A Song of Inspiration and Hope, a Newbery Medal-Winning Verse Novel

Red, White, and the Whole One is a 2022 Newbery Honor winner for junior fiction.
It is introduced as a novel that is good for elementary school students to middle school students to read.
But when we open the book, we see unfamiliar writing that is different from the novels we know.
We see what we usually call poetry: short lines and stanzas, metaphors and other figures of speech, and the development of emotions.
But when you read these poems, you realize that they are not separate stories, but rather connected and tell one story.
This is the Verse Novel.

Although this type of verse novel is not a common form in our country, it is a common literary form in the English-speaking world.
A verse novel, in which poems are connected to form a single story, can enjoy the advantages of both poetry and prose.
In the case of poetry, the world is viewed and refined from the poet's subjective perspective and expressed, which allows us to better understand and feel the poet's thoughts and emotions.
In the case of prose, the story structure is enriched by describing and explaining the situation and background.
The poem helps readers understand the story by clearly explaining the relationships between various people, the surrounding background, and certain situations that the poem might have missed.


The strengths of these two genres are well expressed in this book.
Not only are the subtle emotional changes, identity confusion, and feelings of love and friendship of the protagonist Leha well expressed, but the passage of time and relationships with people that Leha finds herself in are also well described.
In particular, the various stages of the protagonist Leha's emotions are well revealed in the process of her mother being treated for her illness, and they also penetrate the hearts of readers.

Another advantage of verse novels is that they can be read in a short amount of time.
That doesn't mean there isn't much content in it.
Because a lot of content is expressed condensed, readers can feel the aftertaste as long as the reading time.
You will be more moved and impressed when you read it twice than once, and three times than twice.

Finding hope while struggling between one's parents' wishes and one's own

This book tells the story of an Indian-American girl who is in the second and eighth grades of middle school in Korea.
It is the story of an adolescent girl struggling with her identity between being Indian and American.
But this concern cannot be seen solely as a concern about the identity of Indians and Americans.
Similar concerns can be found in the case of our children and youth.
It's a clash between the desire to live up to mom and dad's expectations and the desire to have fun right now.
The conflict between the values ​​that parents consider important and the values ​​that children today hold has always existed regardless of time and place, and is a topic that has been addressed in many cultural contents in our country.
That is why, even though the story is set in 1983 and the setting is a small town in America, Korean children can also become engrossed in the story and empathize with Leha's feelings.

It is difficult for children to simply ignore their parents' expectations and criticize their parents' values ​​as outdated.
Children know how much their parents love them, and because they love their parents too, they want to make them happy.
The main character of this book, Leha, is experiencing conflicts in many ways.
First of all, there is the identity confusion as an Indian and an American.
The second is the conflict between mom and dad's expectations and one's own desires.
And finally, there is the mixed dream of wanting to go to medical school, study life sciences, and become a doctor, despite being afraid of blood.
This book does a good job of portraying Leha's internal conflict and confusion.
But if this book had stopped at describing these conflicts and confusions, it would not have won the Newbery Medal.
This book sincerely expresses, through the author's life, that these differences and these confusions are all elements that make up oneself, and that rather than losing oneself because of them, one becomes a complete self thanks to them.

Red and White, Singing Perfect One

This book is striking even from the outside.
When you peel off the cover featuring a strong image of a young girl, you are greeted by an ivory-colored suit with a pretty red pattern and a red title.
And when you turn the cover, you will find red paper, and when you turn the pages again, you will find 118 poems written in red on white paper.
These red letters may seem unfamiliar at first.
This structure is intended to better express the theme of this book.
The title of this book, "Red, White, and Complete One," refers to red blood cells, white blood cells, and all the blood components combined to form complete blood.
It also means that the protagonist, who has both an Indian and an American identity, overcomes the confusion between the two identities and finds his own identity.
It seems like two worlds are divided, but the poem is written in red letters on white paper to express that the two worlds are merging and becoming one.


Translator Kim Nan-ryeong, who translated this book, made the narrative as understandable as possible, using restrained words and metaphors, and instilling a sense of rhythm in the translation.
The translation was done with great care to ensure that not a single comma or period would ruin the rhythm, conveying the feeling the original text was trying to convey.


This book also mentions the titles of many popular pop songs from 1983.
These pop songs have been translated into Korean to reflect their symbolic nature in the story, but their original titles are listed in parentheses so that readers can find and enjoy them when needed.
In particular, QR codes are included in the front and back to allow easy access to the pop songs mentioned in this book on YouTube.
If you watch the song along with the music video on YouTube, you will be able to feel more of Leha's emotions and the landscape of the time, and enjoy reading it.

“This heartbreaking verse novel is a heartfelt exploration of Reha’s journey as an Indian-American to find her place in the world while her mother battles cancer.
“The powerful metaphors and images of the myth help her realize that what she felt was tearing her apart actually makes her whole.” - From the Newbery review

“In 1983, 13-year-old Reha felt, ‘I don’t fit in anywhere, not in America, not in India.’
These feelings intensify even as Leha's mother is diagnosed with leukemia and undergoes multiple rounds of chemotherapy.
Composed of short, metaphor-rich poems, this verse novel weaves a complex narrative intricately.
Poetry is a voice that ponders identity, a faithful means of expressing grief in stages, and also fulfills its duty to express the illness and loss of a mother.” - [Honbuk]

“This historical novel, written in La Roca’s poetry, flows smoothly like the many pop songs it frequently references, guiding the reader through Leha’s past and present.
Readers will be transformed by her story.” - [Booklist]

“Larocca showed the best that can be done with verse.
Leisurely, direct, and truthful, every word and thought is carefully and intentionally placed to tell a story.
“A meticulous coming-of-age story with all the elements to make a new junior novel classic.” -[Book Page]

“In this vivid and heartfelt fairy tale set in 1983, the protagonist, Leha, is often torn between wanting to have a fun eighth grade year and being a dutiful daughter to her parents.
Then, when his mother becomes seriously ill, Reha struggles to help.” - [Washington Post]