When My Name Was Keoko

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Inspired by her own family's stories of living in South Korea during the Japanese occupation in the years preceding World War II, Newbery Medal-winning author Linda Sue Park chronicles the compelling story of two siblings, 10-year-old Sun-hee and 13-year-old Tae-yul, and their battle to maintain their identity and dignity during one of Korea's most difficult and turbulent times. In alternating first-person chapters, they relate their family's troubles under the strict fascist regime. The Kim family is stripped of their cultural symbols, only permitted to learn Japanese history and language, and forced to convert their names to Japanese. Sun-hee, now Keoko, struggles to reconcile her Korean home life with her Japanese school and friends, while Tae-yul, now Nobuo, attempts to convert his growing anger into a more positive passion for flight and airplanes. Both are worried for their uncle, whom they discover is printing an underground Korean resistance paper. When Sun-hee inadvertently puts her uncle's life in danger, she sets in motion a chain of events that results in her brother volunteering as a pilot for the Japanese near the end of WWII. While Sun-hee and her parents wait in breathless uncertainty to hear from Tae-yul, the war rushes to a close, leaving Korea's destiny hanging in the balance. This well-researched historical novel is accompanied by a thoughtful author's note that explains what happened to Korea and families like the Kims after WWII and a bibliography to entice interested young readers into learning more about a topic largely unknown to American audiences. (Ages 10 to 14) --Jennifer Hubert

Book Description

Sun-hee and her older brother Tae-yul are proud of their Korean heritage. Yet they live their lives under Japanese occupation. All students must read and write in Japanese and no one can fly the Korean flag. Hardest of all is when the Japanese Emperor forces all Koreans to take Japanese names. Sun-hee and Tae-yul become Keoko and Nobuo. Korea is torn apart by their Japanese invaders during World War II. Everyone must help with war preparations, but it doesn’t mean they are willing to defend Japan. Tae-yul is about to risk his life to help his family, while Sun-hee stays home guarding life-and-death secrets.

Customer Reviews:

Great book for adults and teens.......2007-04-10

This is a beautiful and powerful book that every adolescent girl and boy should read. I especially loved the way Park weaves Keoko's coming-of-age story in a way that honored traditional Korean values. It would have been easy to use the story to disparage those values, an all too common technique these days. But Park resisted that urge and the result is a warm-hearted and endearing story that readers will not soon forget.

syp.......2006-12-04

The book "When My Name Was Keoko" by Linda Sue Park is a really good book because it teaches readers so much about a time in history alot of people don't really know about. The details in this book help in teaching readers about history without really researching. Also, even though the book is about Japanese taking control of Korea, Linda Sue Park managed to write the whole book without once insulting the Japanese. She managed to changed the theme from hate to helping our family and people all around us. This is why I think "When My Name Was Keoko" is a very good book.

Trenton's Review.......2006-10-25

This story took place during four years of WW2. Sun-Hee who was the youngest in the family was a girl so she had very little rights. But she had always wished that would change because she had very good ideas. During this book the japanese were being mean to the Koreans adn they started a rebellion. Sun-Hee's uncle was printer for the resistance newspaper. When the Japanese fouind out they went into hiding. During the war in Korea they didnt learn anything in school they only du gtrenches and made sticks into spears just in case o fa take over.
Tae-Yul didnt like building those things and he was the oldest so he went and helped build an airstrip for the japanese so he could get out of school. Then he signed up for the Army hoping he would get to fly a plane. He got his chance when he voluteered to be a kamikazee bomber. He went to a training camp and was there for 9 weeks and then he was told that he was to go on a mission. He went on a kamikazee mission but never flew the whole mission because of the weather. So his parents thought he was dead but he really wasnt. He finally came home about 2 and a half months after that happened.

An American Living in South Korea.......2006-03-08

This little book has had such a huge impact on me! Living here we Americans can get so confused on why the South Koreans are so "strange" at times. This book will give anyone an insight on how much change has taken place in this country over thousands of years. Read it and understand with an open heart and consider what our country would be like if it happened there. It will teach us to have compassion for this former underdog nation.

Is This Really How Life Was?.......2006-03-08

This book is about the life of two middle-class children who are living in Korea in the years 9140-1945. It tells the story of a girl by the name of Sun-hee which means "girl of brightness" and her older brother by the name of Tae-yul which means "great warmth." Many things happen to all of the members of there family. As the Japanese begin to gain more and more control over Korea the less people are allowed to speak and write Korean. Sun-hee and Tae-yul face many challenges, many they overcome and many they do not.
I really liked this book because you get a taste of what the Korean and Japanese think of us. You also get to learn a lot about Korean and Japanese culture and what life would be like as a child and adult, what struggles they would go through, and much more. I also liked this book because it was very powerful and it made you realize how good our lives are.

