Clay Walls [Paperback]

Kim Ronyoung (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A multigenerational tale of a Korean family's immigration experiences in America.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

A new contribution to American 'literary ethnography,' this fictionalized account is a Korean-American complement to Alex Haley's best seller. -- Christian Science Monitor

An immigrant novel of quiet power and sensitivity; the story of Koreans fighting their way into American society in the years following WWI. -- Kirkus

At one point in Clay Walls, Faye, a second generation Korean-American, comments that reading is "just a way for me to see how other people live. I haven't found a book yet written about the people I know." Clay Walls begins to fill that gap, giving a clear-eyed view of two generations of Korean-Americans in pre- and post-World War II Los Angeles. The novel starts with recently-immigrated Haesu, who is being "taught" how to clean a toilet by Mrs. Randolph; Haesu "did not know the English equivalent for 'low woman' but she did know how to say, 'I quit' and later said it to Mrs. Randolph." Born a yangban, or an aristocrat, Haesu is determined never to work for anyone else. Her husband, Chun, starts a successful produce business and eventually buys them a house, but Haesu always dreams of going home. Her hatred of anything Japanese is unwavering, especially after she visits Korea and sees that a permanent return is impossible as long as the Japanese are present. Her children grow up in the midst of their mother's fierce pride; when Chun loses their savings and eventually leaves them, Haesu refuses charity and spends endless hours doing piecework embroidery at their table because a yangban would never work outside the home. As one generation gives over to the next, the focus of Clay Walls shifts to Haesu's daughter, Faye, who must find her place between her mother's world and the United States outside her front door. -- For great reviews of books for girls, check out Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. -- From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Erica Bauermeister --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Permanent Pr Pub Co (March 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1877946788
• ISBN-13: 978-1877946783
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #767,779 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful book about a Korean family's life in America, February 11, 2003

By 

Adam Harrison-Friday (Enfield, CT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clay Walls (Paperback)

I had to read Kim Ronyoung's "Clay Walls" for an Asian Literature class, and when I began it seemed like a cliched story about all the bad things that could happen to Koreans upon coming to the U.S. However, once it gets going you realize that through a simple story of a love for one's homeland and a desire to succeed in a new land can be so uplifting. The book is written from three perspectives: (1) Haesu, the mother of the family. She is very stubborn, but loves Korea passionately. When the family goes back she sees how bad it has become and then wants success for her family in America, even though her expectations can very rarely be met. (2) Chun, the father, works hard and accepts what comes to him. His story is very good as he struggles to keep his business afloat. He ultimately winds up in a poker game that will make or break the family's future, which is probably the best single scene in the book. (Is there anything more dramatic than stories about gambling?) (3) Faye, the youngest of the three children and only daughter, has the most complex story. Haesu doesn't want her daughter to ever have to work, yet she also wants her to stay home forever. The book is great because it is a narrative, but the points of view shift in each section. Ronyoung shifts into the viewpoint of a young girl extraordinarily well, and I think that the depth of Faye's story is what makes the book linger on after you're finished reading it. It is one of the best examples of developing ideas of national identity, love, gender, and perception I've ever read. The book isn't sentimental and covers so many areas--all to a degree that makes them deeply felt--that it feels like an epic even though the book is only 300 pages. It's not one of those "I feel like a better person" books either. This is quite simply a tragic and uplifting story about most of life's essential ideas, and it's ambition is never held back by its scope. Ronyoung died a year after writing this, but I thank her for leaving this beautiful moment. A must.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Being Korean in America, April 28, 2000

By 

"dabbu1" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clay Walls (Paperback)

What a wonderful book this is! *Clay Walls* is a superb examination of the anxieties of the Korean immigrant and Korean American experience; it sheds a bright light on the struggles and achievments of two generations of Koreans in America. I particularly appreciate the fact that it seeks to give voice to disenfranchised Korean *women* pre and post World War II. I did find the language a little anachronistic but perhaps that is a deliberate rhetorical device since the novel is set in the first 50 years of this century. Also--and this is one of the many good things about the novel--one gets the sense that the English used is not "standard" English but is instead sifted through another language; in this case Korean. *Clay Walls* pushes open the boundaries--cultural, racial and geographical--of America and American-ess. It also historcises an experience--being Korean in the US in the early part of the 20th century--that has traditionally not been given much attention. A must read for any one interested in immigrant narratives, Asian American voices and the duality/plurality of cultural experience lived out by so many Americans today.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, June 23, 2007

By 

Sennie "CK" (New York, New York United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clay Walls (Paperback)

Too bad this author only wrote one book before passing away. This is a beautifully written book about struggles of being an immigrant early 1900's. It is a book about self sacrifice, love for homeland and family, disappointments and hope. This book will appeal to anyone who is sentimental about their families and knows the value of sacrificing oneself for their children. I loved every page of it.

I admit this book at times reads like a book written for young adults but the message and storyline is informative and interesting and tugs at the heart.

I highly recommend this book.