''<center>//A Journey Around A Star//</center>''
<center>//Welcome aboard our journey into the world of [[Nicola Yoon]].//
Throughout our trip, we will witness a brief display of the numerous works that she has created, the accomplishments and awards that she has received, and a sneak peek into her life and reasoning for embarking on this journey and how her work has affected her audience.
Please Keep All Arms and Legs within the ride.
Enjoy!!
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''<center>//Who Is Nicola Yoon?//</center>''
Now you might be wondering, "Who is Nicola Yoon?" and "How is she connected to Caribbean Literature". Rest assured, these questions will be answered in due time.
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Mrs Nicola Yoon is a Jamaican American YA author. Mrs Yoon was born in Jamaica on the 1st of October 1972. When she was 11 years old she and her family moved to Brooklyn, New York. Mrs Yoon remarked that she was allowed to be who she wanted to be when growing up in Jamaica. She further stated that the first time she felt different was when she moved to America.
She studied electrical engineering at Cornell University. Subsequently, she worked as a Financial Data Programmer. She then received her master's degree in Creative Writing from Emerson College. While working in finance, Mrs Yoon dedicated her free time to writing. Through this, she published her debut book, [[Everything, Everything]].
During a CBS interview, she revealed that she decided to fully pursue her dream of being a writer because of the birth of her daughter. Mrs Yoon stated that she would one day tell her daughter to follow her dreams all while she was not doing so. The result of this switch in lifestyle was her book, [[The Sun Is Also A Star]]
In her most recent book, [[Instructions for Dancing]] the author drew inspiration from events that were occurring in her life; her mother falling sick as well as the cancer diagnosis and later death of her father-in-law. In the CBS Interview Mrs Yoon said, “What I was thinking about while I was writing this book is, why do we fall in love, why do we let ourselves love people when we know things are going to end”.
The protagonists of Mrs Yoon’s books are always characters of color. Her reasoning behind this is to provide representation for her daughter and by extension young women of color.
Let's continue our journey as we view some of Mrs Yoon's [[Works]].
''<center>//BOOKS WRITTEN BY NICOLA YOON//</center>''
<ul>
<li>[[Everything, Everything]]
<li>[[The Sun Is Also A Star]]
<li>[[Instructions for Dancing]]
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''<center>//MOVIES INSPIRED BY NICOLA YOON'S WORK//</center>''
Out of the three published books by Nicola Yoon, two of these have movie adaptations of them. These are [[Everything, Everything movie]] and [[The Sun Is Also A Star movie]].
''<center>//INSTRUCTIONS FOR DANCING//</center>''
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Instructions for Dancing is the most recently published book by Nicola Yoon. It was published on June 1st 2021.
In this story we follow Yvette “Evie” Antoinette Thomas who has a peculiar ability; she can see how relationships will end. They always end with a broken heart. Due to her abilities, Evie is hesitant when it comes to love. This is unlike her dance partner Xavier “X” Darius Woods who does not hesitate.
''//<center>Themes Of The Book</center>//''
''Taking A Risk For Love & Accepting Living In The Moment Even If It May Not End Well.''
Evie does not usually take risks especially when it comes to love due to her knowing how the relationship will end. X is not like this and he welcomes love with open arms. During this book, Evie chooses between taking the risk of love along with living in the moment and staying away from love to keep herself safe. In the beginning, she chooses to stay safe, but after learning more about X she changed her view of the situation and chose love. She then went back to her prior stance after seeing how their relationship will end after kissing X. She once more decides to allow herself to love him for as long as possible. She then concludes that the pain of heartbreak is pale in comparison to the joys of love.
''//<center>Awards Received</center>//''<ul><li>Instructions for Dancing debuts at #1 on the New York Times bestsellers list (2021)
<li>Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction (2021)
</ul>
''//<center>Instructions for Dancing Timeline</center>//''
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[[Books]]
[[Works]]
[[Quotes]]
''<center>//ANTHOLOGIES//</center>''
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[[Works]]
[[Quotes]]
''<center>//QUOTES//</center>''
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“I know she's just trying to protect me, just as I was to protect myself a few short weeks ago, but her words make me aware that the heart in my chest is a muscles like any other. It can hurt.”
― Nicola Yoon, Everything, Everything (page 113)
“Just because it's the first time doesn't make it less real, does you? Even the universe has a beginning.”
