Review by Honey - -- Fighting To Breathe by Jong Yi
Posted: 17 Apr 2021, 12:18
[Following is a volunteer review of "Fighting To Breathe" by Jong Yi.]
Jong Yi's novel Fighting to Breathe was written based on her real-life experiences in the medical field. In this book, the author exposed the shocking facts about racial prejudice, inequality, and corruption inside the healthcare system.
It has started with a scene about Ginger Kim, a female Korean nurse, who was fighting for her life in the ICU against the COVID-19 virus.In fact, she had been constantly battling horrific forms of segregation and got bullied her whole life. In 1979, South Korean military coup has traumatized the whole nation, witnessing these dreadful situations had compelled 13-year-Old Ginger to pursue a role in the medical profession. Eventually, she ended up serving as a compassionate nurse for years in South Korea and UAE, despite the extreme sexism and victimization of women there. Although, after enduring a series of traumatic events, she had decided to come to America to protect her rights, safety, and freedom. But what she didn't expect was that everything she'd been through was just the beginning of what was to come. After all, things could have gone wrong even in the land of democracy and prosperity.
This book made an impression on me because it underlined the COVID-19 pandemic, which is still claiming thousands of lives every day and leaving people in despair even after a year. This pandemic has caused a severe impact on the medical frontline staff more than anybody else in the world. Among them, colored employees have been the most affected because of the disruptive, manipulative, and abusive healthcare industry. They have been sent to treat COVID patients with inadequate protective gear and forced to risk their lives with the incomprehension of the virus as human barriers. Accepting that such extreme oppression and discrimination against individuals still exist in professional civilized communities is terrifying. I found the book to be quite insightful in terms of raising awareness on how some entitled white people claim that they get the right to dominate others based on their gender, race, disability, or skin color, and even societies are overlooking these issues. The author, however, expertly uncovered the ugly truth about segregation not just in America but around the world.
The best part of the book is the author's portrayal of Ginger’s life as not being completely miserable, despite the significant amount of trauma and anxiety she endured, and reassuring that she was always surrounded by love, whether from family or friends. Ginger has therefore been empowered throughout her life, and she has remained a kind, caring, and empathetic human who has pledged herself to support those who went through the same situation as her.
I strongly recommend all medical personnel and marginalized group of people to read this book for encouragement, inspiration and empowerment. However, it included sensitive incidents that could offend some readers who retain strong opinions about religion, sex, and racism. It also contained medical terms with no easy descriptions, which could make it harder for general audience to follow. Other than that, it's a fantastic book with a fascinating storyline that's explicitly interconnected chapter by chapter and professionally edited. Therefore,I give Fighting to Breathe By Jong Yi 4 out of 4 stars.
******
Fighting To Breathe
View: on Bookshelves
Jong Yi's novel Fighting to Breathe was written based on her real-life experiences in the medical field. In this book, the author exposed the shocking facts about racial prejudice, inequality, and corruption inside the healthcare system.
It has started with a scene about Ginger Kim, a female Korean nurse, who was fighting for her life in the ICU against the COVID-19 virus.In fact, she had been constantly battling horrific forms of segregation and got bullied her whole life. In 1979, South Korean military coup has traumatized the whole nation, witnessing these dreadful situations had compelled 13-year-Old Ginger to pursue a role in the medical profession. Eventually, she ended up serving as a compassionate nurse for years in South Korea and UAE, despite the extreme sexism and victimization of women there. Although, after enduring a series of traumatic events, she had decided to come to America to protect her rights, safety, and freedom. But what she didn't expect was that everything she'd been through was just the beginning of what was to come. After all, things could have gone wrong even in the land of democracy and prosperity.
This book made an impression on me because it underlined the COVID-19 pandemic, which is still claiming thousands of lives every day and leaving people in despair even after a year. This pandemic has caused a severe impact on the medical frontline staff more than anybody else in the world. Among them, colored employees have been the most affected because of the disruptive, manipulative, and abusive healthcare industry. They have been sent to treat COVID patients with inadequate protective gear and forced to risk their lives with the incomprehension of the virus as human barriers. Accepting that such extreme oppression and discrimination against individuals still exist in professional civilized communities is terrifying. I found the book to be quite insightful in terms of raising awareness on how some entitled white people claim that they get the right to dominate others based on their gender, race, disability, or skin color, and even societies are overlooking these issues. The author, however, expertly uncovered the ugly truth about segregation not just in America but around the world.
The best part of the book is the author's portrayal of Ginger’s life as not being completely miserable, despite the significant amount of trauma and anxiety she endured, and reassuring that she was always surrounded by love, whether from family or friends. Ginger has therefore been empowered throughout her life, and she has remained a kind, caring, and empathetic human who has pledged herself to support those who went through the same situation as her.
I strongly recommend all medical personnel and marginalized group of people to read this book for encouragement, inspiration and empowerment. However, it included sensitive incidents that could offend some readers who retain strong opinions about religion, sex, and racism. It also contained medical terms with no easy descriptions, which could make it harder for general audience to follow. Other than that, it's a fantastic book with a fascinating storyline that's explicitly interconnected chapter by chapter and professionally edited. Therefore,I give Fighting to Breathe By Jong Yi 4 out of 4 stars.
******
Fighting To Breathe
View: on Bookshelves