Books like girl in translation

In 1942, with the nazis occupying holland, a thirteenyearold jewish girl and her family fled their home in amsterdam and went into hiding. Through kimberlys story, author jean kwok, who also emigrated from hong kong as a young girl, brings to the page the lives of countless. Introducing a fresh, exciting chineseamerican voice, an inspiring debut about an immigrant girl forced to choose between two worlds and two futures. Mambo in chinatown tackles similar themes of the immigrant experience and the difficulty of life in chinatown. I had a book translated into spanish and submitted to babelcube on april 10th 2018. I rather sound like a broken record than be remiss, so once again i would like to suggest the count of monte cristo translation by robin buss and dr. See authoritative translations of he likes reading books in spanish with example sentences and audio pronunciations. You can be more in love with someone in your mind than with the person you see every day. If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel. In jean kwoks debut novel girl in translation, 11yearold kimberly chang moves from hong kong to brooklyn with her mother in search of a better life. Girl in translation by jean kwok is a moving novel about a young girl and her mother immigrating to new york in order to achieve a better life after the untimely death of the childs father.

Jean received her bachelors degree from harvard and completed an mfa in fiction at columbia. Aug 17, 2019 a girl returned is published by europa editions. Jean kwok was born in hong kong and immigrated to brooklyn as a young girl. A summer assignment for school i own and created the video with windows movie maker, and by no means did i make the fantastic book girl in translation. The best young adult books in translation reading agency. Meytal radzinski dubbed august the month for women in translation. Without giving anything away, the further rachel digs into the mystery, the more her lifeand her understanding of herselfis turned upside down. Jean received her bachelor s degree from harvard and completed an mfa in fiction at columbia. Why wont english speakers read books in translation. Goodreads members who liked girl in translation also liked. Disguising the more difficult truths of her lifelike the staggering degree of her poverty, the weight of her familys future. The girl in translation community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Jean kwok emigrated from hong kong to brooklyn as a child. But when she lands a job as a receptionist at a ballroom dance studio.

If you liked girl in translation by jean kwok, here are some books like this. Jul 01, 2017 girl in translation by jean kwok is a moving novel about a young girl and her mother immigrating to new york in order to achieve a better life after the untimely death of the childs father. What a relationship looks like on the outside isnt the same as what its like on the inside. The novel reads like a memoir, so well told that i kept forgetting, losing myself in kimberlys story. Kwoks debut novel girl in translation was published by riverhead books, an imprint of penguin, in may 2010 and became a new york times and.

The girl in translation reminds me bit like salva after moving to america, just like salva, kimberly moved to america. Jean kwoks debut novel girl in translation became a. Book recommendations for people who like girl in translation by jean kwok. American library association outstanding book for the. In striving to enrich the lives of all readers, teachingbooks supports the first amendment and celebrates the right to read. Like ive mentioned above, there are a great many books written on this subject.

Search the worlds most comprehensive index of fulltext books. She is even asked to tutor the kids who arent doing so well among them, curtis. Disguising the more difficult truths of her life like the staggering degree of her poverty, the weight. The more we read, the more we talk, and the more we talk, the more incentives we give publishers to translate more women. Review of girl in translation by jean kwok rhapsody in. Written in an indelible voice that dramatizes the tensions of an immigrant girl growing up between two cultures, surrounded by a language and world only half understood, girl in translation is an unforgettable and classic novel of an american immigranta moving tale of hardship and triumph, heartbreak and love, and all that gets lost in. Disguising the more difficult truths of her lifelike the staggering degree of her poverty. However, success in america isnt as easily gained as the mother hoped it would be. Other books related to girl in translation jean kwok has written one other novel that also follows a chineseamerican girl living in new yorks chinatown. Notes of a crocodile by qiu miaojin, translated by bonnie huie set in the postmartiallaw era of late1980s taipei, notes of a crocodile is a comingofage story of queer misfits discovering love, friendship, and artistic affinity while hardly studying at taiwans most prestigious university.

Jean kwoks debut novel girl in translation became a new york times bestseller and. Compare that anglophone two or three per cent to figures in france, where 27% of books published are in translation. You can pick up the harry potter, hunger games, or twilight books in translation easily, and since you already know the story, youll be able to follow along even when you stumble upon an unfamiliar word. I think that i would like to write a memoir at some point. Apr 12, 2018 i feel like theres a much higher percent of translated books written in present tense vs most originally english books being in past tense. Usa today though the plot may sound mundane a chinese girl and her mother immigrate to this country and succeed despite formidable odds this comingofage tale is anything but. The author draws upon her own experience as a child laborer in new york, which adds a poignant layer to girl in translation. However, she quickly faces hardships that toooften characterize the immigrant experience. I find myself mentally trying to rephrase everything in past tense its hard to enjoy a book that way. Ive limited it to fiction and short stories, but there are hundreds of fascinating works of nonfiction and poetry collections by women writers in translation. She worked as an english teacher and dutchenglish translator at leiden university in the netherlands, and now writes fulltime. Girl in translation summary when kimberly chang and her mother emigrate from hong kong to brooklyn in the 1980s, she quickly begins a secret double life. Aug 12, 2016 if youve already devoured murakamis story collections like blind willow, sleeping woman and his acclaimed novels including kafka on the shore, the windup bird chronicle, and iq84, its time to add these contemporary japanese books to your endofsummer reading list. Girl in translation by jean kwok book cover, description, publication history.

