Almost American Girl
Almost American Girl By: Robin Ha By: Julia Krasko, Ashley Kowalewski, Savanna Lai, Dillon Malner Book Review: Robin Ha's Almost American Girl is an illustrated memoir chronicling a fourteen-year-old Korean girl and her mother's journey as they navigate life in translation. The story begins in Seoul before the two flies to Alabama for their yearly vacation. While in Alabama, we quickly learn that Ha Chuna's mother is getting married, ending their life in Korea and beginning a new one in America. Before traversing the minefield that is the American public school system, Chuna chooses her new American name—Robin Ha. After navigating her way through two schools, two states, and two cultures, we see Robin return to Korea for the 2002 World Cup as a college student. Robin sees her former home as a place now foreign to her after many years of difficult transitions, confusion, alienation, cultural and language barriers. Reconnecting with her middle school friends from Seoul, she s