Average customer rating:

Modern Korean cinema at an easy glance
Mistitled, but a just-passable introductory piece for newcomers
A good primer to recent Korean Cinema
There should be more books like this
I hope there's a sequel!

Korean Cinema: The New Hong Kong
Anthony Leong
Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1553954610
Release Date: 2006-07-06

Product Description

Korean Cinema: The New Hong Kong is a guidebook for exploring the new and exciting destination for exciting and innovative cinema: South Korea. It is the first book of its kind, covering this emerging cinematic powerhouse, which has been likened to Hong Kong, in an easy-to-read and leisure-focused fashion, bringing all the sought-after information on Korean cinema into one convenient package.

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Customer Reviews:

Modern Korean cinema at an easy glance.......2007-07-25

The odd grammatical and printing error aside, this is a well-produced and easy to use guide to some of the best film-making of the last ten years or so.

It's worth noting quickly that despite the glossy cover, the book is entirely black-and-white inside with pictures that are of an acceptable rather than brilliant quality. Personally, I find this to be a very minor quibble.

I was already very enthused by recent Korean cinema before reading this book and have enjoyed it very much, but it would also make an ideal introduction for someone only just thinking of dipping their toes into the invigorating waters of the Korean New Wave.

I can't fully appreciate the frequent comparisons made with Hong Kong film-making of the 1980s having seen very little of it, but it hardly matters; this book puts across in no uncertain terms just how exciting the film scene in Korea has been for the last decade, and it would be a hard-hearted person who isn't stimulated to seek out a DVD or a viewing of some of the films reviewed here.

This is not to say, however, that the book is unbalanced. The author's enthusiasm for Korean cinema is obvious, but does not stop him criticising those films - some, even, that have done very well at the box office - that he considers do not come up to scratch.

The book is sensibly laid out to make it easy to either read straight through or dip into for specific information. It begins with a brief - and NOT heavy-going - history of the Korean film industry coming right up to the beginning of the 21st century. There then follows a chapter of in-depth reviews of 10 of the best Korean films that 'Everyone Should See'. After that the chapters are divided up by film genre (Action, Horror, etc.), and there are 87 (yes, I counted!) high-quality reviews in all. The last few chapters introduce some of the rising stars of the industry, give some assistance to those wishing to find and see these films, and look to the future of Korean film-making.

The only major disappointment for me was that due to the book's having been published in 2002, wonderful films such as A Bittersweet Life, Memories of Murder and Save the Green Planet! are not included, having been released from 2003 onwards. It would be silly to complain about this type of issue since it is inevitable, but here's hoping for a new edition of Korean Cinema: The New Hong Kong sometime soon because the cinematic gems just keep on coming!

Mistitled, but a just-passable introductory piece for newcomers.......2005-12-22

KOREAN CINEMA: THE NEW HONG KONG is clearly the product of a genuine convert to the form. Whether Anthony C.Y. Leong has remained so is anyone's guess as of late, but it indeed comes as a small surprise that this book was written by a regular contributor to Thomas Weisser's execrable ASIAN CULT CINEMA magazine, a publication that has done more to pigeonhole Asian cinema into one gigantic bowl of sex and sadism than any Pink-film-loving pervert could do in a lifetime.

From evidence provided here, though, Leong's passion for movies (which is also evidenced via various online review portals, the style here being little better than that) is better served by self-published efforts such as this than it is sandwiched between the salacious and error-ridden pages of Weisser's rag. Weisser's ASIAN CULT CINEMA book, a late-90's reference guide to Hong Kong cinema that has disseminated more MISinformation to the world than any fifty amateur fanzines could circa 1990, is still being peddled to an unsuspecting base of newcomers (I've yet to ascertain whether Leong was a contributor, but it's likely), so it's refreshing to know that viewers curious about Korean cinema at least have a reference guide that, while not blessed with particularly great prose, is at least honest and forthight in its appreciation of its subject matter, without resorting to the cheap putdowns and mysogynist leanings of the Weisser material with which its author, perhaps unwittingly, has previously been associated.

