Diversity in All Forms! discussion
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Miracle Creek
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Miracle Creek (January 2021)
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I read Miracle Creek for the Booktube Prize in the octafinal round. My assignment was to rank the six books in this "heat" from 1-6 and I ranked it in 3rd, despite the fact it did not qualify for the Top 3 that would advance it into the next round.I noticed that Miracle Creek resorted to the perspective-based chapters where certain characters would take turns sharing their point of view and I thought it was pretty good, but books like The Other Americans did slightly better. Funny enough, both books have a whodunit element to them. I think Kim did a good job depicting the people and their situations regarding Korean immigrants looking to make a better life for themselves in the United States and the struggles of adjusting from one country to the other, both as an adult looking to make ends meet and a child looking to fit into the general environment. She also does a good job depicting those with autism and the different ways that there parents react. I felt a great sense of sympathy for the autist patients and toward TJ's mother, Kitt, but while we are being asked to feel sympathy for Elizabeth, I could not find an ability to do so. Elizabeth was incredibly demanding and it felt like while she was doing what she was able to make Henry's circumstance better, it felt like she was doing it more for herself than she was for Henry and the way she acted was more self-considerate than anything. Also, while parents have the right to become impatient and lose their cool in stressful situations, I cannot overlook actions of parental abuse.
I give Kim a lot of credit for what had to be background research on Barney and Friends. I am not sure if I would be able to spend extensive time with Barney, for it would start to drive me insane, but if it was for the good of enhancing a book, then it would probably be worth it.
This book was very thought-provoking, intense, and provides a test on values, how people respond to certain circumstances, but most importantly the ability to be empathetic, even during the toughest times. The whodunit faction kept the story going, while the stories about the characters kept us hooked to the flow of the story.
It has been a while since I read this book so the plot and my overall impressions are not as clear as they were right after reading. But, I do remember enjoying the book and that it was a creative plot.And, here is my review and I gave it 5 stars!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I was going back through the review and it appears I focused on two key points:
- It may take you a while to get into it
- Trigger Warning: Controversies around alternative therapy for autism
Not much triggers me, but I know hot button topics when I see them so I try and point them out when I can so someone doesn't come back and say "I read this book because you gave it 5 stars, but now I am upset!"
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That is a great idea to do trigger warnings with your 5 star reviews. I have never thought about doing that!
I finally snagged this from my library and am anxious to read and discuss it!
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Can't wait to hear your thoughts!
I'm not quite one third of the way through, but I'm enjoying it. Having so many different viewpoints is a format that makes sense for a courtroom thriller because, in a trial, you hear from a lot of different people with different perspectives, including prosecution, defense, and witnesses.I also like getting a glimpse into what life is like for a Korean immigrant to the U.S.
Totally hooked on this and should be done in a few days. She really keeps you guessing. I like how she makes all the characters - if not "likeable- at least understandable and somewhat sympathetic. I get what Josh means about the Elizabeth character, though. Very hard to like or even sympathize with.
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim
How far will you go to protect your family? Will you keep their secrets? Ignore their lies?
In a small town in Virginia, a group of people know each other because they’re part of a special treatment center, a hyperbaric chamber that may cure a range of conditions from infertility to autism. But then the chamber explodes, two people die, and it’s clear the explosion wasn’t an accident.
A showdown unfolds as the story moves across characters who are all maybe keeping secrets, hiding betrayals. Was it the careless mother of a patient? Was it the owners, hoping to cash in on a big insurance payment and send their daughter to college? Could it have been a protester, trying to prove the treatment isn’t safe?