First Person Fiction

by John Son

In a semi-autobiographical debut novel that is at turns poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, John Son conveys the uniqueness and universality of a Korean-American childhood.

Jin-Han begins his story with his first memory, when at age two he loses his hat to a sudden gust of wind. While he never finds that particular hat, his search for his "hat"--his identity--coincides with his family's search for their place in America. Struggles in Korea, losses during the Korean War, and the decision to leave behind loved ones to create a better future in a new, foreign place are all a part of Jin-Han's wise, funny story. But at the heart of this insightful novel is his coming of age and a growing awareness of others' perceptions of him.

Genres: Young Adult, Family, Realistic Fiction

192 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2003

Reviews

[Carm]

Finding My Hat is a sweet, funny and heartfelt semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story. Jin-Han’s story gradually becomes his family’s story too, and I found myself increasingly invested in the sacrifices that made his life possible. I especially appreciated how the very things that embarrassed him as a kid ended up becoming strengths when he least expected them to.

Who knew mannequin heads and piano lessons could come in handy when attempting to kiss a girl for the first time? And god help whoever moved into their old place and found a trash can full of kimchi buried in the yard! I know… semi-autobiographical. But man, I hope those stories were true! 😅

[Karen]

Good story describing the experiences of a Korean-American boy growing up between two worlds.

My only complaints, which are a bit nitpicky:

1) I wish the protagonist had either been of school-age or been a young child. I'm not sure my high school students would find reading about a toddler particularly interesting.

2) His parents, specifically his father, spoke perfect English except for the overuse of the progressive verb form.

3) The references were all to the 1970s (Soul Train and disco balls). These would perhaps be lost on a modern audience.

As another reviewer mentioned, some parts of the story are a bit boring and I was unsure as to why they were included.

In summary, I'd recommend this book to Korean students and could use some brief parts (Tyrone thinking the family is Chinese, the discussion of why he didn't befriend/defend the student from Pakistan) for readings in class but I'm not sure I'd recommend the whole book for independent reading.

[寿理 宮本]

Full disclosure: My copy has this slightly-edited cover:



This is not-quite-autobiography: John Son admits at the end that Jin-Han has a very lot in common with his own experiences but it's not *strictly* true, since his Uhmmah passed away when he was much older than Jin-Han was at *his* Uhmmah's passing. This makes me feel a little better about the kid who thought wearing a towel for a cape bequeathed Superman powers, jumped off a second-story railing, and promptly broke his arm (and ONLY that, luckily), though... that very likely still actually happened to SOMEbody, given how people (especially young ones) can be.

Also, the forgotten buried rubbish bin full of kimchi, haha. "All Koreans have to eat kimchi"—good thing I'm not Korean! Yuck!

I have mixed feelings on this being not 100% true, since it's not exactly an exciting read for being "First Person Fiction." Yet the fact I still could push myself to go ahead and finish reading is sort of a testament to the fact that most people probably actually have interesting stories to tell, given a sufficiently good chronicler of the same. My whole family, in fact—I've heard a great number of stories that would be amazing if put to text.

Would I volunteer to do that? ...sadly, probably not. It feels like a very lot of work to do it justice, and my brother and I are the terminal end of our part of the family (neither of us are having younger readers to pass along the stories to, and I personally have been given little incentive to take on this monumental task). Furthermore, I feel infinitely more productive finding good *existing* books and passing them along to other readers *for free* (for them). Why take on extra work to make ONE book (series?) when connecting the existing books to new fans is so much more satisfying?

(Should I have a book I *do* want to bring into existence, that's a different story, though the audience would still be primarily myself.)

Recommended for readers who want to decolonise your bookshelf, specifically with Korean voices, or who like general slice-of-life stories, though this one focuses heavily on the main character's childhood.

[Hannah]

Interesting that these were anecdotes that the author made up/based partly on real experiences rather than purely autobiographical ones. This had some moments that I think Korean/Korean-American kids could identify with in the way his parents behaved, vocabulary moments, etc, but ultimately didn't grab my attention (or provoke much of an emotional reaction) from me.

[Casper]

As a Korean-American, reading this book provoked a lot of emotions for me because I could really identify with what the protagonist was going through. If you aren’t Korean, it might not provoke the same reaction, but I think it’s still a cute little story that’s worth the read in the end.

[711Cal]

I don't understand where thisw book was going, it nwas just sort of blah, nothing amazing, niothing terrible, just a normal kid in the US from Korea.

