Customer Reviews

STILL LIFE WITH RICE

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

STILL LIFE WITH RICE is a breath of fresh air blasting into a staid room. Not only is the language straightforward and frank, but it is respectful, in a way only Koreans would understand. Not only does the narrative begin in North Korea before the 1950 invasion, but it discusses Korean emigrees in China, living in Occupation-era Korea, surviving during war, and emigrating to a foreign country.

But this book is also about women, written by a woman rediscovering her history and her voice. It is not only a political discussion, but also a discussion of how women existed in Korean society. Although, as a man, talking about menstruation and other aspects of a woman's daily experience, was a bit unnerving, it established the book's focus, the tale of a woman maturing and becoming quite unique by any standard.

The author is a first generation Korean-American (gyopo-saram) listening to her grandmother's tales of the old world. But neither are victims, and the fierce determination of the grandmother is revealed in the brashness of the granddaughter's prose. The granddaughter legitimates her grandmother's right to speak, a right not granted in her upbringing. The act of writing is liberation from the constraints of a misogynistic, Confucian social structure, and reveals the power of women in Korean culture.

What I liked about the narrator was her humility. She may have withstood some of the bitterest experiences any women would face, but she takes no credit and is not condescending. She grows older and wiser, but her own personality does not change. Both women, storyteller and story-writer, are quite unique. By adopting her grandmother's voice, the granddaughter creates a heroine that speaks to both the old and future worlds.

I really enjoyed this book. I live in Korea as the wife of a US military officer. I have lived here for over a year and have daily contact with many Koreans. This book gave me valuable insight into the Koreans around me. Obviously not everyone is the same. However, this book taught me a lot about Korean culture and traditions, some aspects of which have sometimes confused and frustrated me. The morning after I stayed up half the night finishing this book (I couldn't put it down), as I drove around, I looked at these natives of my host country through entirely new eyes.
I have been telling everyone I come into contact with about this book. So far, everyone who has read it at my recommendation has been in full agreement with me.
The story is incredible. After I finished it, I spoke with a Korean woman I know well who was about 8 during the Korean War. Her stories were strikingly similar to what I read in the book.
This book is a must read, whether you have a relationship with Korea or not.

I really loved this book. First, much of it is simply incredibly moving as a story about people, regardless of where and when, surviving some of the most challenging things life can throw one's way. And doing so with love and dignity. Secondly, Ms. Lee's account, though speaking of one family, covers so much of the experience that makes our Korean citizens and residents who they are: those parts of their remote past, their immediate past in Korea, and their sometimes difficult experiences here in the US. I loved the characters and learned human lessons from them, but I also learned a lot about members of a growing and important part of my own community here in Oakland, CA. Brava and "kamsa hamnida!", Ms. Lee.

This book has been recommended to me by numerous expats here in Korea, and all of them have loved it. Americans who have lived here for 20 or more years and who thought they had seen everything have gained insight from it. I think the criticisms it's drawing, such as historical "fuzziness," stilted dialogue, and a simplified view of history are more culturally-bound that literary. Don't forget that what Ms. Lee is doing is thinking in Korean and writing in English; the story she tells is through a Korean's eyes, and this is going to reflect how the story is told. Even through my limited Korean ability, I could pick up turns of phrases and translated expressions that may sound strange in English, but were distinctly Korean and familiar. Similarly, Ms. Lee's seemingly simple grasp of history also reflects the psyche of many Koreans I know: they simply don't fret over things as much as we Westerners do, and they don't always have to know the cause of things like we do. If you have no rice, you don't hunt out the political root of the problem, you get more rice. This is how they deal with problems. You see this even today: one could go mad trying to predict the next move of the North. We live here on the brink of annihilation, but if you think about it all day, you'll get nothing done. You just continue, and I think that's a lot of what Still Life With Rice is all about.

As a Korean-American who has little knowledge of the cultural history of Korea, I found Helie Lee's book both informative and entertaining. She did a good job protraying her grandmother as a courageous and strong woman. Her book gave me a renewed the respect for my Korean elders who are so often seen in America as helpless and weak because of their language and cultural barriers. I would recommend this book especially to those who are interested in life in Korea before the (Korean) war, but are estranged culturally, geographically, or linguistically from grandparents who would be able to account such expriences first hand. Helie Lee's book opened up a new dialog between my mother and me about her own life in Korea before immigration to the States and stories she had heard from her mother about Korea in the early 20th century.

A friend recommended this book to me and now I recommend it to everyone. Of course you will learn a great deal about Korean culture (including some Korean-American culture), but you will also learn about people struggling against all odds, suffering, joy, the power of family and a strong and risk taking mother, as well as daughter. The power and depth of these people inspires me to live my life with greater courage and gratitude.

A must read!

I met Helie at a booksigning and she is wonderful. She is down to earth and very present and available when you speak with her. I felt as though she was interested in my story, not her story alone. Helie and her family are wonderful people and they give a glimpse of what a family who takes risks can accomplish for love.

This was a fabulous book that makes one really appreciate the simplicity of daily life in America. This is an especially poignant book for mothers who must face life changing decisions. The writing was smooth and the book read well. I would highly recommend this to those who enjoy memoirs. Lee writes about the life of her grandmother and family members who live through some very difficult times. This one will stay on my shelf and I look forward to reading more of Lee's books.

I began reading this compelling story while I was in Korea. Only the beautiful scenery of the this lovely country kept me from finishing the book quickly. The story and the prose are rich. Read it to understand the Korean perspective of the war. Read it to understand Korean sensibilities and beliefs.

and this is one of them. This is a good quality book written from an interesting perspective. I highly recommend.

I originally picked up this book because I'm dating the author's little brother (that's probably unnecessary, but if that person from San Jose/S.F. can print the same review 3+ times under different names, I'll include whatever I want). I wasn't sure if I'd like it or not, because although I read incessantly, I am really picky about what I do read. This is an awesome book! I couldn't put it down, and promptly began pestering my mom to read it (she did and loved it as well). Not only is Ms. Lee's storytelling itself fluid and evocative, the tale behind it is incredible. . . all the more so because it is one family's true story. It opened my eyes to a culture I knew little about. This is an excellent book, and perfect testament to this is the fact that it is almost standard in Asian and/or Korean studies classes (though by no means is it assigned-reading dull). It transcends generations and cultures.