Leong is, however, WAY WAY OFF BASE in labelling Korean cinema "The New Hong Kong." The assumption that one country's cinematic fare is so lacking in cultural identity that it stands only to supplant the fare of another country - following that all Asian cinema somehow "blends" together in the eyes of outsiders - is simplistic and ill-informed to say the least. Leong, who is Chinese, makes repeated commentary about the downfall of Hong Kong cinema while holding Korean cinema up as the natural successor to the throne. Hong Kong cinema, however, is still very much alive and kicking, and while Korean cinema has certainly enjoyed a renaissance of sorts (both domestically and internationally) since the release of the high-tech action thriller SHIRI in 1999, nearly seven years on, many Korean films are still plagued by tired concepts, poorly-plotted screenplays, crass histrionics, and various culturally-specific idosyncracies that may yet be their undoing in the international market once the demand for genre pictures has dried up (as I write this, the Korean DVD market is in a serious state of financial decline). (2007 EDIT: much of this has come to pass: Korean films are garnering fewer distribs at film festivals, and they're lucky if they get one or two breakout smashes a year; DVD sales are nearlly dead in the country. They're still making films worth watching, but the industry is in serious pain right now.

However, Leong's book generally covers films from 1998 to 2002, which any Korean film fan will tell you is the period they first "discovered" Korean cinema, too. And as such, the book clearly is/was a labour of love. More scholarly books have been written on Korean cinema both before and since Leong's self-published tome, but none have ventured to simply provide straight-up reviews of the many varied films that came from this period, so depite his web-forum-worthy writing style, Leong still managed a small victory for the fanboys.. Mind you, scholarly works on Korean cinema (and Korea itself!) are virtually required reading--I strongly prefer them to a book like this--if one is to truly understand the cultural subtext running through much of modern Korean cinema. Thus, Leong's book stands as the best place to START your journey, but once you've seen the films, and if you truly want to know more, then it might be good to augment this book with a more serious cultural, cinematic or even socio-political study.

The format of Leong's reviews is a bit too structurally consistent (intro-synopsis-opinion-rinse-repeat), which means they're best digested a few at a time, preferably just before of just after watching the film in question, which will at least grant the book an extended shelf life as the reader builds a Korean DVD collection. Also, the reviews are grouped into "categories," which is restrictive, particularly as many of the films aren't so easily pigeonholed. It's a small gripe, admittedly, but straightforward alphebetical listings would be much more user-friendly.

Since the book's publication at the very beginning of 2003, however, Korean cinema has produced an incredible number of feature films -ranging from derivative-but-pretty junk like MY BOYFRIEND IS TYPE B and RED EYE to international arthouse darlings like OLDBOY and TAE GUK GI - that would be well served by an update to Leong's manuscript, something which has yet to take place but would firmly cement his position as one of the few non-internet-based reviewers to tackle the subject matter in this way. One hopes that the visible reduction in his output might mean he's working on a revised version of his book, but as he's not one to return emails from interested supporters (especially those who are, at the same time, like myself, openly hostile towards his previous "employer," Miami-based bootlegger and "author" Thomas Weisser), we may simply have to wait and see what comes next, if anything...

A good primer to recent Korean Cinema.......2005-11-19

I have been interested in Korean cinema ever since I worked in Korea as an ESL teacher. My first Korean DVD purchases were Shiri and JSA, which I brought more for novelty and and as a momento of Korea than anything else, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised at the production values of both these movies. As a result, I have become a firm fan of Korean movies, and have added a number of titles to my DVD collection. This book will help me select some more good titles to add to the collection.

"Korean Cinema" fulfills a useful niche as it is basically a primer for Korean movies from 1998 to 2002 for newcomers to Korean cinema. The author reviews and rates a number of the movies made in this time span, from "Attack the Gas Station" through to "2009: Lost Memories", plus a couple of titles a couple of years older. The author also rates and discusses 10 Korean movies from that time period which he rates as must sees. It would be a good start for building a DVD collection. There is also a section devoted to the major personalities of the Korean movie industry, actors and directors. It is illustrated but only in black and white, any many of the pictures are of poor quality.

Ignore the low rating reviews of this book - the reviewers obviously brought this book expecting a serious textbook of Korean cinema, which if you actually read the advertising blurb for the book, it is most certainly not. There are books out there discussing the full history of Korean cinema, but make no mistake, this book is not one of them. It is strictly for the newcomers to the genre, and who has little knowledge of the Korean movie industry. It does have a chapter on the history of the industry in Korea, but it is only superficial, and it isn't the reason I brought the book anyway.

