Saying Goodbye

Author: Marie G. Lee Setting: contemporary United States Protagonist's culture/ethnicity: Korean American

Saying Goodbye tells the story of Ellen Sung, a young woman of Korean-American heritage who is beginning her first year at Harvard University. Saddened by the prospect of leaving behind her high school friends and starting over in a new city, Ellen arrives at Harvard feeling lost and unsure. Because she has spent most of her life in the small, largely white town of Arkin, Minnesota, she is surprised to encounter so many nonwhite faces. No longer the only Asian American at her school, Ellen for the first time is exposed to the Korean language and culture outside her home.

Ellen's adjustment to her new surroundings is made easier by the close friendships she develops with her roommate, Leecia, and a young man named Jae Chun whom she meets in her tae kwan do class. Despite her fears about fitting in and succeeding at Harvard, Ellen finds herself enjoying the freedom of being away from home. For the first time in her life she is able to pursue her own interests without fear of her parents' disapproval. She also finds herself learning more about her cultural heritage form Jae Chun, who begins to teach her the Korean language.

Ellen's happiness at Harvard is soon threatened by an unexpected racial controversy. When Leecia's African American Alliance Group invites a black rap star known for his negative lyrics about Koreans to campus, Ellen finds herself torn between friendship and her need to stand up for what she believes. Ellen's decision to take part in the Korean students' protest leads to an ugly confrontation with Leecia that ends their friendship. Although Ellen accepts that she did the right thing in standing up for her beliefs, she knows how much pain this choice has caused her. The end of the year leaves Ellen both wiser and sadder about the kinds of situations that demand difficult choices.

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