Archive for the ‘South Korea’ Tag
Crying in H Mart is Michelle Zauner’s beautifully-written tribute to her mother. The memoir recounts a relationship fraught with cultural and generational differences, but is also filled with love and kindness.
As the daughter of a South Korean woman and Caucasian father, Zauner’s looks often confused people. She was caught between two worlds with her mother only able to help her navigate one. Consequently, Zauner found ways to rebel against her over-protective mother. After graduating from high school in Eugene, Oregon, she moved to Pennsylvania to attend college and stayed after graduating.
The narrative blends the past with the present as Zauner struggles to make a living as a musician in Philadelphia, while working as a waitress to make ends meet. It’s during this time she learns her mother is battling cancer. She puts her life on hold and returns home to help.
The happy memories outweigh the negative ones; as Zauner grows older she understands her mother’s actions were demonstrations of love. And, she recognizes that they have more in common than she’d been willing to admit.
Food is a major source of unity, particularly the Korean dishes her mother (and the relatives in Seoul) prepares. The author’s efforts to learn the recipes, which aren’t written down, are a way for her to reciprocate her mother’s affections.
Rich with humor and tear-inducing accounts, Zauner has crafted an endearing love letter to her late mother. She’s also established herself as a singer and guitarist with the pop band Japanese Breakfast.
Crying in H Mart
Four Bookmarks
Alfred A. Knopf, 2022
239 pages
The Girl with Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee, subtitled Escape from North Korea, illustrates the author’s determination, grit and luck in her search for a new life. The title comes from the different names the author was given throughout her life, some to appease family members others to ensure her safety.
What began as a lark, just before her 18th birthday, Lee – then known as Min-young – crossed the river from her home in North Korea into China. Such an exercise, if apprehended, was punishable by imprisonment or death.
Initially, the narrative focuses on the author’s early family life: how her parents met, relatives, living conditions and more. Thanks to her father’s job with the government and her mother’s ability to bribe officials, the family fared well. Yet, this is the least interesting part of the book. It isn’t until Min-young faces a new life that the story becomes more engaging.
Changing her name to reflect a connection to China, she must learn a new language, always be on the alert for those who would turn her into the authorities and, generally, protect herself. Eventually, she makes her way to Shanghai, where she spends several years until concocting a plan to seek asylum in South Korea. This is not a decision she makes lightly. After all, her childhood included indoctrination citing that part of Korea as corrupt and barbaric.
Lee’s journey covers more than crossing borders. She endures emotional turmoil, guilt for leaving her family and fear of repercussions if caught.
The Girl with Seven Names: Escape from North Korea
Three-and-a-half Bookmarks
William Collins, 2015
304 pages (including index)
The Blue Page Special 