Forever Alien: A Korean Memoir, 1930-1951 [Library Binding]

Sunny Che (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786406852 | ISBN-13: 978-0786406852 | Publication Date: January 2000 | Edition: 1st Edition.

Korean native Sunny Che spent most of her early childhood in Japan, where she and her family were treated as outsiders. She returned to Korea, only to find herself a stranger in her homeland. This memoir is the story of her personal struggle amidst the crucial events enveloping Asia at midcentury. Part I chronicles her childhood in Japan and the beginning of the war in the Pacific. Part II describes her return to Korea, the turmoil of Korea's liberation from Japan, and the Korean War. From a schoolgirl's perspective, Che describes events both global and intimate. She depicts the alienation and chaos of war and migration, as well as the domestic trials of a family seeking not merely to survive but to hold on to their heritage. Her story is at once a unique perspective on history and a moving chronicle of her own childhood, providing a detailed picture of diverse cultures irrevocably changed by two devastating wars.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Che, a Korean living in pre^-World War II Japan, begins her descriptive tale with feelings of loneliness that stem from living in a foreign country. A political activist currently living in Ohio, Che remembers the events of her childhood while sharing her thoughts and emotions from those years. After a childhood as a foreigner in Japan, she returned home to Korea and realized that she was once again a stranger in a new land. Che uses not only global events to illustrate her life but also the normal daily routine of her family and neighbors. With the backdrop of World War II and the Korean War, she shares with the reader her feelings regarding the death of her mother; her immediate family's conversion to Christianity; the adoration she felt for her older, male cousin; and her instant dislike of her stepmother and stepsister. Forever Alien is a delightful coming-of-age memoir and a unique perspective on a tumultuous era in modern Asian history. Julia Glynn

About the Author

Political activist Sunny Che was the 1996 recipient of the Democratic Achievement Award by recommendation of Senator John Glenn. She lives in Worthington, Ohio.

Product Details

• Library Binding: 261 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company; 1st Edition. edition (January 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786406852
• ISBN-13: 978-0786406852
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,529,095 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Leave your sympathy at the door, this is one story that only asks for an open heart & mind upon reading.., December 8, 2011

By 

Maria Camburn - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Forever Alien: A Korean Memoir, 1930-1951 (Paperback)

This is her personal story about life as a young Korean girl growing up in Japan,the struggle for survival in Korea (during WWII & the Korean War), and how she ultimately came to America.

Forever Alien is stunning in its straightforward storytelling. It's matter-of-fact - there's not alot of flowery language to soften the story or distract the reader. This is a "less is more" memoir. You will not get the "warm fuzzies" reading this book or need a box of tissues sitting by while you read and weep. Sunny's story hits beyond the gut level, beyond tears. It doesn't overwhelm the reader with emotional angst, like "Angela's Ashes". Rather, it unexpectedly hits you with overlapping events and tragedies, told with uncommon bluntness. Her description of events is so simplistic, almost cold and clinical, yet that's exactly what makes this such a beautiful book. That very brevity and detachment leaves room for the readers to "feel" for themselves.

Helpful tip: read it slowly - Forever Alien is not a book to be devoured in one sitting.