Almost American Girl: A Graphic Memoir

I loved this graphic memoir. The art expresses exactly what Robin feels all the way through the book. I think it is amazing to write and do in graphics an honest coming of age story. I read the acknowledgments in the back and I thank Robin Ha's mother for letting this to go forward.Robin grew up in Seoul, Korea, with a single mother. Robin did not find out until later that being a single mother brought much shame from her family and the society. She only had a few memories of her father when she was very little. Her mother was a hairdresser and until she went to school, she thought of the shop as home. When a customer gave her two parakeets, she became attached to them and was shocked when her mother told her that she gave them back to the owner. Robin will get many bad surprises, like when her mother told her that they were going to Alabama for a vacation. When they landed, they were met by a Mr. Kim, and he drove them to meet his daughter and all his brother's family. Her mother went apartment hunting. Boom! Her mother had not told her about her planning to marry Mr. Kim. Kim started back to school in Alabama and was an easy target for bullies at school. She didn't fit in at school. She did not know much English, didn't know how to make friends when she couldn't understand what they were saying. Her only friend was the long neglected Kim family dog. Kim missed her friends back home and the one thing that gave her total escape, her comics.Kim amazes me, I had also moved when I was only thirteen from the city to the suburbs, I felt isolated but of course I knew the language. But the people at the new school, I felt like a stranger there every day. I cried a lot at night in my bedroom and I could definitely know some of what Robin was going through but reading this book, I learned that her experience must have been a thousand times worse than mine.I hope that every one who has to move to a different school reads this book. Parents need to read it too. This book cover what it is like to feel that you do not fit in, Korean traditional values, trust between parent and child, racial prejudice, and so much more. It is a gem of a book.

Robin is just 14 years old when her life is upended. Her mom moves the two of them to Alabama with no notice at all. Not only does Robin not speak English, but her new step-family treats her like an outsider. Her first several months in America are incredibly isolating until she begins to make connections with other students. But will Robin ever be able to find her place? Will she find where she belongs?Not only is this a wonderful memoir, but the illustrations really draw you in, and you experience the emotions - depression, isolation, embarrassment, hope, happiness, and finally acceptance - right alongside Robin. Ha also did a wonderful job with the dialogue, using different colors to indicate when the language is English and when it is Korean, which added an extra layer to the story.This is definitely a great graphic novel to read.

I thought this was a great graphic novel especially since this is non fiction. It was hard to read some parts cause Robin’s mom would make these impulsive decisions in order to help her and her daughter (without realizing how it would affect Robin) but it would hurt Robin in the end. It’s always eye opening when reading about other cultures different then your own. Fantastic art in this one too,

I came across this because it's one of the novels I would be required to read in an upcoming literature class I have (about graphic novels). I bought it early to check it out. This is a great read! Robin Ha did a fantastic job and the story is great. I really felt what she was going through when reading this. I won't spill and beans but I highly recommend this novel.

This story is hard to put down. I read it on kind sitting. It was thoroughly engrossing and made you understand the initial sadness. The kids in Alabama seem awful. I cannot way that I understand of were with the way that Robin's mother uprooted but she did want the best for her. She made mistakes but also allowed Robin the but of resilience through a tough new home and no friends. I also admire the courage of her mother to take leaps of faith and move to a new country do start over. Ultimately, Robin finds her people and triumphs. This was such an inspiring story!

It's a memoir so failing at this theme would be hard to do. The YA novel is a great representation of Asian American women as it mainly focuses on the journey of a Korean mother and daughter learning how to adjust to America, both having their own issues which causes natural conflicts between both characters. The perspective is of course through the daughter as this is her memoir, but she does a great job at showing how the mother struggled as well. Also, the story takes place when the daughter is in her teen years so how she adjusted to school played a massive factor in her life. Easy to connect to as an Asian American daughter :)

This is such a beautiful story. Hard choices and lots of changes at a very hard age for Chuna / Robin. I loved getting to see the glimpse of another culture and the reactions to the United States. And I enjoyed the comic book aspect.

Robin Ha was 14 when she moved with her mother from Seoul, Korea to Huntsville, Alabama. At first completely lost in a school with no ESL class, she slowly makes friends, learns English, and finds that her love of Korean graphic novels could be a career. When her mother moves them again, to McLean, Virginia, she is ready to blossom in her new school. Her story makes a wonderful graphic memoir. Just the changing self portraits tell a story on their own.

You follow Robin's journey to America. You get to see the sad and happy parts of her life.This small graphic novel is very impactful because Robin goes through a rough time in high school. She's Korean, having to learn another language and being different in school with white children cand be very intimading. She showed us how brave and couragous she is by never quitting. Seeing how far she has been in life with everything happening was inspiring.

I am not a comic fan but I absolutely loved this book. It really touched me & I read it in a heart-beat. Highly recommend. And of course it was a nice surprise to learn she is also the author of one of my favorite cookbooks.

I loved this book; it's an unusual story of how the author came to be an American, but completely relatable for anyone, anywhere who has ever felt they are on the outside looking in. It shines a light onto the cultures and mindsets of South Korea and the US, the struggles of a displaced teen and also the stigma faced by her hardworking single mother. Ha's writing is thoughtful and funny and her warm, expressive artwork complements it perfectly. Just the right mix for a tale that is both amusing and heartbreaking, but ultimately hopeful. Highly recommended.

Comme Robin (Chuna) j'ai aussi déménagé dans un autre pays avec une culture différente de la mienne. Les choses qu'elle a vécu j'ai aussi été confrontée.

I'm a fan of Korea, its cuisine and culture and its great to read realistic and emotional stories like this one. Robin as always is brilliant and writes straight from the heart