Especially ignore the twit who is critical of the author basing his movie reviews on english subtitles. Korean is a particularly difficult language to learn and to become sufficiently competent in the language to be able to follow a Korean movie without english subtitles is beyond the abilities of all but the most dedicated of people. The author of "Korean Cinema" does make it quite clear he is only a recent convert, and thus a beginner, in Korean movies.

This book would lend itself to an update every 3 or 4 years or so. There has been some considerably significant Korean movie releases since this book was first published, not least of which is "Tae-Guk-Gi". I also recommend checking out the website www.koreanfilm.org which has movie reviews, talent profiles and other useful informative articles. The author of the site, Darcy Paquet, is listed in the bibliography of "Korean Cinema" a number of times.

There should be more books like this.......2004-01-16

I received this for Christmas from my boyfriend and read it from cover to cover by New Years: its that good. Its like reading a magazine dedicated completely to Korean movies. Now when I go to the local Korean video store, I know which movies are worth renting and which ones to stay away from. Whoever wrote this, thank you for helping me appreciate some of the best movies in the world.

I hope there's a sequel!.......2003-08-28

What a great book! Everything you need to know about Korean movies all in one package. With lots of background on why Korean movies kick ass right now, what movies are worth watching, and which ones should be avoided, you definetely get your money's worth here. I hope he writes another one soon!

Eating Korean: From Barbecue to Kimchi, Recipes from My Home

Average customer rating:

I am somwhat disappointed but not surprised.
Excellent Recipes
A good basic introduction to Korean cooking
Great Background
its great

Eating Korean: From Barbecue to Kimchi, Recipes from My Home
Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0764540785

Book Description

Experience the savory secrets of the "other" Asian cuisine

In Eating Korean, the gifted food writer and award-winning chef Cecilia Hae Jin-Lee invites us to join her in discovering the unique cuisine and culture of her native land. Pairing delectable, authentic recipes with personal recollections and details on Korean traditions, Eating Korean offers an accessible and tempting introduction to the fresh and flavorful world of Korean cooking.

"Cecilia's stories remind me of my childhood. You can picture everyday Korean life while reading this book. The recipes keep Korean traditions well, yet are easy to follow. This is the best Korean cookbook published in English."
—Sejung Kim, Media/PR Manager, Korean Cultural Center

"Eating Korean contains not just recipes, but charming sketches of Korean life that bring this delicious, healthful cuisine to life. The recipes are so clear and simple, I'll use them often."
—Barbara Hansen, and James Beard Award-winning author

Customer Reviews:

I am somwhat disappointed but not surprised. .......2007-09-10

I lived and worked in Korea for almost 2 decades and consider korea my second home. I also love to eat and cook Korean food. I also married a Korean and have some insight in day to day meal prep. I am disappointed that Bechu )korean cabbage) is compared to napa cabbage. It is not the same. Twice a year Koreans buy bechu for betchu kimche, winter and summer kimche. It is very similar, but not identical to a typical cabbage you get here in the US, heavy, solid. I am also disappointed in some of the ingredients / descriptions and uses. For example, ground red pepper - gochu garu versus ground chili paste - gochu chung. That was not really addressed yet is a mainstay in the Korean meals. Some Korean dishes are difficult to put into a recipe simply because some of the ingredients real take a lot of time to prepare. We are lucky here in Denver that there is a Korean market, Midopa, which imports the actual Korean vegetables including bechu, got to gi (turnip) and so forth so we can make authentic Korean dishes. However, you cannot obtain homemade, that is to say family made, soy sauce and sesame oil produced here in the US. There are some older agimas who keep to the old ways who make it but is for family use, not for sale. My inlaws will bring these items here when they visit. The difference in taste is like night and day. Be advised also that each family prepares their meals a little differently.

Excellent Recipes.......2007-06-26

This is another excellent Korean cookbook. The recipe for Pancakes is excellent and tastes just like my expensive local restaurant's. Highly recommend for anyone addicted to Korean food.

A good basic introduction to Korean cooking.......2007-04-10

Like a lot of Western fans of Asian cooking, I never am quite sure if what I'm eating in a restaurant is the real, authentic cooking of a regions, or an overly Westernized version. Korean food has not been homoginized to the extent that Chinese and Thai food have in this country, but unless you're dining with a Korean-born companion you can never know for sure. The same goes for cookbooks; is this the real recipe someone would serve in their home in Korea, or something that's been homoginized to a MacDonld's-trained palatte?