[711Rami]

This kept me up all night reading

[Chris]

It was a decent book but it dragged a bit in the middle. I also just wasn’t found of the main boy.

[Josephine Rustvold]

Kind of felt like it didn't really end up anywhere. I wanted a more satisfying ending but life isn't like that sometimes I guess.

[Duggan B]

I'm giving this book "Finding My Hat" by John Son I gave it a 3 star because it was kind of boring to start off in a kids childhood but otherwise it was a good book because it had so many experiences that the characters went through... This book was still good even though I gave it a 3 because like I said before it had great a great point of view of a kids childhood and where the places he went too... Some bad parts about it is like it can get pretty boring and again that is why I gave it a 3 because I feel that if the book wasn't just in the kids point of view it would be a lot more less boring. But the experiences kept me interested in the book and kept me reading it ... that is still why I gave it a 3 because not just because its a book that starts of in a person point of view but it has great experiences of where they went... That is why I gave this book a 3 star rating.

[John]

"Son's debut novel, an entry in the First Person Fiction series, is a tender quasi-memoir detailing his childhood in a Korean immigrant family, trying to find his place in a new and unfamiliar world. Jin-Han's father is in love with American opportunity and is determined to own his own business. He purchases a wig shop, which takes them from Chicago to Memphis to Houston, where they are at last successful. Along the way, Jin-Han experiences the usual pains of adolescence fitting in, understanding the opposite sex but with the added challenge of an unusual name, language and appearance. Son's language is at times startling with its simple elegance: Jin-Han's first kiss makes his insides feel "like a beehive on a warm, sunny afternoon," and his depiction of a dance party at a friend's house, in which the kids keep playing the same slow dance over and over, captures the essence of sweet teenage romanticism. The family dynamic is strong; Jin-Han's parents emerge as robust and complex individuals. Jin-Han ultimately emerges as his own man, a product of his family ties but not prisoner to them. The book liberally uses Korean words and phrases Jin-Han's mother is his Uhmmah, his father his Ahpbah and includes a brief glossary, which adds another pinch of flavor to an already inviting and warm story. (Oct.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information."

Publishers Weekly (Starred)

[Heidi]

My 9 year old daughter was assigned this book at school, and reported back to me that some parts of the book made her feel uncomfortable. I checked out the book for myself so that we could have a discussion about the content of the book.

Overall, I was extremely underimpressed. I thought the content was a bit boring, I didn't like the main character, and I didn't like the realization that my nine year old daughter had read this book...she was right!...some of the content was just not appropriate for a third grader.

But, at the very least, this book gave us the opportunity to have a frank discussion about a whole variety of topics, including the fact that there are many disappointing books out there.

[Kathryn]

This was basically a collection of memories from the author's childhood. It was really readable, but would have benefited from an overarching theme or purpose. The memories felt unprocessed, as if the author hadn't ever analyzed them from an adult perspective and was just writing down everything he could remember from his childhood.

[Tracie]

A tale of a Korean-American boy growing up the United States. The characters were too distant for me to really enjoy, but it is a well-written story. Younger readers will find it too slow-paced.

[Sherry]

I'd give it 4 and a half stars if I could. I LOVED this book. This treasure starts with Jin-Han's earliest memory - he was two. He continues to share his adventures as a Korean-American and those of just being a kid and adolescent. PRICELESS!

[Ric White]

A great tale of growing up an immigrant. I fell in love with the narrator, and that doesn't happen with YA books a lot. Covering birth to teenage years, I think it strikes just the right balance of propriety and scandal to keep both teachers and students engaged in a middle school lit circle.

[C]

Great YA read.

[nina]

A brutally honest fictionalized memoir of a Korean-American growing up in America.

[Haeyon]

very cute and sad, the first book I've seen for children about a Korean-American kid's experience growing up in the South, no less

[Maya]

Really good! Honestly, I cried when his mom died. It was written very well with a meaningful story line.

[Rae]

I loved this sweet narration of a Korean boy's coming-of-age.

[Laura]

I loved this book, especially as I got further into it. I'm going to have my 11 year old son read it now.

[Andrew]

A very nice, quaint, coming-of-age story.

[Karyn]

I loved this so much. I found myself thinking of that hilarious show, Fresh Off the Boat.

[Zoe]

Very interesting viewpoint, and I love the "sheltering" hat theme throughout

[Miss Kelly]

Could not finish; no way my students want to read about a toddler's perspective on immigration.