Interspersed in Michael ByungJu Kim’s captivating first novel Offerings are delightful Korean proverbs called sajaseong-eo. In the old days, these wise words written in Chinese characters were recited by scholars and noblemen, and eventually many of these sayings were adopted into the everyday vernacular of the common folk. Sajaseong-eo literally means four character proverb, and…
In 1995, when I read Chang-Rae Lee’s impressive debut novel Native Speaker, I was inspired to read every new novel written by a Korean American as it was published. That was not such a difficult task in the 90s, but in the course of the new century, there has been such an explosion of excellent…
Author Min Jin Lee will read from her work and engage in conversation with Sam Crane, Chair of Asian Studies and the Edward S. Greenbaum 1910 Professor of Political Science, and take audience questions. Free and open to the public. All are invited. Sponsored by the Williams College Asian Studies Department. Min Jin Lee was…
I’m a huge fan of essays. The personal essay at its best provides some of the most heart piercing reading you can experience. This is such an essay. In just a few sentences of her essay published this week in the Great Read section of the New York Times, Min Jin Lee reminds you of…
As a mother of two young (not yet school-age) boys with the attention spans of a gnat and an exceptional ability to make our house feel twice as small, I have serious reservations about buying them new toys. But I don’t have the same qualms when it comes to books. Our house is cluttered with…
Webinar: Current State of the Korean American Community On Thursday, February 25, 2021, at 4:00 pm PST / 7:00 pm EST, please join Council of Korean Americans for an exclusive fireside chat with award-winning Korean American novelist Chang-Rae Lee, who has recently released his sixth novel, My Year Abroad. ? Copies of My Year Abroad signed by Chang-Rae Lee are available at…
2021 John Newbery Medal Goes to Korean American If you don’t know who Tae Keller is, you should. Korean-American Tae Keller has just won the 2021 Newbery Medal, the most prestigious honor for children’s literature, for her book When You Trap A Tiger. Her children’s book When You Trap A Tiger details a story about…
Apple has officially announced the cast for its “Pachinko” series, with Korean superstar Lee Min Ho among those starring in the series. Set to begin production on Oct. 26, “Pachinko” is an adaptation of the Min Jin Lee novel of the same name. It chronicles the hopes and dreams of four generations of a Korean immigrant…