“History has failed us, but no matter.”― Pachinko
Book Publication:
Grand Central Publishing; 1st edition (February 7, 2017)
Book Summary:
A riveting story, following four generations of a Korean family during the Japanese occupation of Korea in the early 1900s, the story follows a struggling young woman named Sunja, who is at the center of her family. Living and raising children ethnically Korean, but nationally and culturally Japanese children, the struggle to preserve their ethnic identity, search for their new identity and ultimately survive in the new land propels this story forward page after page. Each character makes sacrifices out of their own relative understandings of how to love one another, but the frequent miscommunication or even lack of communication distort their messages more often than not. Readers are kept engaged as the author unravels the complex layers of family preservation, ethnicity loyalty and Protestant faith as they inter-cross.
Book Review:
Sunja’s two sons, Noa and Mozasu, had been born and raised in Japan, after their parents immigrated from Korea. All they know is Japanese culture and the only real exposure to the Korean culture is adopted from their parents and familial relatives. Advancing their way in the country through education or entrepreneurship, both sons find different ways to earn respect among the Japanese people, even if it takes masking their Korean ethnicity.
As a Korean-American woman, born and raised in the States, Noa and Mozasu’s experiences of navigating their cultural identities that is not their motherland hit very close to home. Due to the color of my skin and my physical appearance, it was impossible for me to fully camouflage and “mask” my Korean ethnicity (even if I wanted to). Culturally, nationally, and language-wise, I identify myself much more as an American. Yet, to prove my identity and fight against racial prejudice, I was taught to value the English language, education and wealth to “make it” in the eyes of the larger America.
Favorite Excerpts:
- “Living everyday in the presence of those who refuse to acknowledge your humanity takes great courage”
- “Learn everything. Fill your mind with knowledge—it’s the only kind of power no one can take away from you.” Hansu never told him to study, but rather to learn, and it occurred to Noa that there was a marked difference. Learning was like playing, not labor.”
- “a man must learn to forgive—to know what is important, that to live without forgiveness was a kind of death with breathing and movement.”
- “We cannot help but be interested in the stories of people that history pushes aside so thoughtlessly.”
- “No one is clean. Living makes you dirty.”
- “It was still hard for a Korean to become a Japanese citizen, and there were many who considered such a thing shameful—for a Korean to try to become a citizen of its former oppressor. When she told her friends in New York about this curious historical anomaly and the pervasive ethnic bias, they were incredulous at the thought that the friendly, well-mannered Japanese they knew could ever think she was somehow criminal, lazy, filthy, or aggressive—the negative stereotypical traits of Koreans in Japan.”
Author’s Bio (Credits to Amazon):
Min Jin Lee is a recipient of fiction fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the Radcliffe Institute of Advanced Study at Harvard. Her second novel Pachinko (2017) was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction, and a New York Times 10 Best Books of 2017.
A New York Times Bestseller, Pachinko was also a Top 10 Books of the Year for BBC, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and the New York Public Library. Pachinko was a selection for “Now Read This,” the joint book club of PBS NewsHour and The New York Times. It was on over 75 best books of the year lists, including NPR, PBS, and CNN. Pachinko will be translated into 25 languages.
In 2018, Lee was named as an Adweek Creative 100 for being one of the “10 Writers and Editors Who are Changing the National Conversation.”
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