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There are currently 24 member reviews
for The All-American
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Helia R. (Goodlettsville, TN)
A wild and deeply satisfying rollercoaster ride
This story pulled me in from beginning to end. Like many poor kids in ramshackle towns with ramshackle families, Bucky dreams of escape by way of a college football scholarship. As setbacks, misfortunes, and misunderstandings pile up, he finds himself deported from the US to the country of his birth parents (Korea), a place as alien to him as the language. Often heartbreaking, more often heart-pounding and hilarious, this overcoming-the-odds tale of family, friendship, identity, perseverance, and belonging is a wild and deeply satisfying ride. All thumbs.
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Patricia W. (Desoto, TX)
The All-American
It was so interesting to read a book from a male teen's/young man's perspective and how he compared life events to football. The emotions of the teen, Bucky, are raw and evident. The story provides a glimpse into how some people living in poverty in rural America live, including impoverished adults who care for other people's abandoned children and the impact of student participation in sports, which gives them a place at school, a purpose for the future, and a frame of reference for making sense of happenings as they grow. The story also sheds light on the atrocity of deporting people to their birth country when they have lived in the United States since they were young children. It is unimaginable to watch someone thrust into a country not knowing the language and customs, with no money and no support network. I can't imagine feeling so alone and helpless, but some people make it through unforeseen hard times.
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Janine S. (Wyoming, MI)
Awesome coming-of-age story
This is an awesome coming-of-age story set in a culture far different than what would be considered American, but I think that's what makes this book kind of special and one which expands reader awareness of what it takes sometimes to grow up. And, I can honestly say this book pushed a lot of emotional buttons for me when reading from comedic to upsetting to thankfulness - and not necessarily in that order - also making the whole reading experience kind of unique (at least for me).
Beyonghak "Bucky" Yi is growing up in Washington State looking forward to playing football at the professional level when through a series of bizarre incidents, he's deported to South Korea, a county that he knows nothing about and whose language he cannot understand or speak. We experience Bucky's transition from citizen to deportee when he's detained and then dehumanized within that experience - and frankly this part of the book if a true representation of what our country does to deportees or detainees is reprehensible (and if true I'm glad it was called out in the book).
Once Bucky gets to Korea, his main goal is to find a way back to America but through a series of incidents he keeps being detained in South Korea, being conscripted by the South Korean government and then being responsible for paying back the debts his bio-father has accrued - as a result he never gets paid by the army. Bucky's army experience is funny, frustrating and sometimes downright cruel but through it all Bucky grows in understanding - he's required to learn Korean (I loved the moment when he's out on leave and he starts listening to what's being said around him, and he gets that "aha" moment and a kind of realization that maybe he can live here or maybe he is Korean after all). Bucky just seems to flow into problems, some caused by his youthfulness and anger at being pushed around and some by the "powers that be," but he moves with the flow and learns - the football analogies are a nice way to tie the Americanized version of Bucky with his new self in Korea.
This was a fun, awesome read. Really enjoyed it.
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Cindy R
Quite unexpected
I'm so glad that I got to read an advanced copy of THE ALL-AMERICAN(Norton). The heart-rending, rollercoaster story made me sad, while the dark comedy had me chuckling. It's smart, complex and its surprising to learn THE ALL-AMERICAN is author, Joe Milan's debut novel.
Bucky Yi knows nothing about Korea. He's a high-school running back hoping to play in college living in Washington state. But when a small altercation puts him on the government's radar, it's discovered Bucky is not a US citizen and he's deported back to Korea. He knows nothing about Korea. Bucky can't say let along spell his name.
Through a series of mishaps caused by him and others, he quickly realizes he's not going back to the US anytime soon. This realization has Bucky test his own emotional, physical and mental strength. Eventually, he steps up and learns to appreciate Korea and all it has to offer.
I don't want to write anymore because it is so original, unique and enjoyable. I don't fully understand why it is labeled a YA book, because I believe Bucky's story can resonate with everyone.
Thanks to BookBrowse and Norton for providing this book for an honest review.
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Dorinne D. (Wickenburg, AZ)
Dreaming of Football
Bucky, a Korean-American, dreams of being a football star. He plays the game in his head. It is a heavy blow when he is unexpectedly deported back to Korea and, upon arrival is informed that he is required to fulfill his Korean military service commitment. The story details the trials and tribulations of a young man raised in the United States who, when forced to live in Korea as a Korean, has difficulty communicating because he doesn't speak Korean, only English. I found this to be an interesting and compassionate story.
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Daniel H. (Palos Heights, IL)
Bad Korean trip
In Korea, a child, "Bucky," is born to an American expat woman and Korean father.
After being brought to the US for a better life, the Korean-American youth experiences the alienation and isolation of Asian-ness in rural America. This is exacerbated by adult guidance which propels him on a path to a likely unachievable goal in football. A variety of unfortunate missteps leads to his deportation back to Korea, where he knows no one and does not speak the language, cannot even pronounce his own Korean name. Coming with difficulty to some acceptance of his circumstances, with few leads and no money, teen-aged Bucky embarks on a quest for family and identity.
The many diabolical roadblocks of this tale bring to mind Kafka's The Trial; there is never any (justifiable) reason for the maladies which befall him. We experience along with Bucky the ignominy of arrest and incarceration; we share his sense of entrapment in military service. This was not a particularly pleasant read, but the denouement was satisfying.
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Judith M. (Granville, OH)
Search for Identity
Bucky, a high-school football player, was born in Korea and only speaks English. His American stepmother filed paperwork for his citizenship, but the check bounced. After an altercation, he is accused of being an illegal immigrant, placed in a detention center, suffered in humane treatment, and sent to Korea. In Korea, he discovers his father has run up debts in Bucky's name that must be paid, he is or isn't a Korean citizen, and must complete military service. This book is the story of his feelings, experiences in Korea, resiliency, and search for identity.
At first, I had difficulty getting into the book because of football references, guns, violence, and maleness. But the story of this poor young man's search for identity and belonging was heartbreaking. Once into Bucky's misadventure, I couldn't put the book down. I wanted to read the twists and turns of his story and how he used the lessons from football to navigate his struggles. How many young people today are being sent to a country where they don't speak the language and have no friends or family all because of failed immigration policies or government ineptitude? What happens to them?