― Nicola Yoon, Everything, Everything (page 220)
“Every ocean deserves to be seen by you. (Olly in Everything, Everything)”
― Nicola Yoon, Everything, Everything
“Just because you can’t experience everything doesn’t mean you shouldn’t experience anything.”
-Nicola Yoon, Everything, Everything
“No one can put a price on losing everything.”
― Nicola Yoon, The Sun Is Also a Star (page 63)
“Love always changes everything.”
― Nicola Yoon, The Sun Is Also a Star (page 298)
“It's hard to come for someplace or someone you're not proud of.”
― Nicola Yoon, The Sun Is Also a Star (page 144)
“They don't know what poor is. They don't know that poverty is a sharp knife carving away at you. They don't know what it does to the body. To a mind.”
― Nicola Yoon, The Sun Is Also a Star (page 238)
“The problem with broken hearts isn’t that they kill you. It’s that they don’t”
― Nicola Yoon, Instructions for Dancing
“Happiness is tricky. Sometimes you have to fight for it. Sometimes, though—the best times—it sneaks up behind you, wraps an arm around your waist and pulls you close.”
― Nicola Yoon, Instructions for Dancing
“It doesn’t matter that love ends. It just matters that there’s love.”
― Nicola Yoon, Instructions for Dancing
“Sometimes the only thing to say about a period of time is that it’s passing and that you’re surviving it.”
― Nicola Yoon, Instructions for Dancing
“To love is human. We can't help ourselves.”
― Nicola Yoon, Instructions for Dancing
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[[Summary]]
[[Resources]]
Nicola Yoon worked on several different types of work. These include her [[Books]]. Some of which turned into [[Movies]]. Her work was also showcased in [[Anthologies]].
''//<center>Timeline of All Nicola Yoon's Work</center>//''
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''<center>//SUMMARY//</center>''
Mrs Nicola Yoon who is the first black woman to hit #1 New York Times Best Selling Author, is among the gems of Caribbean Writing. Her work, namely her books, ‘Everything, Everything’, ‘The Sun Is Also A Star’ and ‘Instructions for Dancing’ have been recognized by readers and institutions worldwide. Especially the POC community to whom Mrs Yoon’s work is dedicated.
[[Resources]]
''<center>//RESOURCES//</center>''
<div class="hangingindent"><p>BOOKRAGS. (n.d.). Instructions For Dancing Summary. Www.BookRags.Com. Retrieved June 19, 2022, from http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-instructions-for-dancing/themesmotifs.html#gsc.tab=0</p></div>
<div class="hangingindent"><p>Britannica Kids. (n.d.). Nicola Yoon. Retrieved June 19, 2022, from https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Nicola-Yoon/631778#:%7E:text=Her%20family%20came%20to%20the,child%20Yoon%20loved%20to%20write.</p></div>
<div class="hangingindent"><p>CBS Mornings. (2021, June 5). Author Nicola Yoon discusses new novel “Instructions for Dancing” and following her passions [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQz_U2OloV8</p></div>
<div class="hangingindent"><p>Everything, Everything Themes. (n.d.). LitCharts. Retrieved June 19, 2022, from https://www.litcharts.com/lit/everything-everything/themes</p></div>
<div class="hangingindent"><p>Movieclips Trailers. (2017, February 14). Everything, Everything Trailer #1 (2017) | Movieclips Trailers [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42KNwQ6u42U</p></div>
<div class="hangingindent"><p>Nicola Yoon. (n.d.). Nicola Yoon. Retrieved June 19, 2022, from https://www.nicolayoon.com/</p></div>
<div class="hangingindent"><p>Nicola Yoon (Author of Everything, Everything). (n.d.). Goodreads. Retrieved June 19, 2022, from https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7353006.Nicola_Yoon</p></div>
<div class="hangingindent"><p>Nicola Yoon Quotes (Author of Everything, Everything). (n.d.). Goodreads. Retrieved June 19, 2022, from https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/7353006.Nicola_Yoon</p></div>
<div class="hangingindent"><p>Twine / An open-source tool for telling interactive, nonlinear stories. (n.d.). Twine. Retrieved June 19, 2022, from http://twinery.org/</p></div>
<div class="hangingindent"><p>Warner Bros. Pictures. (2019, February 6). THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR - Official Trailer [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3On0BXzGnuI</p></div>
<div class="hangingindent"><p>Wikipedia contributors. (2022a, May 29). The Sun Is Also a Star. Wikipedia. Retrieved June 19, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sun_Is_Also_a_Star</p></div>
<div class="hangingindent"><p>Wikipedia contributors. (2022b, June 19). Everything, Everything (film). Wikipedia. Retrieved June 19, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everything,_Everything_(film)</p></div>
<div class="hangingindent"><p>Zotero | Your personal research assistant. (n.d.). Zotero. Retrieved June 19, 2022, from https://www.zotero.org/</p></div>
[[Introduction]]
''<center>//EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING//</center>''
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Everything, Everything is a book that focuses on the life of Madeline "Maddy" Furukawa Whittier a soon-to-be 18-year-old who's living with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) and her love interest Oliver "Olly" Bright who was the boy next door throughout their journey of falling in love.
