Voices from Another Place: A Collection of Works from a Generation Born in Korea and Adopted to Other Countries [Paperback]

Susan Soon-Keum Cox (Author)

Book Description

A collection of works from a generation born in Korea and adopted to other countries. In the deepest recesses of memory, perhaps some clue remains, some shadowy recollection of a mother, of a land, now foreign, yet somehow vaguely familiar. They began life in Korea, but circumstances took them thousands of miles away to adoptive families in America, Europe, and Australia. From childhood they grew into their adopted cultures, but the reflection in the mirror, the whispers of strangers and the quiet beating of the heart perhaps told them of another land...seen through the eyes of a small child, felt in the language of a child's heart. The writings and works contained in this book reflect experiences of Korean adoptees They are images and words that can never be completely removed from that child in Korea. They are "Voices from Another Place."

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Yeong & Yeong (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0963847244
• ISBN-13: 978-0963847249
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,072,413 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Good idea but lifeless execution, September 4, 2001

By 

"koreagirl" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Voices from Another Place: A Collection of Works from a Generation Born in Korea and Adopted to Other Countries (Paperback)

Yes, it's wonderful to have a collection of essays written by Korean adoptees. It's important, meaningful, and very much needed in a world (both Korea and America) which tends to ignore the uncomfortable and blame victims (in this case, adoptees) for their own misfortunes. Putting together our experiences into an anthology is a collective, empowering act.

So why was I so bored? I'm a fellow ADOPTEE, and I could barely get through this book. It's mainly because many of the adoptees in this collection are just plain bad writers, but it also has to do with the layout of the book--no overall theme, no linking together of stories, no effort to present these stories in a creative or innovative way.

Is it necessary to be creative? No. But since it's hard enough for our voices (as adoptees) to be heard in the first place, publishing dull, lifeless works like this anthology will do little to help raise awareness. This book is only really useful if assigned as an empathy assignment, but the creeping dullness would most likely counteract any positive effect it might have.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Families created through adoption, June 14, 2000

By 

Sandy McGowan (Norwell, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Voices from Another Place: A Collection of Works from a Generation Born in Korea and Adopted to Other Countries (Paperback)

Voices from Another Place is a wonderful book for all international adoptive families to read. The feelings expressed by the adult adoptees are genuine and extremely sensitive. I reccomend the book to all adoptive parents of Korean born children. Much has changed in the adoption field over the last 40 years and social workers today are more in tune with the needs of adoptees to know their culture and past. This book clearly demonstrates the importance of acknowledging the adoptees past openly and honestly within the adoptive family.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Voices from Another Place, December 5, 2003

By 

Dee Miller "Take Courage" (Iowa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Voices from Another Place: A Collection of Works from a Generation Born in Korea and Adopted to Other Countries (Paperback)

As the older sibling of a Korean adoptee, I still remember the delight of welcoming my sister into our home 47 years ago. That was before the adoption of anyone in this book! Yet there were things I did not know, especially about the Korean culture. Not everything in the book applied to my sister, whose biological father was American. Each story is unqiue. Yet I have grieved with her over the losses and the special challenges that this book validates. It helps me know how to talk with her more. It helps me see her as a super survivor and to better understand the difficulties my parents had in understanding her needs. How I appreciate all who helped to tell the collective story!