The Fold

by An Na

Book Overview

From master storyteller and Printz Award-winning author An Na comes a thoughtful novel about American beauty standards through the eyes of a Korean-American teenager who must decide how far she's... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1481442406
• ISBN13: 9781481442404
• Release Date: September 2017
• Publisher: Atheneum Books
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.4" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

Families, beauty, and self-acceptance

Thanks to the widespread availability and high publicity of plastic surgery, most of us are aware of a lot of plastic surgery procedures, from facelifts and liposuction to breast augmentation or reduction. But chances are, unless you're a young woman of Asian descent, you've probably never heard of the procedure at the center of award-winning author An Na's latest young adult novel, THE FOLD. Blepharoplasty, or eyelid surgery, is used by lots of older women to change the appearance of the skin around their eyes. In the Asian-American community, however, the increasingly popular procedure is used to add a Caucasian-style upper eyelid crease, making the eyes look larger or more American. That's the argument Joyce's aunt Gomo uses when she offers to pay for the surgery during the summer before Joyce's senior year in high school. Gomo, who had blepharoplasty years before, when she first arrived in the United States from Korea, says, "Here, in the United States, everyone wants to look more American. Even the Americans want to look more American. Why do you think there are so many women who diet, change their hair color and make their noses smaller and their chest bigger?" This is just one of the many questions Joyce has to consider as she weighs the pros and cons of the procedure for her own life. At first, when Gomo, who has recently won some money in the lottery, offers each member of Joyce's family some kind of "self-improvement" product, they're all overjoyed for the chance to see a better version of themselves. Joyce, in particular, is convinced that a more "American" face might be exactly what she needs to attract the attention of her crush, John Ford Kang, a Korean boy who typically only dates blonde Caucasian girls. It might also be just the change she needs to finally be as beautiful as her popular older sister Helen. But when each of the so-called improvements actually causes misery (Joyce's mom is allergic to the ink in her permanent eyebrow tattoo, Joyce's dad sprains his ankle while trying to walk in his new elevator shoes, and Joyce's younger brother suffers some truly disgusting side effects from his growth-inducing nutritional supplements), Joyce begins to have her doubts about the wisdom of changing oneself. And when her enthusiasm over the eyelid surgery begins to cause stress in her relationship with her best friend Gina, she's really not so sure Gomo's gift is such a blessing after all. Although An Na's novel highlights a serious issue in the Asian-American community, she introduces it in a thoughtful but lighthearted way. Joyce's friendship with Gina and her relationship with her sister Helen are at the heart of the story, but scenes at the family's Korean restaurant and the Korean church also provide a lively look into their busy family life and their cultural heritage. An Na also effectively universalizes the themes at the heart of her novel by placing this specific procedure within the larger context of a discussion abou

Provocative

A must read for any young woman who is struggling with acceptance of herself! Moving and provocative...highly recommended.

Fantastic Teen Book Club REad

The Fold would be a fantastic read for a teen book club. It has many big themes that are relevant for teenage girls, including: racism, romance, homosexuality, peer pressure, friendship, teen angst, etc. Joyce has the opportunity to have plastic surgery to make her eyes look less Asian, but should she do it? This should be required reading for any teen girl considering plastic surgery.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

What would you do to be beautiful? Joyce, the main character of An Na's new book, THE FOLD, is facing that question. Joyce, who is Korean, is going to be a senior in high school in the fall. Her Aunt Gomo has won some money and has scheduled a surgery to put a fold in Joyce's eyes. I wasn't sure what a fold was but I am lucky to have a Mongolian exchange student living with me and she was able to explain. Solongo, my exchange student, said that she was lucky to have natural lines in her eyelids, but many of her aunts and cousins do not, and they are very concerned about not having them. It was very interesting and made the book more accessible for me. Joyce has a big sister, Helen, who seems to be perfect, and Joyce feels that she is living in her shadow. Joyce also has a giant crush on a boy in school named John Ford Kang. John doesn't even know that Joyce exists. Joyce thinks that maybe, if she gets the fold, then John will realize that she is there -- but she really doesn't want to go through the surgery. The book then deals with this subject from the points of view of many other different characters. I loved this book. I enjoyed the main characters, Joyce's family is funny, loving, and very open-minded. Gomo is demanding, but upon hearing her back story she seems to be someone with a very big heart. I enjoyed the scenes at the Korean church and how everyone knew everyone else's business. This book educated me a little about Korean-American culture. I was surprised to hear how they want to look European, while I always think that they are beautiful! Thank you, An Na, for the wonderful story. I am now going to read your other books. Reviewed by: Marta Morrison