East to America: Korean American Life Stories [Paperback]

Elaine H. Kim (Author), Eui-Young Yu (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1997

In this collection of powerful, candid oral histories, a wide cross section of Korean Americans render a portrait of a community grappling with racial tensions, class and gender differences, and differing notions of family and honor.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

During the 1992 Los Angeles riots, Koreatown was the target of burning and looting by many blacks whose resentment exploded against Korean shopkeepers; blacks charged that the Koreans exploited them, treated them badly and flaunted their superiority. Kim and Yu, both Korean Americans who teach at California colleges, set out to reform these images of their people in some 50 engrossing interviews with a cross section of the Korean American community. These movingly reveal a culture and history of people victimized both in their native land and in the U.S. Most were brought here as children in the 1970s after the Korean War by parents fiercely determined to make a better life; others are American-born. All display a strong sense of filial duty and respect for education, hard work and success; most feel a sense of commonality with blacks but confess that their culturally imprinted emotional reserve invites misinterpretation. While race relations are not the only focus of these interviews, they are a prominent concern. A Korean American police officer present during the riots observes that Korean Americans did not realize the magnitude of black hostility toward them. But he also says that a sense of victimization does no one any good: "So what if you're a victim," he says coolly. "Get in line, there are 10,000 victims ahead of you."
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-One of the many consequences of the Rodney King verdict was TV images of desperate Korean shop owners during the LA riots defending their property with guns. This book is a direct result of the author's desire to replace those images with a more complete picture of Korean-Americans, showing, through the words of the Korean-Americans themselves, that they have as many different life stories to tell as any other ethnic group. These 38 interviews include a Korean adopted as a baby by white Americans, a rap artist, a journalist, a gay activist, several inner-city shop owners, a widow, an abused wife, and a charity volunteer. The book's usefulness lies in exposing students, especially those of Korean descent, to Korean-Americans' recent history, culture, and heritage. It can also serve as background reading for multicultural issues.
Judy McAloon, Potomac Library, Prince William County, VA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: New Press, The (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565843991
• ISBN-13: 978-1565843998
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #661,935 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #80 in Books > History > Historical Study > Oral History

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Oral History is good, June 4, 2000

By 

"slee23" - See all my reviews

This review is from: East to America: Korean American Life Stories (Paperback)

This book emphasizes the importance of oral history. Although you might not find polished masterpieces here, "East to America" accomplishes the much-needed task of placing Korean-American voices within a more prominent context--or at least publishes their voices. Praise for Elaine Kim & Co. for compiling the book; in my own research there has been slim pickins as far as the K.A. literature goes). But, as a "second generation" (American-born) Korean-American, I was disappointed to find that few members of my own generation (X?) were included in the collection (But it makes sense; after all, the book is called "East to America" ...bah). I found the stories gritty and real, and it was hard to put the book down. I would recommend this book to not only any Korean-American, but to anyone who is interested in viewing the Korean-American population as something more than gun-toting greengrocers or model minority geeks.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book for understanding modern Korean Americans, December 10, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: East to America: Korean American Life Stories (Hardcover)

For the reader who is looking to take a look at modern
Korean Americans, this book is well worth the buy. It
is not only highly entertaining but also very educational
as it explores the lives of many different Korean Americans
including some well known members of the Korean American
community. One negative aspect of the book is that because
it does cover the stories of the so many Korean Americans
I found the stories sometimes to be a little brief. Maybe
it was because I was enjoying the book so much that I wanted
to read more and more.

One final note. Elaine Kim is highly active in the Korean
American community and has even produced Sa-I-Gu,
(which means 4-2-9 which is the date of the riots), a movie
about the L.A. riots in perspective of Korean American Women

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and Educational, August 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: East to America: Korean American Life Stories (Paperback)

I have grown a deep appreciation and respect for my Korean/American friends and neighbors. There is a tremendous sampling of real-life stories that I found to be very informative. Many of the problems in the world cultivate from a lack of understanding. However, the more we can learn aobut eachother and ourselves, the easier it will be to find common ground. This book has taught me a great deal about the struggles, agonies, and triumphs of Korean Americans.