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“A Korean American teen recounts the events leading up to the shooting of her brother. A newspaper reports that a high school student shot a mentally ill man in self-defense; the victim is Leo, Georgia Kim’s beloved older brother. But as Georgia’s flashback narrative reveals, there’s more to the story…and to Leo, whose developmental disability causes seizures, minimal speech, and violent meltdowns…This contemporary take on Of Mice and Men tackles numerous heavy issues, including racism, ableism, gun control, and the challenges of caring for a significantly disabled family member, but offers no easy answers.”

– Kirkus Reviews

Hurt You

Written by Marie Myung-Ok Lee
Published by Blackstone Publishing

Marie Myung-Ok Lee’s stunning YA homage to Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men tells the tragic story of a Korean American teen who fights to protect herself and her neurodivergent older brother from a hostile community.

Hurt You explores the actual sibling bond of Georgia and Leonardo da Vinci Daewoo Kim, who has an unnamed neurological disability that resembles autism. The themes of race, disability, and class spin themselves out in a suburban high school where the Kim family has moved in order to access better services for Leonardo.

Suddenly unmoored from the familiar, including the support of her Aunt Clara, Georgia struggles to find her place in an Asian-majority school where whites still dominate culturally, and she finds herself feeling not Korean “enough.” Her one pole star is her commitment to her brother, a loyalty that finds itself at odds with her immigrant parents’ dreams for her, and an ableist, racist society that may bring violence to Leonardo despite her efforts to keep him safe.

Hurt You is a deep exploration of family, society, and the bond between siblings and reflects the reality that people with intellectual disabilities are far more likely to be the victim of a violent crime, not the perpetrator.

Primary ISBN: 9798200758098
Publication Date: May 2023
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, eBook
Young Adult, Age 12 or older

Community Represented:

Themes: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Setting: United States (California)

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: 1st Generation

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

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