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hmgroundwater's review
4.0
This is well written. As a Korean adoptee who has not been able to reunite with birth parents yet, I find these letters tangible of what could be. I am biased against Christianity; how could culture be this way for so many women for so many years (not just Korea)? Also, as a child the Christian school I went to was more racist and exclusionary than the public schools I attended. I do not downplay this institute or these women’s choices, but it’s hard to read their faith in Christian God.
Overall, the authors gave effective background and gave these letters the right tone. I did like this read.
Overall, the authors gave effective background and gave these letters the right tone. I did like this read.
callalily's review
4.0
According to contextual information provided within the book, Ae Ran Won is a Christian organization that provides support for unwed mothers in South Korea. Most mothers who go to Ae Ran Won choose to have their babies be adopted, and asking the women to write a letter to their child is part of the organization's programming. This book was compiled from some of those letters and was published and sold to support Ae Ran Won's operations.
Upon first encountering this book, I was quite wary. The messy politics of transnational adoption and Christian adoption organizations in South Korea left me unsure how to approach it. In terms of capturing the experience of unwed Korean mothers, this book is limited to the women who went to Ae Ran Won for support (ie, mostly Christian). I was also quite aware that this book was translated into English and provided to the public by people involved in or who support Ae Ran Won's operations. I imagine their expected readership consists mainly of white families involved in transnational adoption.
Despite all the biases and lenses that separate these women's experiences from my own experience of reading their translated words, their individual voices pierce through the distance like a knife. These women express their wishes and sorrows in by turns tender, regretful, and hopeful words. Their letters are an intimate window into the complicated emotions of young women at their most vulnerable. No, these letters do not express the full experience of being an unwed Korean mother. Few publications can do so. But they do provide the briefest of windows into the lives of thirty-six mothers expressing what they can to children they will likely never see again, and that's probably the closest I'll ever get.
I wasn't really sure what to do with myself when I finished this book. I'm still reeling. I've only met these women through letters written for other people, yet I find myself struggling to find closure with the experience of reading this book. How do I proceed forward? The only thing I can do is listen, remember, and share my experience of reading their letters with others. I think I will always carry their words within me.
Upon first encountering this book, I was quite wary. The messy politics of transnational adoption and Christian adoption organizations in South Korea left me unsure how to approach it. In terms of capturing the experience of unwed Korean mothers, this book is limited to the women who went to Ae Ran Won for support (ie, mostly Christian). I was also quite aware that this book was translated into English and provided to the public by people involved in or who support Ae Ran Won's operations. I imagine their expected readership consists mainly of white families involved in transnational adoption.
Despite all the biases and lenses that separate these women's experiences from my own experience of reading their translated words, their individual voices pierce through the distance like a knife. These women express their wishes and sorrows in by turns tender, regretful, and hopeful words. Their letters are an intimate window into the complicated emotions of young women at their most vulnerable. No, these letters do not express the full experience of being an unwed Korean mother. Few publications can do so. But they do provide the briefest of windows into the lives of thirty-six mothers expressing what they can to children they will likely never see again, and that's probably the closest I'll ever get.
I wasn't really sure what to do with myself when I finished this book. I'm still reeling. I've only met these women through letters written for other people, yet I find myself struggling to find closure with the experience of reading this book. How do I proceed forward? The only thing I can do is listen, remember, and share my experience of reading their letters with others. I think I will always carry their words within me.
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