Troublemaker by John Cho

Troublemaker by John Cho
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Troublemaker is an absolute page-turner!

It is April 29, 1992, in Los Angeles, California, and Jordan Parks is about to have an extraordinary night. Sixth grade has been much harder than he’d ever expected, and to bring up flagging grades, he’s been cheating on his tests and gotten caught doing it several times. Now, he’s been suspended from school.

Thinking he’ll have a little time before his parents come home from working the family liquor store, Jordan is surprised and dismayed to find them already there when he arrives. But his Umma and Appa are wholly distracted by the day’s events unfolding in South Central, where their store is located. The verdict of acquittal in the trial of the four officers accused of beating unarmed Rodney King the previous year has been announced, and the South Central neighborhood is reacting with protests, demonstrations, and now, riots and looting. His parents closed the store early and came home to Glendale to wait things out. But when the news shows the demonstrations escalating into violence and destruction, Appa decides to return to the store and board up the windows as protection against vandalism. He promises to call home when he reaches the store, but the call never comes.

The whole family is worried, but none more so than Jordan. He and his father had recently had a huge blow-up, and Jordan had said some awful things to his father, which he immediately regretted. However, pride had kept him from apologizing, and with his father now in harm’s way, Jordan is worried he’ll never be able to tell his father he was sorry and what is really going on in his life.

When Jordan’s ne’er-do-well friend, Mike Rhee, phones to get him to hang out, Jordan sees a chance to help his father and prove to him that he’s not the big disappointment his father claimed him to be. Appa has a handgun in his bedroom closet, and Jordan plans to take the weapon to his father at the store for protection. Putting the gun in his backpack and sneaking out of the house to meet Mike is just the start of Jordan’s mission to reunite with his father and prove to him and himself that he’s not a complete failure.

Troublemaker is an exciting, tension-filled adventure set during the outrage, riots, and violence in South Central Los Angeles in the aftermath of the Rodney King verdict. The main character, Jordan Park, is twelve-years-old and he’s going through a tough time, as many children do when they transition from elementary school to sixth grade.

Jordan is the youngest and only son in an immigrant Korean family, which includes his parents, older sister, and grandfather. He knows his parents are struggling to make a success of their life in the U.S. He had heard them talking and arguing in the kitchen when they thought he couldn’t hear. But his parents don’t openly discuss their circumstances, only ever insisting that he not worry.

At the same time, Jordan keeps his struggles to himself with the same intention, not adding to his parents’ worries. He wants to fix things on his own, his own way. It’s just that his choices to do so have only made things worse. He also feels he’s being held to an impossible standard; his older sister, Sarah, is practically perfect!

The exciting and tense story of Jordan’s mission to get to his father makes Troublemaker an absolute page-turner! Danger lurks around every corner as he and his friend, Mike, race their way through Koreatown: danger not only from the unusual event unfolding nearby but also that as a result of the boys’ actions as well.

Troublemaker is a look inside a Korean American family, and the author includes Korean honorifics with just the right amount of context for the reader to quickly understand the meaning. The family dynamics are such that most readers will readily relate to young Jordan’s dilemmas. I found many scenes touching, and I became filled with emotion.

Another significant aspect of the story is the presentation of the events of April 29, 1992, and its effects on the people of South Central, in general, and the Korean community, in particular. The author’s notes describe this book as one result of Cho’s desire to explain to his own children current events occurring after the murder of George Floyd and also the rise and public awareness of discrimination and violence focused against Asian Americans. The similarities of events, 30 years apart, are eye-opening, disheartening, and should stand as a reminder to do better.

With its exciting plot and relatable characters, Troublemaker is a wonderful middle-grade novel that even reluctant readers will enjoy. The author’s writing style is easy to read and very engaging. Young and older readers alike will be caught up in the action and not only for the pure adventure but for the historical events portrayed.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from TBR and Beyond Tours.

View all my reviews