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A review by sangitas
East Goes West: The Making of an Oriental Yankee by Younghill Kang
3.0
An interesting telling of Chungpa Han, a Korean migrant (refugee?) who has to navigate building a life in America - and contend with capitalism, racism, and all the other isms.
Chungpa is at times naive and taken advantage of - especially when he's trying to earn a living, at times stubbornly focused on Korean cultural norms - especially as it relates to poetry and calligraphy and education, and at times so earnest in his pursuit of the American dream - and his definition of success with that dream. It was interesting to reflect on how that immigrant experience has changed (or stayed the same) in the decades since.
This is a book club book - I think I'll enjoy talking about it as much or more than directly reading it. (Or listening - the audiobook adds a level of oopmf since this is a first person narrative. I wonder how much of the story was influenced by the author's life.)
Chungpa is at times naive and taken advantage of - especially when he's trying to earn a living, at times stubbornly focused on Korean cultural norms - especially as it relates to poetry and calligraphy and education, and at times so earnest in his pursuit of the American dream - and his definition of success with that dream. It was interesting to reflect on how that immigrant experience has changed (or stayed the same) in the decades since.
This is a book club book - I think I'll enjoy talking about it as much or more than directly reading it. (Or listening - the audiobook adds a level of oopmf since this is a first person narrative. I wonder how much of the story was influenced by the author's life.)