I bought "Eating Korean" after reading reviews both here at Amazon and at a few on-line bulletin boards for Korean expats and Korean-Americans. The general concensus was that while the recipes were toned down a bit in seasoning, they are indeed authentic. So far, my experience has been that carefully following the recipes in Celia Hae-Jin Lee's book will deliver something very close to what I've had in various restaurants. I've made her seafood pancakes (Pa Jun), kimchee pancakes, and various namool, and all have come out very close to what I expected.

Unlike some cookbooks for non-western cuisines, no special cookware or difficult techniques are required for most of the recipes presented here. A large pot and a skillet or wok should suffice for most any recipe. Grilled meats like Bulgogi can be made on a barbecue grill. You might want to buy a traditional bowl for serving the hot BiBimBop, or some large mason jars for making Kimchee, but that's about it.

Aside from the recipes, the author's stories of growing up Korean in Korea and America are very enjoyable, and provide a context for the recipes; I was greatly reminded of another favorite cookbook, "Every Grain of Rice: A Taste of Our Chinese Childhood in America", which, although about Chinese and not Korean cooking, has a similar narrative structure.

Great Background.......2007-01-14

This is an excellent cookbook, albiet one written by a Korean-American. Like most younger Korean-Americans, she has toned down the fire. This is not a problem because almost all of her dishes can be heated up or energized by adding ground Korean Chilli Pepper. She gives excellent background on the dishes and this book is one of the best Korean Cookbooks I have seen in English. The only other comment I have is that she like many young people adds a bit too much sugar for my taste in her recipes.

its great.......2006-12-26

I love this book not only because the author is my friend's sister, but because I am Korean too and know how the food should taste. The taste of food is regional, but the recipes in this book are very good. You can tweak it to what your individual tastes are, but I love the simplicity of how she describes everything and also that its not just all fluff and pictures. The stories are heartwarming. She also tells you the names of the food in Korean (written in English the way Koreans would pronounce it) and there are sooo many recipes! I think this is the best Korean food cookbook written in English by far.

White Tigers: My Secret War in North Korea (Ausa Institute of Land Warfare Book.)

Average customer rating:

A story long un-told
Excellent Book -- 40+Years in Coming
Cloak and dagger in the Korean conflict

White Tigers: My Secret War in North Korea (Ausa Institute of Land Warfare Book.)
Ben S. Malcom , and Ron Martz
Manufacturer: Brassey's Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1574880160

Book Description

Operating from a clandestine camp on an island off western North Korea, Army Lt. Ben Malcom coordinated the intelligence activities of eleven partisan battalions, including the famous White Tigers. With Malcom’s experiences as its focus, White Tigers examines all aspects of guerrilla activities in Korea. This exciting memoir makes an important contribution to the history of special operations.

Customer Reviews:

A story long un-told.......2006-03-05

In the world of foreign military advisors, Ben Malcom's name is not a household word in comparison to Joe Stilwell, John Glubb, Edward Lansdale, and, of course, T E Lawrence. His short memoir of life with North Korean guerrillas during the Korean War deserves to be read along with those of his more famous colleages.

Ben Malcom was trained as a traditional military officer, but was thrust into a highly unusual role as an advisor to a small group of North Korean guerrillas fighting against the North Korean government. Until the 1990s, the missions the so-called White Tigers undertook were still classified. While their contribution to the overall war effort can be disputed, Malcom's lessons cannot be ignored for what they teach us about the US Army and its abiding discomfort with non-traditional warfare.

Malcom demonstrates convincingly that the US Army forgot many of the lessons derived from working with partisan forces from Burma to Greece to France during the Second World War. Those lessons would have proved invaluable to young Lieutenant Malcom as he took on a role he was not trained for, but for which he demonstrated great aptitude. His book takes us from his ROTC days, to instructor at Fort Knox, through his time in Korea, and finally to Vietnam, where he experienced a nasty case of de ja vue. His memoir is short, but exciting and written with great verve.

Much has been written about the current conflict in Iraq and how the the US military is adapting to re-learn the lessons it forgot after Vietnam about insurgency, counter-insurgency, and partisan warfare. Many authors have applauded the adaptability of the US military; Malcom's book is a cautionary tale that shows we have been down this path before and failed to institutionalize the lessons of previous conflict. For that alone, his memoir is worth the price.

