggling to find an answer, you should go back to your roots to discover a solution to the problem just like Junie.
You can order this book from your local library or on Amazon.