The plot of the story is tightly knit around Maddy experiencing love for the first time. All while, discovering that she was never truly sick.
''//<center>Themes Of The Book</center>//''
''Dysfunctional Families''
In ‘Everything, Everything’, we meet two types of dysfunctional families in the main characters. Maddy’s family showcases an overprotective family archetype. Everything Maddy did and was permitted to do was overseen by her mother who doubled as her doctor. Everything from food and clothing to friends was closely monitored. This means that Maddy broke free from this prescribed mould the first opportunity she saw available; Olly. Olly’s family was also dysfunctional but in a different way. Olly’s father is physically abusive to his wife and children.
Both of these characters use each other as their way of escaping their flawed families.
''The importance of truth and honesty''
In the novel, the importance of truth and honesty is highlighted. Maddy’s mother lies to Maddy about her health; this results in Maddy running away from home. Another instance in which lies ended in tragedy includes Carla being fired for lying to Maddy’s mother (not telling her about Olly’s visits to the house).
''The important of experience''
When Maddy runs away with Olly, she was exposed to everything all at once. She had zero experience with the outside world other than learning about it behind a screen. She had never interacted with the stimuli of the outside world which made her very susceptible to illness. The same occurs when parents prevent their children from building experiences with human interactions out of fear of possible danger. If the child does not have knowledge of situations and is not allowed to experience and solve their own problems, they will be helpless when they are finally allowed to do these tasks.
''Taking Risks For Love''
In the beginning, we see Maddy as a very cautious person; this characteristic of hers slowly fades after meeting Olly. She eventually lets down her guard and falls completely in love with him. This book touches on the belief that one must take risks in order to satisfy their needs especially when it comes to love.
''//<center>Awards Received</center>//''<ul><li>Everything, Everything debuts at #1 on the New York Times Best Seller List. (2015)
<li>Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Debut Goodreads Author, and for Young Adult Fiction (2015)
<li>Soaring Eagle Book Award (2016)
<li>Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis Nominee for Preis der Jugendjury (2016)
<li>Teen Buckeye Book Award (2017)
<li>Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award Nominee for Young Adults (2017)
<li>Rhode Island Teen Book Award (2017)
<li>Milwaukee County Teen Book Award Nominee (2017)
<li>South Carolina Book Award for Young Adult (2018)
<li>Evergreen Teen Book Award (2018)
<li>Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award (2018)
<li>Gateway Readers Award (2018)
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''//<center>Everything, Everything Timeline</center>//''
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[[Everything, Everything movie]]
[[Books]]
[[Works]]
[[Quotes]]
''<center>//THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR//</center>''
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The book 'The Sun Is Also A Star' takes us along Natasha Kingsley's final day in New York as she tries desperately to find ways to keep her family from being deported. Along the way she continuously runs into Daniel Bae who has an important meeting that could change his life forever. Throughout this story we see both of the characters encounter drawbacks most of which they overcome. It seems like fate has brought them together, only to pull them apart again all within a day. Nevertheless, at the end of the book, they find each other again.
''//<center>Themes Of The Book</center>//''
''The Fallacy of the American Dream.''
Both of the characters came from immigrant families who migrated to the United States hoping to create a better life for their families. The difference between the treatment of legal immigrants and illegal immigrants is very apparent. Natasha’s family (illegal immigrants) found it difficult to survive in the US; they were even deported. They were not offered the same opportunities as Daniel’s family (legal immigrants). While the United States is advertised as the land of the free and the place where dreams are made, this is not the reality for illegal immigrants.
