Korean American Books

Summaries and reviews of fiction and nonfiction books by Korean American authors,
books about Korean Americans and Korea, and Korean literature in English translation,
including some academic works and a sampling on the Korean War

Friday, October 3, 2008

One Thousand Chestnut Trees by Mira Stout


A "mixed breed" artist in NYC finds her roots during a visit home to Korea. Includes pov of mother, father and daughter. Mother from yangban family, high and rich with royal connections. Heavy history forced into narrative, sometimes biased especially as more contemporary war issues arise. Some moralizing detracts from the story, and a somewhat too pat conclusion about the meaning of this memoir also mars.

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