Review by Bina Chatterji -- Fighting To Breathe by Jong Yi
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Bina Chatterji
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Review by Bina Chatterji -- Fighting To Breathe by Jong Yi
[Following is a volunteer review of "Fighting To Breathe" by Jong Yi.]
Fighting To Breathe by Jong Yi tells about a Korean woman named Ginger Kim. The story includes flashbacks from her past in Korea as well as flashbacks from her earlier nursing jobs during which she experienced harsh racism and prejudice due to her Asian background. Between these flashbacks the story jumps to the current situation where Ginger is hospitalized for covid-19. The book revolves around Ginger but also includes other important characters, such as Ginger's brother Daehan, her friend Autumn and Autumn's two autistic sons named Liam and Noah as well as the nurse who takes care of Ginger during her time in the hospital, Hyun, who experiences similar racism as Ginger during her time as a nurse.
Fighting To Breathe is a raw, poignant and thought-provoking story of a woman who refuses to quit despite the many hardships that come her way. I found Ginger Kim a very inspiring and interesting main character, not only because of her minority background, but because her ambition and passion to help others was very heartening. I really enjoyed the way the book was written and the way the chapters weren't chronological — it added sense to the book and made me keen to keep reading to know what happens next and what led to Ginger's situation as a covid-19 patient. I think the story also had a very important background story about coronavirus, racism, women's position, and the way that hospitals try to profit from their patients.
There are way more positives in the book than negatives, but a thing that bothered me was the abundance of characters at times. It was hard to keep up which nurses were the good guys and which ones were the bad guys, because there were a bit too many to keep track of. At first it was also a bit frustrating to read about Ginger's covid situation because, for many chapters straight, there were no changes in her situation so the story was moving at a slower speed and it made me desperate for some progress to happen next. It was also confusing to read certain chapters that included a lot of medical terms, since most of them weren't explained thoroughly. Otherwise, though, the text was easy to read and the grammar and use of words weren't overly complicated.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. As I mentioned, the book definitely has more positives than negatives. Mostly I am in awe of the message behind the book because I've never quite read a book as relevant. I am sure that in a few decades people will be eager to read this book to understand life during the coronavirus pandemic and to understand discrimination and racism, which hopefully won't be as big of a problem in the future as it is now. However, this book lacks a star due to the confusement in certain parts of the book that weren't explained as clearly as would've been necessary.
I'd recommend this book to people over 13 years who like to read about medical care, the pandemic and are interested in educating themselves about racism and discrimination. I wouldn't recommend this book to children under 13 years of age because it contains raw descriptions, violence and swear words. It might also be upsetting for some people to read this book if they're very sensitive — for me it was definitely heart-wrenching to read at times.
Fighting To Breathe has been edited splendidly and I was positively surprised at how satisfying the text and structure were. Not only did it make the book more enjoyable and easy to read, but it also allowed me as a reader to stay focused on the story and its message rather than cringe over small details.
******
Fighting To Breathe
View: on Bookshelves
Fighting To Breathe by Jong Yi tells about a Korean woman named Ginger Kim. The story includes flashbacks from her past in Korea as well as flashbacks from her earlier nursing jobs during which she experienced harsh racism and prejudice due to her Asian background. Between these flashbacks the story jumps to the current situation where Ginger is hospitalized for covid-19. The book revolves around Ginger but also includes other important characters, such as Ginger's brother Daehan, her friend Autumn and Autumn's two autistic sons named Liam and Noah as well as the nurse who takes care of Ginger during her time in the hospital, Hyun, who experiences similar racism as Ginger during her time as a nurse.
Fighting To Breathe is a raw, poignant and thought-provoking story of a woman who refuses to quit despite the many hardships that come her way. I found Ginger Kim a very inspiring and interesting main character, not only because of her minority background, but because her ambition and passion to help others was very heartening. I really enjoyed the way the book was written and the way the chapters weren't chronological — it added sense to the book and made me keen to keep reading to know what happens next and what led to Ginger's situation as a covid-19 patient. I think the story also had a very important background story about coronavirus, racism, women's position, and the way that hospitals try to profit from their patients.
There are way more positives in the book than negatives, but a thing that bothered me was the abundance of characters at times. It was hard to keep up which nurses were the good guys and which ones were the bad guys, because there were a bit too many to keep track of. At first it was also a bit frustrating to read about Ginger's covid situation because, for many chapters straight, there were no changes in her situation so the story was moving at a slower speed and it made me desperate for some progress to happen next. It was also confusing to read certain chapters that included a lot of medical terms, since most of them weren't explained thoroughly. Otherwise, though, the text was easy to read and the grammar and use of words weren't overly complicated.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. As I mentioned, the book definitely has more positives than negatives. Mostly I am in awe of the message behind the book because I've never quite read a book as relevant. I am sure that in a few decades people will be eager to read this book to understand life during the coronavirus pandemic and to understand discrimination and racism, which hopefully won't be as big of a problem in the future as it is now. However, this book lacks a star due to the confusement in certain parts of the book that weren't explained as clearly as would've been necessary.
I'd recommend this book to people over 13 years who like to read about medical care, the pandemic and are interested in educating themselves about racism and discrimination. I wouldn't recommend this book to children under 13 years of age because it contains raw descriptions, violence and swear words. It might also be upsetting for some people to read this book if they're very sensitive — for me it was definitely heart-wrenching to read at times.
Fighting To Breathe has been edited splendidly and I was positively surprised at how satisfying the text and structure were. Not only did it make the book more enjoyable and easy to read, but it also allowed me as a reader to stay focused on the story and its message rather than cringe over small details.
******
Fighting To Breathe
View: on Bookshelves
Latest Review: Wonks by William Reese Hamilton
