A review by drcrankypantsphd
Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh

medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

This book feels like the equivalent of a All Are Welcome Here yard sign in the front yard of a house in a neighborhood where the least expensive home is $500K. While possibly a heartfelt statement, it’s mostly virtue signaling. I wanted to like Junie. I really did, but her lack of characterization, and the development of the larger plot, was the cost of a set of politics serving as a large bat the reader is hit over the head with repeatedly - the first third of the book feels like a constant barrage, after which I very nearly just gave up. There’s not much subtlety here, no opportunities to contemplate shades of grey and what that means for the characters. The grandparent’s stories of lives in Korea are bright spots, though suffer from some of the same issues with storytelling as  Junie’s contemporary storyline.

The writing never feels confident enough to allow Junie’s story, and the stories of her grandparents, to be enough to help readers think about racism, particularly racism against the Asian American community, and the history of Korea, which prompted the influx of Korean immigrants and dissolution of a singular Korea. There’s not a lot of breathing room here for readers, the book feeling so worried about conveying a particular message, it never fully trusts the reader. 

Alternatives: John Cho’s Troublemaker (excellent character development around Korean and immigrant identities) and Julie Lee’s Brother’s Keeper (delving into the histories and experiences of the Korean War). 
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