Excellent Book -- 40+Years in Coming.......1999-06-14

(Note: Part of the details furnished here are based on my discussions with the author shortly after White Tigers was originally released)

First, I'll have to say I'm a bit prejudiced toward Ben Malcom. COL Ben Malcom was the post commander at Fort McPherson, Georgia in the late 70's and I commanded his military police company. In fact, Ben was instrumental in my career -- first he allowed me to command a company as a first lieutenant, something his predecessor would not do. Second, he literally pushed my application for a regular army commission through and made sure it was approved. Ben is a true gentleman and was a fine Army officer.

On to the book. White Tigers recounts Ben's story, from ROTC to the Infantry, and shortly after his commission, to Korea. Ben was scheduled to be a rifle platoon leader in Korea, but was somewhat randomly selected to train North Korean partisans --- behind enemy lines. What was so remarkable about Ben's selection is that he is over 6', has no oriental features, and did not speak Korean.

Ben found himself behind enemy lines where he trained a battalion-size North Korean force, and managed to get to the mainland on more than one occasion to recruit and do combat -- where he was awarded the Silver Star.

My favorite portion of the book is Ben recounting how he left Korea after a year wearing the Silver Star, but no combat patch (his unit did not have patch) and no combat infantryman's badge (his unit was not recognized as a line infantry unit that qualified for the CIB). When Ben reported in to his next unit, his superiors asked how it was that he was wearing a silver star, but no combat patch or CIB. Ben's answer: "I'm sorry, I can't disclose that because it's classified."

And Ben's operations were classified -- in fact, for more than 40 years. Ben had started a book in the mid-50s, but terminated his efforts because of the classification of the operations in which he was involved. Once the operations were declassified in the early 90s, Ben dusted off his 40-year old manuscript, which served as the basis for White Tigers.

I will have to say that White Tigers is not an accomplished thriller -- however, what it is is a fine personal account of Ben's exploits in a very unusual operation. Many of the activities that Ben was involved in -- and many that he directed ad lib due to the lack of training and doctrine --have become the basis of some special operations today.

Ben deserves a huge well done for an outstanding effort in documenting a very unusual experience. I would highly recommend his work.

Charles D. Childers Colonel, US Army

Cloak and dagger in the Korean conflict.......1997-10-16

This is an interesting addition to the military history collection. The book is an account of indigent intelligence gathering and sabotage operations behind the lines in North Korea. A few U.S. Army Officers and Enlisted men were tabbed as advisors to assist North Korean nationals in the disruption of the Communist forces north of the DMZ. For the most part well written, the narrative is most worthy by demonstrating the reluctance, if not downright obstructionism shown by senior Army members toward unconventional warfare in this period. The young officers selected for the mission generally had little if any training or background for the job and were given minimal support. A good accounting of the initiative and ingenuity of our young college grads when thrown in a difficult position.

Average customer rating:

WOW....
The South Korean Government gave her a full pardon; I would have given her a life sentence.
Couldn't put it down
Where is the movie?
Unusual Insight On North Korean Terror Operations

The Tears of My Soul
Hyun Hee Kim
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0688128335

Customer Reviews:

WOW...........2007-03-21

hard, truly hard, to believe life is really like this in the world...makes me glad for the FREEDOM we still have in America :)

The South Korean Government gave her a full pardon; I would have given her a life sentence........2005-12-31

I read this book several years ago and recently thought about it after North Korea admitted to kidnapping several Japanese civilians. North Korean hasn't fully come clean about the faith of their kidnap victims as they want to use their bargaining chips sparingly. Apparently, these kidnap victims, average Japanese citizens, were forced to train North Koreans in Japanese language and mannerisms for their spy program, one of whom taught Kim, Hyon Hui.

This book lacks no suspense. In my view most autobiographies contain varying degrees of fiction and omission. Combine that with the fact that this story is being told by an apprehended terrorist/mass murderer. I just don't buy into the South Korean Government's reprieve that she was a victim of North Korean treachery herself. That might have been true at the beginning, but it certainly wasn't true as the story progressed. After she and another female agent graduate from the so called spy school they end up "stationed" in Hainan, China's Hawaii (with Las Vegas thrown in). There they lead a very free wheeling life style all they do is shop and party. Kim never states their exact purpose for being there or how they are supporting themselves. It also appears that they were not under any direct supervision. Well, China is a Communist country, cozy with N. Korea and it very likely would have been difficult for them to escape, let alone defect. Here's the part that really galled me; after Hainan Kim then gets to travel around Europe in style. In other words she gets to see first hand how people in the free world live. It should have been obvious to her that she had been lied to all those years by her government. She travels with an older male agent. Well, with all her stories of her prowess as a martial artist and her spy training I think she could have easily handled this much older man and defected. Instead, she helps him plant a bomb aboard a South Korean airplane which results in the murder 115 people. After they are apprehended in Bahrain she and her cohort take their required cyanide pills. Infer what you like, but she manages to fail in her suicide attempt. Later she takes up the Christianity in an attempt to erase the 115 murders from her conscience.

