A Cab Called Reliable

A Cab Called Reliable, Patti Kim, St. Martin's Griffin, 1997

Ahn Joo Cho is a young girl whose family recently emigrated from Korea to suburban Washington DC, and the narrator of this look at growing up as a hyphenated American.

Her parents fight constantly, mostly complaints from her mother about being dragged to America, and about her father's tendency to stay out late and drink too much. In the beginning of the book, coming home from elementary school, she sees her mother and little brother getting into a cab with Reliable written on the side. Only later does she realize that they aren't coming back. She thinks that she can join them if only she can go to this place called Reliable, until she is set straight by her teacher.

She takes over the cooking for her and her demanding father. Later, he buys a lunch wagon and sets up shop on the Mall in Washington DC, with Ahn along to help. In school, she is quite the story writer, mostly Korean legends or stories about life in Korea.

This is an excellent growing-up story, that is also a really good first novel. Kim does a fine job from beginning to end.