With echoes of Marieke Nijkamp and Jason Reynolds, acclaimed author 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.
Moving beyond the quasi-fraternal bond of the unforgettable George and Lenny from Of Mice and Men, 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.---from the publisher
264 pages 979-8200758098 Ages 14-17
Keywords: coming of age, accepting others, courage, autism, brothers and sisters, Asian American, Asian American author, social issues, high school, racism, family life, 14 year old, 15 year old, 16 year old
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"Published in 1937, John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men has become a classroom staple, and many middle and high schoolers will be familiar with the heartbreaking story of George Milton and Lennie Small. Famous for the senseless tragedy of its ending, the book exposed profound fissures in American society: its dangerous exploitation of the working class, its callous disregard for those with disabilities, and its shameful abetment of mob justice. Hurt You is both an homage to and a modernization of this American classic, as author Marie Myung-Ok Lee lends further nuance and pathos to Steinbeck’s themes of class dynamics, power, and loyalty..."- Reviewed by Ally Byerly, The Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books https://bccb.ischool.illinois.edu/monthly/2023-06/
