Customer Reviews

A Single Square Picture: A Korean Adoptee's Search for Her Roots

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Katy Robinson's background as a gifted journalist shows - even though the circumstances of her adoption at the age of seven are almost unimaginably heartbreaking, she manages to capture the pain of that separation, and her own innocence and inability to comprehend what was about to happen to her. The specificity with which she paints what she remembers and what she comes to understand, makes her journeys (both the metaphorical and actual) exquisitely poignant and relentlessly compelling. The way she weaves her memories with what she's able to uncover in her search, while dealing with the very Korean family she meets, adds layer upon layer of depth and resonance to her story - speaking volumes about family, culture, and identity that is absolutely universal, but so unique, the reader will not be able to put the book down. Wonderful characters, compelling story, and exquisite writing. You don't have to be an adoptee, Korean, or Asian American to love this book - anyone interested in childhood, family, and identity will find this endlessly fascinating - not to mention, lovely.

I really enjoyed this story. The images and feelings portrayed were vivid, so that I could appreciate Katy's perspective and viewpoints. I especially came to appreciate some new ideas and facts as an adult adoptee also from Korea. Yet regardless of background or ethnicity, readers attain a true understanding of her upbringing and life experiences. I was intrigued by the detailed memories of her Korean childhood, and how they translated to her eventual American lifestyle. The cultural descriptions and exchanges are interesting and allowed me to better my understanding of Korean culture.
Overall, it was fun and interesting to read, and ultimately I appreciated and was impressed by her perserverance and fortune to have lived in Korea for a year and learn so much more about her family and background. Her journey enriches our enthusiasm and compassion for those who will or want to pursue knowledge about their family background (including me;)). Thank You Katy for this great written gift. -Michele Kim, CT

I loved this book! It has so much depth. So often books about another culture educate me about cultural differences but this book goes so much deeper. We go past the cultural differences and get to know the people underneath and we share their emotions. Through meeting the author's families (both here and there) we learn more about her as well as about ourselves. We share in her frustrations, her patience, and her tenacity. We share the pain and the joy and, along with the author, we learn that sometimes we don't get the all answers we need and we go on anyway. We learn with her that people (especially relatives!) can be incredibly difficult, with or without cultural differences, and we love them anyway.
The descriptions of Korea are so incredible that I feel I was with her on her journey. I felt the pace, saw the colors, savored the aromas of the food and could experience the country through the author's eyes. Ms. Robinson can write!!!
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a great story.

A book about a Korean adoptee growing up in Utah seemed to me to be the last thing that a Southern Californian would enjoy. I was very wrong.

Ms. Robinson takes us along on her fascinating journey to find her roots and we truly feel as if we were right there with her. We share in her excitements as well as her despare. We are embroiled in mysteries and childhood fantasies. And our hearts race with anticipations and break with disappointments as doors are opened and then slammed shut. All the while we are introduced to an ancient and proud culture that is Korea.

We also learn what it is like to be uprooted as a seven year old girl from the warm and loving arms of a mother and grandmother and whisked away to a society that could not be more diffent than her own. To be a little Korean girl raised in Utah had to have been very difficult.

Ms Robinson delivers this story with the skill of the accomplished journalist which she is. She is able to bring us along with her and allow us to see what she sees through our own eyes. This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good book.

Once I read the prologue of A Single Square Picture, I became enthralled with the life and experiences of Katy Robinson/Kim Ji-yun. Her descriptions of life both in Korea and in Salt Lake City take the reader on the emotional, perplexing journey that is her life as a Korean adoptee. Robinson's poignant details bring her relatives, with all their quirks and idiosyncrasies, to life for the reader. This is a must-read for anyone who has any interest in Korea or international adoption, but it's appeal is universal as a memoir that explores the very human search for who one is and how one becomes that person.

I couldn't put this book down. It is excellently well-written, flows beautifully, and contains a wealth of information about Korea, the feelings of adoptees from Korea, and the coming to terms with finding one's place when caught between two cultures. I feel so much more equipped to share knowledge of modern-day Korea with my Korean-born son who is so totally American right down to his cargo pants, Nelly tapes, and Nintendo! I applaud the author for capturing her feelings so well and putting them into a memoir which touches the reader so completely. I hope she'll write another book if she decides to continue the search for her mother.

Katy Robinson's book, "A Single Square Picture" is a must read for any adoptive parent, and a poignant story for anyone. Ms. Robinson tells of her search for her Korean birth family, sharing her honest and innermost thoughts and feelings throughout this process - including insight into her adoptive family dynamics. Her story and writing are so compelling, I found it difficult to put this book down.

As an adoptive parent, "A Single Square Picture" opened my eyes to issues we may face with our daughter whom we adopted from China - as she matures. While Chinese and Korean adoption issues are different, there are similarities in cultural values that might help prepare us in the future.

I highly recommend "A Single Square Picture" for anyone considering adoption, who is adopted, or just wants an excellent story to read!!

Katy Robinson's personal journey almost instantly becomes an emotional, can't-stop-reading journey for readers of her book. Because of the author's skill, the reader constantly relates to how Robinson felt during critical life-changing moments in her life. It is a beautiful story with heart-wrenching descriptions of family relationships. The author adeptly moves the reader back and forth from her first seven years in Korean as a child to her life in Salt Lake City with her adoptive family to her year in Korea trying to find her heritage and birth family. Her interaction with those newly-found family members is a compelling emotional roller coaster. Ms. Robinson's insight provides a strong guideline throughout as she constantly educates the reader about Korean culture. The story should be mandatory reading for anyone who ever has or wants to adopt a cross-culture child. At the end of the book I just wanted to keep reading and learning more from this gifted author's life.

Thank you Katy for providing our family with such a wonderful resource regarding International adoption. As parents of two adopted Asian children, I am sure we will encounter many of the issues that you presented in your book.

You have opened our eyes to the need of a child to find their biological parents. Through your book you have made me aware of the bond that is always there between adoptees and their biological parents. Your book made me realize that this need is not a judgement call on the adoptive parents but a need within the adoptee's soul to find out where they came from. I do not think I will ever completely understand this but you have made it easier for me to accept this.

For this we will always be thankful to you.

This book took me by surprise. I'm not sure why I bought it and then i couldn't put it down. This is a good read for anyone, adopted or not.

Speaking as a domestic adoptee, it felt like the author was reading my mind and heart--and able to articulate what sometimes gets stuck inside. Katy Robinson is incredibly honest and insightful.

Do yourself a favor and buy this book. If you are an adoptive parent then this book is required reading, but it won't feel like it. Reading it will help you to understand your child's experience on a whole new level.