Review by Caren Maweeks -- Fighting To Breathe by Jong Yi

[Caren Maweeks]

[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 is a story of a South Korean nurse, Ginger Kim, whose career is inspired by her brother’s participation in the pro-democracy demonstrations that take place during the Gwanju Uprising. Kim is only thirteen years old and only a middle school student when this happens. She seems too young to understand and bear all these and often, her family members talk in whispers to exclude her from the talks. After working for five years as a nurse in South Korea, she accepts an offer to work at King Faisal Hospital, Saudi Arabia. Due to a lack of security and equal rights to women, she grows tired of this place and relocates to the US.
Kim battles quite several obstacles she comes across in her career for the well-being of her patients despite a complete lack of appreciation for her efforts. The inherent racism in the medical profession in the US gives her a hard time working in the states as a nurse. Jong Yi, the author, makes it vivid what many people experience or go through because of their skin complexion even in this era. The book is fascinating and worth taking a moment of your time.
The racial discrimination of the Asians working in the US is prevalent in this book and greatly increased during the COVID-19 outbreak. It further shows the privileges in the medical field and the mistreatment of the non-white medical personnel, being neglected, and worse still, exploitation. They don’t get promotions despite working twice as much as the whites and to make matters worse, they are even segregated by the patients they care for. This light makes this a very good educative book.
This fictitious novel reveals the dark sides of the medical field in the US. The text is very simple and direct and with outstanding qualities. These books help a great deal in giving voice to the despised and underrepresented communities. You only require a few sittings to complete this book which is not only interesting but also emotions triggering novel.
There is nothing I disliked in this novel. The book was professionally edited and for this reason, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. Fighting to Breath is suitable for a general audience and a must-read for those who seek to have a feeling of the effects of racism and understand what many people go through in their workplaces for something that is not for them to choose.

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Fighting To Breathe
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