''The battle between the beliefs of passion and reason.''
Daniel is a very passionate person who believes in fate while Natasha is a person of science and reason. Throughout the novel, we observe how differently they see the same situation as well as how they go about solving problems. This leads to frustration in both parties as tension is high and they do not fully understand the reasoning behind the other’s beliefs. Daniel’s mother chooses reason (working with her husband in their store) over her passion (painting). Daniel has to decide between poetry (his passion) and becoming the doctor his parents wanted (reason).
''Identity''
Natasha is Jamaican-American, while Daniel is Korean-American. Both of the characters struggle with their sense of identity. This is due to the two sides of their heritage battling with each other. A character who we see choose between both sides of his identity is Charles "Charlie" Bae. He rejects the aspects of himself and his culture being Korean. An example of this in the book is when he rejected Daniel calling him //Hyung// in front of his friends. We see Charlie choose his American friends over his brother expressing a part of their Korean culture. He also refuses to eat Korean food and pretends to not understand Korean.
''//<center>Awards Received</center>//''<ul><li>California Book Award for Young Adult (Gold) (2016)
<li>New York Times Notable Children’s Book (2016)
<li>National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature (2016)
<li>Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction (2016)
<li>Michael L. Printz Award Nominee (2017)
<li>Walter Dean Myers Award Nominee (2017)
<li>#1 on the New York Times Bestseller List (2017)
<li>Premio El Templo de las Mil Puertas Nominee for Mejor novela extranjera independiente (2017)
<li>John Steptoe New Talent Award for Author (2017)
<li>Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Nominee (2017)
<li>Rhode Island Teen Book Award Nominee for Honorable Mention (2018)
<li>South Carolina Book Award Nominee for Young Adult (2019)
<li>Gateway Readers Award Nominee (2019)
<li>Lincoln Award Nominee (2020)
</ul>
''//<center>The Sun Is Also A Star Timeline</center>//''
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[[The Sun Is Also A Star movie]]
[[Books]]
[[Works]]
[[Quotes]]
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''<center>//EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING the movie//</center>''
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Everything, Everything was the first book by Mrs Yoon to have an onscreen adaptation of it. The romantic drama film was released on May 19, 2017. The film was written by J.Mills Goodloe and was directed by Stella Meghie. The cinematography by Igor Jadue-Lillo was breathtaking.
The film was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Alloy Entertainment. It has a total runtime of 96 minutes and was first released in English. The production budget of the film was set at $10 million. The film grossed a whopping $61.6 million at the box office.
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*The Cast*
</center><ul><li>Amandla Stenberg as Madeline "Maddy" Whittier
<li>Nick Robinson as Oliver "Olly" Bright
<li>Anika Noni Rose as Dr Pauline Whittier, Maddy's mother
<li>Ana de la Reguera as Carla, Maddy's nurse
<li>Taylor Hickson as Kayra Bright, Olly's younger sister
</ul>
[[Works]]
[[Movies]]
[[Quotes]]
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''<center>//THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR the movie//</center>''
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'The Sun Is Also A Star' was the second book of Mrs Yoon to have an onscreen adaptation of it. The romantic drama film was written by Tracy Oliver and directed by Ry Russo-Young and was released on May 17, 2019. The cinematography was filmed by Autumn Durald.
The film was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, Alloy Entertainment and Warner Bros. Pictures. It has a total runtime of 100 minutes and was first released in English. The production budget of the film was set at $9 million. The film grossed $6.8 million at the box office.
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*The Cast*
</center><ul><li>Yara Shahidi as Natasha Kingsley
<li>Hill Harper as Lester Barnes
<li>Charles Melton as Daniel Jae Ho Bae
<li>Gbenga Akinnagbe as Samuel Kingsley
<li>Jake Choi as Charles "Charlie" Jae Won Bae
<li>John Leguizamo as Jeremy Martinez
<li>Anais Lee as Young Natasha
<li>Miriam A. Hyman as Patricia Kingsley
<li>Jordan Williams as Peter Kingsley
<li>Keong Sim as Dae Hyun Bae
<li>Cathy Shim as Min Soo Bae
<li>Shamika Cotton as Hannah
<li>Camrus Johnson as Omar Hassabala
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[[The Sun Is Also A Star]]
[[Movies]]
[[Works]]
[[Quotes]]