Couldn't put it down.......2005-11-11

I read this book through at one sitting - just couldn't put it down. It's not only an interesting insight into the world of Communism and control of people, but also brainwashing these poor people with little food on their tables into thinking they live in the best society on earth. Hyun Hee's life story is a fascinating read. I just wish that she would have told more details about her new life in South Korea and how she was converted into becoming a Christian. Also, I would have liked to know more detail on how she and her accomplice got caught so quickly that they didn't even have time to board another plane. Obviously some experts are very good at what they do to catch these terrorists so quickly. All in all, a fascinateing book that I have now passed on to my 13-year-old to read.

Where is the movie?.......2004-07-08

This book reads like a piece of fiction. It is crazy to believe that it is true. I enjoyed every page of this book and believe that it should be read in high schools.

Unusual Insight On North Korean Terror Operations.......2003-08-08

North Korea is undoubtedly the most terror-oriented country in the world today -- both for it's own people and the world at large. This book is a stark exposure of that system.
Miss Kim and a much older agent, posing as her father, successfully bombed a South Korean airliner, killing all on board. As they were about to be arrested, her partner committed suicide with a cyanide pill. With his last words he told her how terrible he felt for her, "...I am old, my life is over...but you..."
As it turned out, this was just the start of another bizarre twist in her strange journey. From a young, innocent girl, to highly trained killer, to notorious celebrity in South Korea, this book tells her incredible story.
Written with assistance from the KCIA -- several years after a reprieve from a death sentence for mass murder -- this book is yet another damning expose of the North Korean regime. It traces her intensive training and indoctrination at various secret North Korean facilities, the terror-bombing of a South Korean airliner, and, eventually, her celebrity status in South Korea (Miss Kim received hundreds of marriage proposals after going public). Particularly insightful is her deprogramming in South Korea after her capture and her reactions to the new world she would now live in.

Bring My Sons from Afar: The Unfolding of Harry Holt's Dream

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Bring My Sons from Afar: The Unfolding of Harry Holt's Dream

Manufacturer: Eugene, OR: Holt International Children's Services, 1986
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000AO4ST0

Product Description

A far away nation begins to dig through the rubble of war. Destruction and death have left thousands of children without parents. Then a family in a quiet rural community in Oregon hear God's call to reach out to those children. "Bring My Sons From Afar" recounts Harry and Bertha Holt's struggle to save Korean War orphans and unite them with adoptive families.

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For bagel-loving children everywhere
Dude, where's my bagel?
A Delicious Tale
Beautiful
creating a bagel!

Where on Earth is My Bagel?
Frances Park , and Ginger Park
Manufacturer: Lee & Low Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1584300337

Book Description

No one knows how the idea of a New York bagel popped into Yum Yung's head -- perhaps it was inspired by a dream, or by listening to sparrows' songs. Yum Yung lives in Korea where there are no New York bagels, and one day he just knows he has to have one. This timeless fable will make readers giggle with delight and satisfaction as Yum Yung, with the help of his friends, fulfills his bagel dream. The tale illustrates the power of perseverance.

Customer Reviews:

For bagel-loving children everywhere.......2005-10-19

Actually, it's probably vice-versa, I think my two sons came to bagels as a result of enjoying this book so much. It's a very charming story, and really wonderful illustrations (We have a few other Grace Lin titles as well). Some of the writing can be a little awkward for reading aloud (especially when you're exhaustedly trying to get your kids to go to sleep), but even still it has brought my family a lot of smiles (and a well-worn catch-phrase heard frequently around our house).

Dude, where's my bagel?.......2005-06-09

Bagels. Yum. You know, for years I thought I disliked the tasty carbo-loaded concoctions simply because the only ones I'd ever eaten were of the gawdawful frozen variety. Maybe I would've come to bagels a little sooner in life had I had access to a book like "Where On Earth Is My Bagel?". Taking an essentially ridiculous idea (bagels are the stuff of visions and portent-laden dreams) the book is a nice little tale of a boy and his mini-quest for a good old-fashioned schmear.

