Good Enough

Good Enough. Paula Yoo. New York: HarperTeen, 2008. 326 pages. $16.99 (Hardcover). ISBN 978-0-06-079085-1. Grades 9-12.

Potential Reactions…

Before I get in to how I think other readers will react to this funny, incredibly realistic story, I want to tell you how I reacted. From page one I saw myself. I was a band kid who wanted to be the best, I was the perfectionist student who wanted to make perfect grades, and while I didn’t have the pressure of parents pushing HYP, I had two genius, overachieving older siblings’ shoes to fill. I was also gawky and not one of the popular kids. Unfortunately, I was not a prodigy clarinet player, I did not study enough to make a 2300 on my SATs, and I didn’t even try to apply to the Ivy Leagues. Although I was not Patti Yoon, I know exactly how she felt, and I think on some level every young adult reader will.

I think young adults will love this story because they will inevitably see some aspect of their high school struggles in the life of Patti Yoon. Every kid knows what it is like to either: have pushy parents who are breathing down your neck pushing you towards a certain future, or get stuck doing something you are good at just because you are good at it, or feel like you don’t fit in, or not knowing what you what to do with your life, or have a crush, or one of the other dozens of problems Patti Yoon faces in Good Enough. If readers don’t personally have any of these problems they will know someone who does and think of them. Not only with that lead to that reader appreciating the story, but it will lead them to recommend the book to someone else. Patti Yoon also faces racism from her peers and even her peer’s parents. Due to the heavy use of stereotypes today, I am sure other teenagers will know what this feels like as well. I think they will feel for Patti and her Dad and feel a connection to that aspect of the story. I think readers who use racial stereotypes and slurs will feel bad to actually read how their words could potentially be hurting others.

I also think that readers will like and get a kick out of learning about Korean culture, especially since some of its aspects are presented in humorous ways. I am not sure how Korean readers would feel about the teasing about highly competitive parents and church youth groups or the generalizations about Spam and Kimchi, but I don’t think Yoo is being offensive. Since Yoo herself is Korean and while the book is fiction does take examples from her life, I think this comical yet serious approach works. I think readers will laugh and enjoy all the lists about disappointing Korean parents and the recipes.

I hope that readers from this book realize that their happiness is what matters in the end and that they take the right steps toward achieving it. I do think that some readers who are being strongly guided by their parents may be skeptical of Patti’s ability to do what she wants. I do think, however, that this story is encouraging and funny, and will make high school students feel better about the stress they are dealing with.