Review by tabby67 -- Fighting To Breathe by Jong Yi
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tabby67
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- Latest Review: Fighting To Breathe by Jong Yi
Review by tabby67 -- Fighting To Breathe by Jong Yi
[Following is a volunteer review of "Fighting To Breathe" by Jong Yi.]
‘Fighting to Breathe’ is a compelling novel of institutionalised racism and sexism in the healthcare sector of North America. It is even more shocking as it is based on the true-life experience of the author, Jong Yi. The story is set against the backdrop of the current Covid 19 pandemic so will resonate even more with readers, as it is something that we have all struggled to get through and understand.
As a child, the main character, Ginger Kim, survives the horrific massacre in her hometown of Gwangju in South Korea. This drives her to train to become a nurse and help others. She follows her brother, a rebel, who has already fled to the United States and begins her first job in an Alaskan hospital. She soon discovers that the despite her excellent record, she is consistently passed over for promotion in favour of Caucasian nurses, some of whom have no qualms about sleeping their way to the top. She is appalled by the blatant racism that she and other immigrant workers receive, not only from patients but from other staff. Her experience is the same in every hospital that she works in. In March 2020, when the Coronavirus arrives in her workplace, she finds herself in a living nightmare and forced to work without any protective equipment (the little that exists being given to her white colleagues), and the Covid patients typically being given to the non-white workers.
Pretty soon, Kim contracts Covid herself and her condition becomes critical. Her care falls primarily to a fellow Korean nurse, Hyun, who has had plenty of her own stories of racial and sexual discrimination. Through their shared experiences, the two nurses form a close bond.
Having spent much of my life fighting against discrimination in all its forms, it was disturbing to discover that it is still rife in many workplaces and that so many people suffer in silence daily. This book is unlike to win Jong Yi many friends in the healthcare industry, but I greatly admire her courage in speaking up and blowing the whistle on the treatment that she encountered. Her integrity and passion shines through on every page. For a non-native English speaker, the book is very well written with minimal errors.
As a stroke survivor, I often find it difficult to follow a story that leaps from country to country, one year to the next. Some of the medical jargon went above my head and would have benefitted from a little explanation. However, these are the only criticisms I have and made no impact on my ability to enjoy the book.
This book will appeal to those with a political interest in health, racial and sexual issues. It also provides us with an important, future-historic record of these strange and unprecedented times. I give it four out of four. I sincerely hope that the author will write a sequel as I was left longing to know what happens to her next. In any case, I wish her well and every success going forward.
******
Fighting To Breathe
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Smashwords
‘Fighting to Breathe’ is a compelling novel of institutionalised racism and sexism in the healthcare sector of North America. It is even more shocking as it is based on the true-life experience of the author, Jong Yi. The story is set against the backdrop of the current Covid 19 pandemic so will resonate even more with readers, as it is something that we have all struggled to get through and understand.
As a child, the main character, Ginger Kim, survives the horrific massacre in her hometown of Gwangju in South Korea. This drives her to train to become a nurse and help others. She follows her brother, a rebel, who has already fled to the United States and begins her first job in an Alaskan hospital. She soon discovers that the despite her excellent record, she is consistently passed over for promotion in favour of Caucasian nurses, some of whom have no qualms about sleeping their way to the top. She is appalled by the blatant racism that she and other immigrant workers receive, not only from patients but from other staff. Her experience is the same in every hospital that she works in. In March 2020, when the Coronavirus arrives in her workplace, she finds herself in a living nightmare and forced to work without any protective equipment (the little that exists being given to her white colleagues), and the Covid patients typically being given to the non-white workers.
Pretty soon, Kim contracts Covid herself and her condition becomes critical. Her care falls primarily to a fellow Korean nurse, Hyun, who has had plenty of her own stories of racial and sexual discrimination. Through their shared experiences, the two nurses form a close bond.
Having spent much of my life fighting against discrimination in all its forms, it was disturbing to discover that it is still rife in many workplaces and that so many people suffer in silence daily. This book is unlike to win Jong Yi many friends in the healthcare industry, but I greatly admire her courage in speaking up and blowing the whistle on the treatment that she encountered. Her integrity and passion shines through on every page. For a non-native English speaker, the book is very well written with minimal errors.
As a stroke survivor, I often find it difficult to follow a story that leaps from country to country, one year to the next. Some of the medical jargon went above my head and would have benefitted from a little explanation. However, these are the only criticisms I have and made no impact on my ability to enjoy the book.
This book will appeal to those with a political interest in health, racial and sexual issues. It also provides us with an important, future-historic record of these strange and unprecedented times. I give it four out of four. I sincerely hope that the author will write a sequel as I was left longing to know what happens to her next. In any case, I wish her well and every success going forward.
******
Fighting To Breathe
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Smashwords
Latest Review: Fighting To Breathe by Jong Yi
