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Miles from Nowhere Audiobook
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(3.01) - 1,424 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Miles from Nowhere is the stunning debut novel from Pushcart Prize-winning author Nami Mun. Growing up in the Bronx during the '80s, Korean immigrant teen Joon is forced out on her own as her family crumbles around her. From there Joon comes of age on the streets of New York, balancing on a tightrope between living and surviving while displaying equal measures of street smarts and naivete. Over time, Joon comes to understand herself and her place in the world.
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"Well told story of a young Korean girl surviving on the streets of NYC, searching for love and life. Very true voice-memoir from a new perspective of friendship and struggling to live and find a place in the world. I really enjoyed this book and hope to talk to the author soon. "
— Rosebud (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Emotionally upending…Mun relays it all with a jarring honesty that makes the book...impossible to forget.”
— Boston Globe -
“Gritty, riveting…Filled with soft and lovely descriptive touches…[Mun] zip[s] back and forth between despair and joy, between degradation and exhilaration.”
— Chicago Tribune -
“Heartbreaking…We follow teenage runaway Joon as she navigates dark New York streets, and ultimately finds hope and the will to survive.”
— Glamour -
“[A] searing debut…[Mun] writes with lovely precision, lending a hallucinatory beauty to the bleak world she has created.”
— People (four stars, “Pick of the Week”)
Awards
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A 2009 Booklist Top 10 Novel
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A 2009 Orange Award for New Writers Finalist
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A Booklist Editors’ Choice
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Recipient of a 2009 Whiting Writers Award
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Winner of the 2009 Pushcart Prize
Miles from Nowhere Listener Reviews
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" This book was pretty good. It definitely confirmed that I do not ever want to live on the street. All that hopelessness..... "
— Jami, 1/16/2014 -
" A fast read, somewhat stark, again the scenes and imagery are all too familiar, having lived in NY during the 80's. "
— Steve, 1/7/2014 -
" Miles from Nowhere is a stark, startling account of a teenage runaway. This unflinching account of what happens to one unhappy and damaged teen as she tries to come to terms with her family history is an interesting and disturbing tale. "
— Tessa, 1/2/2014 -
" it was a quick read......interesting story.....but I don't think the author finished the story very well. "
— Aileen, 12/26/2013 -
" loved the setting and how the story of the runaway develops. dont want to spoil it i highly recommend this one. "
— Tsuki, 12/23/2013 -
" Raw addicting book about a runaway. Great short read. "
— Kathy, 12/22/2013 -
" This is a really quick read, but it is far from an easy one. Mun's style is stark and bleak. She does not blunt her language or her subject material. She also does not shy away from expressing the emotion of Joon when Joon herself knows how she is feeling. The narrative jumps forward and backward without much warning. I found this effective though because of Joon's age and her substance abuse issues which would likely be clouded and make establishing a truly coherent and specific timeline of her life impossible. The font size and margins may look like something from juvenille fiction but the subject matter certainly is not. "
— Nicole, 12/17/2013 -
" This book was just OK for me. It was, in my opinion, extrememly disjointed. Very reminiscient of Go Ask Alice in a way. "
— Ashley, 11/29/2013 -
" Miles From Nowhere is a grotesque, horrifying, yet at times beautiful depiction of how cold the world can be to a well intentioned but circumstantially funked child who just wants to hold on to a happy moment before it disintegrates or dies. "
— James, 10/14/2013 -
" again id give it 3.5 but im rounding down this time lol. worth reading and not super long so goes really fast. "
— Meghan, 10/4/2013 -
" I'm so impressed with Ms. Mun's ability to tell this haunting story of stray adolescence. "
— kirsten, 8/2/2013 -
" I liked the book, but it was a little bit intense and bleak for me. I did think the main character was well written and mostly believable. "
— Ruth, 11/29/2012 -
" Calling this fragmented story collection a "novel" is quite a stretch. It reads like an MFA thesis written by a student who can't decide if she wants to do a "novel" or a "story collection." The detached, sterile 1st-person POV seems forced and over-workshopped. "
— Ginger, 11/5/2012 -
" I liked this book...it was heart wrenching at times, hard to stomach at other times, and I can't say that I would ever read it again. About as uplifting as a story about a 13 year old runaway-turned-hooker-turned-junkie can be. Sad and depressing but lovely. "
— Mel, 9/23/2012 -
" A quick and disturbing read. Very frank and raw. "
— Suzannelees, 9/15/2012 -
" 5.4 GR newsletter JAN 09 "
— pjreads, 7/13/2012 -
" Very good book and a quick read. I had a hard time putting it down. The book showed me a different side of life then I am familiar with. There were some funny parts but most of the book was sad. But that matched her life. I didn't really like the ending. "
— Joe, 7/12/2012 -
" A sad sad story, but I never could connect with the main character and it was too disjointed to follow any kind of storyline. The writing was beautiful however and the feel of the story was very real. "
— E, 3/26/2012 -
" I'm not sure about this book. It's compelling, but I found it hard to get through - maybe b/c I have a hard time with this type of character/personality. "
— Carolyn, 11/16/2011 -
" This book was certainly raw, but I never felt invested in the main character. She just never developed for me. The raw scenes felt contrived, an attempt to shock without fleshing out the fallout. "
— Katrina, 5/17/2011 -
" I could not put this book down. It's not for the faint of heart, but the story is beautiful in its tragedy and expertly told. "
— Livinlite, 5/7/2011 -
" Well written, harrowing tale of growing up on the streets of NYC. "
— Joan, 5/6/2011 -
" Kind of depressing but good, quick read. "
— Mary, 2/8/2011 -
" Interesting treatment of tough subject matter. Well written. "
— Julianne, 1/30/2011 -
" I liked the book, but it was a little bit intense and bleak for me. I did think the main character was well written and mostly believable. "
— Ruth, 1/16/2011 -
" Very disturbing but totally unique and captivating. "
— Allison, 1/5/2011
About Nami Mun
Nami Mun was born in Seoul, South Korea, and grew up there and in Bronx, New York. She has worked as an Avon Lady, an activities coordinator for a nursing home, a photojournalist, and a criminal investigator. After earning her GED, she graduated from UC Berkeley and earned an MFA from the University of Michigan. A recipient of a Pushcart Prize, she has published in numerous journals including the 2007 Pushcart Prize anthology, Iowa Review, Tin House, Evergreen Review, Witness, and other journals. She currently lives in Chicago.
About Ali Ahn
Ali Ahn is a film, television, and voice actor. Her acting credits include appearances on Law & Order, Ugly Betty, White Collar, and Zero Hour. She has also narrated numerous audio books, such as Honolulu by Alan Brennert, This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen, Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas, and Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart.