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East to America: Korean American Life Stories
The reflections of thirty Korean Americans present an overview of their history in the United States and the challenges of racial, class, and gender differences they face
- GenresNonfiction
386 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 1996
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189 people want to read
About the author
Elaine H. Kim
14 books15 followersElaine H. Kim is an award winning writer, editor and professor in Asian American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.
Kim is the co-founder and former president of the non-profit organization Asian Women United(AWU) of California. She also co-founded the Oakland Korean Community Center and the Asian Immigrant Women Advocates.
Kim received her B.A. in English and American Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, M.A. in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University, and her Ph.D. in Social Foundations of Education from University of California, Berkeley
Kim is the co-founder and former president of the non-profit organization Asian Women United(AWU) of California. She also co-founded the Oakland Korean Community Center and the Asian Immigrant Women Advocates.
Kim received her B.A. in English and American Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, M.A. in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University, and her Ph.D. in Social Foundations of Education from University of California, Berkeley
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 7, 2021
It took me quite a while to finish this, both as a function of life happening and as a function of my wanting to take proper time to appreciate and enjoy the interviews contained in this piece. I want to say first that it was worth the wait and patience. This book is not just perennial, it's a fantastic, well-rounded anthology of the Korean immigrant and American experience at a time when the Korean community (in my opinion) was still finding its roots in the United States. In many ways, we still are today.
It's especially interesting to have the experiences and perspectives of such a diverse range of people, who made their journeys to America in various ways at various times, especially knowing that many of those interviewed were my age, my parents' ages, or my grandparents' ages at the time of their interviews. A couple generations removed from this piece, I can't help but compare how far we've come and how far we still have to go.
At the end of the day, this book is incredibly important to me because it's the only book I've ever found that encompasses the diversity of the Korean experience in America so effectively and persuasively, with such well-documented personal histories and narratives. There are many topics and conversations in this book that I wish I could have had with my grandparents, or wish I could have now; while I know their perspectives vary from the interviewees, I take some comfort in hearing about similar challenges during the Korean War period and assimilating in the United States. This is a book I plan to return to often, if for no other reason than its natural comfort and short-interview format. It's a book I hope to introduce to my kids one day as well, because it's such a formative work for building an understanding of Korean and Korean American identity, and the history of what those identities mean. I loved the book, I appreciate the labor that went into accomplishing its mission, and I will always enjoy coming back to it again and again.
It's especially interesting to have the experiences and perspectives of such a diverse range of people, who made their journeys to America in various ways at various times, especially knowing that many of those interviewed were my age, my parents' ages, or my grandparents' ages at the time of their interviews. A couple generations removed from this piece, I can't help but compare how far we've come and how far we still have to go.
At the end of the day, this book is incredibly important to me because it's the only book I've ever found that encompasses the diversity of the Korean experience in America so effectively and persuasively, with such well-documented personal histories and narratives. There are many topics and conversations in this book that I wish I could have had with my grandparents, or wish I could have now; while I know their perspectives vary from the interviewees, I take some comfort in hearing about similar challenges during the Korean War period and assimilating in the United States. This is a book I plan to return to often, if for no other reason than its natural comfort and short-interview format. It's a book I hope to introduce to my kids one day as well, because it's such a formative work for building an understanding of Korean and Korean American identity, and the history of what those identities mean. I loved the book, I appreciate the labor that went into accomplishing its mission, and I will always enjoy coming back to it again and again.
October 24, 2025
Really captured every single person I knew growing up as a Korean immigrant in the west coast. Amazing read.
August 20, 2011
I brought this book a long time ago at Borders Books and Music while I was looking for an topic assignment for an writing course for a college degree I used to work on. The essays may be on the short side, but they give you good insight about what it is like to be a recent Korean Immigrant in the United States.
August 17, 2007
This book has inspired me to find out more about my own family's story.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews