Review of Fighting To Breathe

[StellaOBC A]

[i][Following is a volunteer review of "Fighting To Breathe" by Jong Yi.][/i]

[rwc=id500168-125]4 out of 4 stars.[/rwc]The book [i]Fighting to Breathe[/i] by Jong Yi is a spectacularly interesting and impacting piece of art. It intertwines the story of two Korean nurses, and the troubles they face because of violence, racism and discrimination. The first nurse, Ginger went through the democratization movement in South Korea in 1979/1980 with her family, and was severely emotionally scarred in the process. Later, she becomes a nurse in Saudi Arabia but leaves because of the discrimination against women. She moves to Alaska, USA where she works at a "not-for-profit" hospital that only cares for the money they can get from patients. She and other non-white nurses are discriminated against, to the point of getting double the number of patients to be assigned normally. Through it all, she maintained her stance by speaking out against the maltreatment in different ways but this just put a target on her back, so to speak.



She becomes friends with a fellow nurse who is fighting for treatment for her autistic twins, and becomes like a godmother for her kids over the years. She later moves to Seattle, Washington believing the grass would be greener, after being nudged by her brother to move nearer to him and frustrated at her workplace. Washington was much worse and she was fired from one hospital on trumped up charges. Deciding to find a job as a travel nurse, she is not allowed to leave her hospital on threat of being blacklisted. Covid-19 then hit and she was spit on by a patient because she is Asian. She contracts Covid-19 and almost dies. Her story is told as memories flowing in her consciousness while she is in a coma. We also learn of her failed/non-existent romantic relationships as a result of her work ethic and many of the men she meets being interested in a submissive Asian woman. Her bedside nurse, Hyun is also South Korean and goes through mostly the same things Ginger went through.



The book really opened my eyes to the discrimination suffered by Asians and Women generally and the corruption even in the health sector in the United States, a country believed to be the ultimate green pasture. I used to believe black people suffered racism the most in the world and Asians being white were exempt from it. Even with the recent violence against Asians, I felt it was just because of the Coronavirus. This book really helped me to know a lot more facts. In fact, the book is written in such detail, I stopped to cry sometimes and did not want to read anymore about the ugliness in this world, but I just could not stop because I had to know.



A negative aspect of the book is that it did not recognize the good parts, the people who are nice and not racist, in any of the experiences had by the characters. If any were recognized, they were few and far between. I refuse to believe there were no good people in the hospitals and everywhere else. Also, the details are not for the weak-hearted, it got quite sad sometimes, but I believe the author was intentional in making it like that.



I would rate this book [b]4 out of 4 stars[/b]. I believe this book is worth it because it was very well edited and I could not find any errors. Also, I believe this book will pass across a powerful message of what violence has done to humanity, what it will do, and why there is no need to hurt your fellow human based on how they born.



I recommend that persons from age 13 and above, or in some cases 11 years and above can and should read this book as it is a mix of a memoir and fiction. We all need to learn and this book teaches. Any pain you might go through while reading this book will be worth it, if it helps you see humanity through a different lens.

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[i]Fighting To Breathe [/i]
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