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

~ (Author) "The first time I witnessed the expanse of city lights come to life from the back balcony of my new home, I thought I could..." (more)
Key Phrases: single square picture, pepper paste, family register, Miss Yoo, Miss Kim, Katy Robinson (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"One day I was Kim Ji-yun growing up in Seoul, Korea; the next day I was Catherine Jeanne Robinson living in Salt Lake City, Utah." So begins this memoir from first-time author Robinson. Her tireless search for her birth parents is driven by her memories of them and the photo referred to in the title, a snapshot of Kim Ji-yun with her mother and grandmother taken only moments before the seven-year-old boarded a plane bound for Salt Lake City. Even memoir-saturated readers will be drawn in by her description of this devastating leave-taking: "[My grandmother] hands me a roll of my favorite crackers and the folder of paper dolls my mother bought me after our last trip to the bathhouse. She gives me a slight push forward... I do as instructed and follow the blue cap and clicking heels away from my mother and grandmother." When Robinson returns to Seoul as an adult (having spent a happy if monotonous childhood in Utah), she easily reconnects with her father and half-siblings. But the trail to her mother turns cold several times before Robinson realizes that she may never know for sure whether her mother died in a car accident or relocated to Chicago. Meanwhile, she struggles to bridge the massive cultural gap separating her from her father. She ultimately decides that her true family consists of her patient American husband and her spunky adoptive mother. Fortunately, the journey to this unsurprising conclusion is a fascinating labor of love, populated by oddball relatives and fueled by banquets of carefully described Korean food.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

When Robinson was seven years old, her mother and grandmother put her on a plane from Korea to America to be adopted by American parents. Raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, Robinson grows up in a caring (though somewhat troubled) family but doesn't learn about her Korean heritage. At the age of 27, Robinson decides to seek out her parents. An initial brief visit is fruitful--she meets her birth father. A year later, Robinson returns to Korea with her husband, hoping to find her mother. But the search for her mother is not nearly as easy, and during their yearlong stay, Robinson discovers disconcerting truths about her father. She also meets her half-siblings and her father's first wife and learns her father has two other children. As her father and brother tell her conflicting stories about her mother's fate, Robinson must contend with the realization that she might never find her mother. Robinson does an excellent job of showing just how difficult the search can be, filled with exhilarating successes and heartbreaking failures, in this moving memoir. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade (August 6, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 042518496X
• ISBN-13: 978-0425184967
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #86,549 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exquisite - Clear-eyed and Heartrending, September 17, 2002

By	Ken Narasaki (Venice, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A unique and wonderful journey, November 25, 2004

By	Michele Kim (Jacksonville, FL) - See all my reviews

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

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written - could not put it down!, August 2, 2003

By	Maggie Dunham (Malta, NY United States) - See all my reviews

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.