Jenny Han
Jenny Han is Korean- American author who is known for writing for young teen girls and then became a director of her own books. She was raised in Richmond, Virginia. She went to college earning her Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her first novel “ Shug” at the age of 24. While she worked writing for children for the new school in New York City. Her main successes started with “ to all the boys ive loved before” Which is a novel I will be talking about. Her soul purpose with writing these novels focus on coming of age, first love, family dynamics , and the Asian- American teen experience.
Jenny Han did one of her only interviews about her personal upbringing with “ en forme “ a Virginia lifestyle magazine. They names the artical “ young at heart” by Paula peters chambers. Jenny was born and raised in Richmond Virginia. Jenny says, “ we were of the very few Asian families in my neiborhood . I had a hard time in middle school. So it wasn’t until i went to the Governor's school in Richmond that i was in a more diverse setting, which was wonderful for me “( Chambers) she grew up in a small town that wasn’t very diverse in different cultures. She thankfully was able to discover more in high school surrounded by other people. Her family imagrated from sound Korea, they all settled close to each other in Richmond. They followed her aunt that was there. She’s always been very close with her cousins, aunts and especially her grandpa. She says “ as a child of immigrants, I did have a lot more responsibilities. I had to help parents with language and culture, so i was used to being in that role. They always had a belief in me.” ( Chambers ) Even though she may have had struggles through out she had a family that fully trusted and believed in her.
The Novel “ To all the boys I've loved before “ is a teen romance which was soon to be turned into a movie. Like most books turned into movies the novel had very good reviews encouraging viewers to read the novel before watching the film. Many people stating her hook of the book had them completely interested right away. “ I became strangely hooked by this book, Lara- jean was such a relatable introverted person” ( The Guardian). The book has an Asian character Lara Jean who is shy and quiet. She wrote secret love letters to every boy shes had a crush on, she kept them hidden till her sister found them and sent them out. One letter going to their big sister’s boyfriend. Lara Jean liked the fantasy of love more than actually living it, even though shes never actually been in love. Many people related to Lara Jean being shy and saying that it reminds them of their childhood or something someone is going through right now. “ it brings you back to childish crushes and your own embarrassing experiences in love that you had or probably still ( or will!) have.” ( The Gaurdan ).her books allows the reader to feel the situations her characters goes through. Her books aren’t built on huge events its more based on what teens actually feel. She writes for people to understand the feelings. “ Ito was such a well written and brilliant story” ( The Guardian). People were extremely excited to hear she was announcing more books to follow with this plot. Then they brought the characters to life which non book readers fell in love with her story and plot.
The book achieved massive commercial success and several regional and young adult reading lists. This book gained traction and the attention of the audience for her next novel “ PS. I still Love you “ which won the Asian/ pacific American Award for Literature in 2015-2016. On Hudson bookseller they stated “ Jenny Han is the #1 New York Times best selling author of the to all the boys loved before series”
“The summer i turned pretty “ was another popular book written by Jenny Han turned into a TV series. I’ll be focusing on the first book. The first novel is about a young teenager Belly, who goes to her mother’s best friends beach house every summer. She grew up there with her brother and mother’s best friends two sons. She goes through the awkward phase of being a teenager and accepting your self and growing body. Since she was little she has always loved Conrad the son of her mothers best friend. Now that shes a teenager and pretty the other son finally noticed her Jeremiah. Through the book series you see the relationships between them and love triangle grow. Jenny Han writes her stories based on the small little changes and feelings. “ the novel highlights everyday emotions and moments of growing up, using simple, quiet events to shape the story.( Whitmore) some readers find it better to understand the characters and feel what they feel other than big turning events that happen often. “ i found Jenny Han’s storytelling both personal and realistic” ( Whitmore) The summer i turned pretty is for everyone. Belly is young and discovering herself. Jenny Han’s storytelling is more about understanding and capturing how it feels/felt to be young feeling these emotions for the first time, feeling like it was the biggest thing in the world. “ The Summer I Turned Pretty book review highlights why Jenny Han’s story resonates with readers. It captures first feelings, family bonds, and friendships in a realistic, personal way ” ( Whitmore) The reviews show the personal roots to her storytelling and capturing being young and dealing with love for the first times.
’ve read multiple of Jenny Hans books and watched series shes created out of her novels. I believe she writes her stories with a sense of what she wanted as a teenager. She wrote stories that could have happened in anyone’s lives. The drama and struggle of being a teenager, feeling like the world was ending as a teenage girl when someone found out a secret, or picking the right person. With her books she created fans across the world creating “ teams “ of who we thought the main character was better for. I think she wrote great books that expresses how not just teenage girls feel but anyone. She wants a sense of the Asian culture in her books although anyone could relate to her books of any ethnicity. In her books there is a struggle of being mixed race in her characters but shows thats not all they are they are teenage girls who are experiencing life for the first time. She does a great job with her target audance and hooking in people to get to know the characters.
https://enformeva.com/personalities/young-at-heart/article_f052f362-42f9-11ec-8b51-f72e2077efe2.html
https://thebooksuite.com/the-summer-i-turned-pretty-book-review/
This is very informational. I enjoyed reading!
ReplyDeleteI like the fact how they are turning it into a movie, it really shows how good the book truly is. Also how you said she wrote the book like it could happen to anyone's lives.
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