Yum Yung, who has lived all his life in Korea, awakes from a mid-afternoon nap one day to declare with very little doubt in his mind, "I want a bagel!". This being rural Korea, New York bagels are (to say the least) a teensy bit scarce. This fact does not deter Yum Yung in the slightest, however. Without further ado he finds himself a pigeon and ties a note to its leg that amounts to a one-bagel order form. The pigeon takes off but no bagel returns to Yum Yung. He asks everyone he knows if they happened to get it by mistake. Sadly, the man working the wheat field hasn't. The fisherman working the salty sea hasn't. Even the woman tending the beehives hasn't. Yet to Yum Yung's delight, the pigeon returns with a bagel recipe (the note explains that bagels older than a day are not exactly edible) and the boy is able to get wheat, salt, and honey from the three people he bugged just the morning before. At the end of the story Yum Yung and his friends create an enormous bagel and sit down to a one-food-only feast of sorts.

The first two pages of the book show the Atlantic Ocean with New York and its tantalizing bagels on one page and Yum Yung, hands pressed dramatically to his chest, on the other. As another reviewer of this book pointed out, this shot is a bit askew, with Korea ending up where Spain could be. My only other grief with the book was that it did not include the recipe that Yum Yung received from New York. Books of this nature are especially good at getting you to crave the items they write of. How hard would it have been to include instructions for making your own? Not everyone lives in New York, after all.

Otherwise, the story's rather sweet. I give a lot of credit to the book for having such a bizarre premise. The pictures will not blow you away and the writing is somewhat pat, but this is a nice little tale that follows the rule of three and has a satisfying and delicious conclusion. A fine little tale for those kids already in love with bagels' chewy ways.

A Delicious Tale.......2003-12-30

This is the story of Yum Yung in Korea. One day, for some unknown reason, he decides he would like a New York bagel. He send a pigeon with a message to New York to order one bagel to go. When the bagel does not show up right away, Yum Yung decides that he must search for it.

Yum Yung encounters a farmer, a fisherman, a beekeeper, and a baker while searching, but to no avail until suddenly everything comes together and the whole cast gets the chance to enjoy a fresh-baked bagel.

A truly fun story told in just the right way for young readers (repetitive language, etc.). After reading the book, go back to the start and you will notice that while Yum Tung is dreaming of his bagel, all the settings of the story are visible from his hilltop.

The only downside in the book is in the opening illustration that seems to place Korea in the vicinity of France or Spain (East and a little south of New York). Considering the obvious care in the rest of the illustrations I found this rather unusual. But this should not detract from this story of a young boy who has a dream and sets out to make it a reality.

Beautiful.......2003-08-19

This book contains all of the perfect elements that make a good children's book. It has imajination as the impossible happens. It has repition as the same conversation happens as the main character meets new people. Children just love this as they can predict what is going to happen and can follow along easier. It ends by using parts gleaned from the rest of the story binding it together beautifully. The wonderful solid structure of an absolutely perfect children's book. Beautiful

creating a bagel!.......2002-02-08

a delightfully simple book with a multi-cultural theme (korea and the usa)...about a little boy in korea wishing for a bagel (which he had never seen nor tasted) and how his community helped to create one and to share in its eating! very well-illustrated and written to be read over and over again.

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A touching story for both children and adults
An emotional experience of rare depth

My Freedom Trip
Frances Park , and Ginger Park
Manufacturer: Boyds Mills Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1563974681

Customer Reviews:

A touching story for both children and adults.......2002-03-05

Frances Park and her sister wrote a beautiful, moving story about the way families were split up during the Korean War. I bought this book initially for my daughter, but enjoyed it just as much as she did. The Korean wording interspersed throughout the book made it even more touching for me. Not only did I find the book educational for my daughter, but a great, interesting book.

An emotional experience of rare depth.......1998-11-14

The words and the illustrations condense an intense experience of family love, loss and hope into a format which can be shared and appreciated by a very wide range of readers. A beautiful work which can gently launch meaningful and memorable discussions between children, young adults and parents. The themes of sacrifice and freedom are portrayed in a manner which is realistic without being unnecessarily harsh for a younger audience. I very much look forward to future efforts on the part of the two talented authors.

I Come from South Korea (This Is My Story)

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I Come from South Korea (This Is My Story)
Valerie J. Weber
Manufacturer: Weekly Reader Early Learning Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0836872371

Welcome to South Korea (Welcome to My Country)

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Welcome to South Korea (Welcome to My Country)
Karen Kwek , Johanna Masse , Melvin Neo , and Dorothy L. Gibbs
Manufacturer: Gareth Stevens Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

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