Mar 04, 2010 introducing a fresh, exciting chineseamerican voice, an inspiring debut about an immigrant girl forced to choose between two worlds and two futures. But fewer foreign books are translated into english. Girl in translation is a coming of age story that intertwines what it means to be an immigrant with the values of family, a sense of duty, and hope for the future. Riverhead books published by the penguin group penguin group usa inc. The subtle art of translating foreign fiction books.

The 16 best french books to read in 2020 french together. The diary of a young girl by anne frank, translated by b. The best italian novels five books expert recommendations. Books to read if you like the girl on the train books to binge on before the girl on the train movie. I read almost all of elena ferrantes books last year and even when i read in english i read books in translation for example, a man called ove. Jessica, the new girl, smart and perceptive, whos having a hard time fitting in. Find books like girl in translation from the worlds largest community of readers. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to move to a new country, one where you cant speak the language.

If reading in french is a bit daunting, why not start with a book you know well. At school, kim continues to be at the top of her class. But girl in translation is beautiful in its almost painful realism. In paula hawkins bestselling psychological thriller the girl on the train, rachel watson is on a boozefueled downward spiral. Like gossip girl, gilt is chock full of sparkly dresses and glamorous parties, and it sure has the mean girls secrets and affairs, but they all mask a truly vicious circle of mean girls. Jean received her bachelors degree from harvard and completed an mfa in fiction.

Download and read online for free girl in translation by jean kwok. Though kim begins the novel as a preteen, we pass through years of the changs life as they. Five books aims to keep its book recommendations and interviews up to date. The best young adult books in translation lots of englishlanguage young adult books, such as the hunger games and half bad, have been translated into other languages. Usa today though the plot may sound mundane a chinese girl and her mother immigrate to this country and succeed despite formidable odds. Find authors like jean kwok from the worlds largest community of readers. Introducing a fresh, exciting chineseamerican voice, girl in translation is an inspiring debut about a young immigrant in america, a smart girl who, living a double life between school and sweatshop, understands that her familys future is in her hands. Its interesting how the author describes kims first encounters with english. Told through the eyes of an anonymous lesbian narrator nicknamed lazi, this cult classic is a. Expand your literary horizons with these 20 books in. Aug 24, 2018 meytal radzinski dubbed august the month for women in translation. Introducing a fresh, exciting chineseamerican voice, girl in translation is an. Both kimberly and salva experiences a time of disagree meant in there own country. Nov 22, 2017 the diary of a young girl by anne frank, translated by b.

And if that sounds a lot, you might care to know that in spain its 28%. Starting with little novels of sicily by giovanni verga, published in 1883, which draws on vergas childhood in sicily then one of the poorest places in europe verga is simply one of the great narrators of all time and his novellas are probably among the best pieces of fiction written in italy, ever. She is the author of the national bestseller girl in translation and mambo in chinatown. Being an ethnic minority, ive always enjoyed reading books about the. Post, director of open letter books, which specializes in great books in translation, as well as the web site three percent, gives us the benefit of his years of working with world. Kimberly and her mother find themselves in new york looking for a better future than the life theyd known in hong kong. Her blackouts make her unreliable to both the reader and her friends, though shes still convinced she can solve a womans disappearance. Mar 31, 2011 jean kwok shows her rebellious streak and instead of reading from girl in translation talks about the autobiographical elements of the novel, including a double life as she grew up, excelling. A resolute yet naive chinese girl confronts poverty and culture shock with equal zeal when she and her mother immigrate to brooklyn in kwoks. Books to read if you like the girl on the train popsugar. Girl in translation by jean kwok at the best online ebook storage.

The new girl, vivian, becomes matts official girlfriend, instead of kim. Girl in translation study guide literature guide litcharts. Jean kwoks girl in translation is a tender, heart wrenching and exquisitely detailed look at the immigrant experience for two chinese women in the 1980s. You can pick up the harry potter, hunger games, or twilight books in translation easily, and since you already know the story, youll be able to follow along even when you stumble upon an unfamiliar word 2.

Interview with girl in translation author jean kwok. Expand your literary horizons with these 10 books in. Today, almost exactly 5 months later, on september 9th 2018 i got this email. Jean kwok shows her rebellious streak and instead of reading from girl in translation talks about the autobiographical elements of the novel, including a double life as she grew up, excelling. Curtis starts to flirt with her but kim is a strict tutor. Thoughts on girl in translation by jean kwok audiobook. The entire time i was listening to girl in translation, i had to keep reminding myself i was listening to fiction, not fact. Girl in translation by jean kwok fantastic fiction. Girl in translation is a gripping, poignant story of perseverance and success against all odds. And just so you know, i have never read the alchemist by paulo coelho probably the most famous and successful brazilian author ever. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its life. To celebrate ive collected 50 mustread books by women in translation from all over the world.

When kimberly chang and her mother emigrate from hong kong to brooklyn squalor, she quickly begins a secret double life. From the author of searching for sylvie lee, the iconic, new york timesbestselling debut novel that introduced an important chineseamerican voice with an inspiring story of an immigrant girl forced to choose between two worlds and two futures. But she kept up her friendship with a girl she met at her first school, annette avery, who also changed to the private school, and a boy she got to know in the factory, matt wu. The translation of your book into spanish has been sent to our different sales channels. If you like girl in translation you might like similar books how to be an american housewife, little bee, the boston girl, molokai, the story of beautiful girl. Jul 24, 2016 the subtle art of translating foreign fiction. Jean kwoks girl in translation tells the story of an 11yearold girl who emigrates to the united states with her mother. The subtle art of translating foreign fiction books the.