“It is easy to fall in love with this gentle girl. . . . Readers who share in this emotional journey with Sookan will grow along with her in wisdom.”—School Library Journal “Just as oysters make pearls out of grains of sand, women create something precious from their suffering. Preparing to face life alone, Sookan gathers her strength—her pearls—and resolves to succeed.”—Kirkus Reviews

As Sookan Bak, the heroine of Year of Impossible Goodbyes and Echoes of the White Giraffe, travels the long distance between Seoul, Korea, and New York City, she is consumed by questions about her future. What will her life in America be like? Will she be able to communicate and fit in? Will she do well in her studies? And has she been selfish in her decision to leave her family and pursue her own dreams? Here is the compelling, often surprising story of Sookan’s first year in a very foreign country—a joyful, overwhelming, and exhilarating time.