Review by KeiranSage -- Fighting To Breathe by Jong Yi

[KeiranSage]

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

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4 out of 4 stars

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Fighting to Breathe by Jong Yi is a heart wrenching story about a Korean woman named Ginger Kim and her experiences with racism in the workplace and her struggle to live as a front-line nurse during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yi dives into Ginger’s life before the pandemic and all that she struggled with that led to her current situation. Racism, misogyny, and the discrimination Ginger Kim faced throughout her life is detailed in this story as doctors and nurses work to keep Ginger Kim alive despite all odds.

I absolutely loved this book. It immediately drags you in and provides a way to connect with the main character. I never felt bored while reading this book. It dealt with many sensitive topics incredibly well, including institutional racism, misogyny, and ableism and the discrimination that comes from these. It also provided an in depth look at the troubles of front-line nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of my favorite parts about a book is the setup of it, and this book didn’t disappoint. By telling different parts of Ginger’s life throughout the entire book, Jong Yi was able to personalize the character in order to effectively lay out her experiences.

I genuinely have so few issues with Fighting to Breathe by Jong Yi. Overall, it was fun to read, but sometimes the writing could be stilted and jolt me out of the story. As a whole, I think it was because the length of some of the sentences in secession were the exact same throughout sections. If they were varied in these areas like they usually are throughout the book, I believe that it wouldn’t be an issue. For example, on page 25, it’s written “Ginger nodded again. She knew exactly what this was all about. She also knew that quarantine required fourteen days.” It feels so weird to read because it’s so many simple sentences one after the other. It’s not a necessarily glaring issue and could definitely be put down to personal preference.

I give this book 4 out of 4 stars. It was incredibly well edited and well written, with a charming elegance in regards to such a relevant topic. I had only one negative comment about this book, and that could be simply personal preference in how a book is written. Jong Yi treads about sensitive topics with incredible detail and poise, all while telling an incredible story. The story is incredibly relevant to the current times, all while being utterly timeless in the depiction of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I would recommend Fighting to Breathe to anyone who wants to learn more about the COVID-19 pandemic and how it affected front-line nursing staff and the xenophobia that came with it. It reads as new adult fiction, not quite adult and not quite young adult either. If you are looking for a book about the harsh reality of the COVID-19 pandemic, this book is definitely for you.

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Fighting To Breathe
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