Literary Fiction by People of Color discussion

Our book choice for January is The Calligrapher's Daughter by Eugenia Kim, and our discussion will begin here on January 1. I was surprised and pleased to discover that Eugenia Kim is a Goodreads author and a member of our LFPC group. Perhaps she will be able to stop by during the discussion.

Her book has received the following honors:
Borders Original Voices Selection
The Washington Post Critic's Pick
Publishers Weekly First Fiction Pick for Fall
Vogue.com Summer Best Beach Reads Pick
The Denver Post “Hitting the Shelves” Editor’s Choice
National Geographic Traveler “New Books that Transport Us”

Meanwhile, here's some information about her:

Eugenia Kim is the daughter of Korean immigrant parents who came to America shortly after the Pacific War. She has published short stories and essays in journals and anthologies, including Echoes Upon Echoes: New Korean American Writings, and is an MFA graduate of Bennington College. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and son. The Calligrapher’s Daughter is her first novel.

More information about her and her book can be found at:
http://www.thecalligraphersdaughter.com

and a review can be found at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/...

Happy reading!

I have my copy from the library and I am ready to get started like a Nascar race. Good reading everyone!

Happy New Year!! Thank you for inviting me to be the discussion leader for this book. As a Korean adoptee I had some personal connections to the subject matter in particular and to the memoir genre in general. I appreciated the informal history lesson of Korea pre-38th parallel (split between North and South Korea) and the Korean culture, specifically, the honorary titles that you use between family members and to indicate status.

My initial thoughts are that I was a little disoriented by the switch between first person and third person and then later, the letter style, among chapters. It felt like the author was going to extraordinary lengths to generate understanding (possible sympathy) for the father's traditional perspective and his treatment of his wife and daughter. It reminded me of the memoir style of The Nazi Officer's Wife (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/68...) because there was a sense that the writer had a protective eye towards future generations when writing about ancestors. At least, that was my sense when I read both "memoirs"--I realize that Kim is tagging this story a novel, but based on events from her family's life.

I did not get this sense when I read Amy Tan's novels based on her mother's / grandmother's lives. Tan has a raw ability to weave stories that compel you as her stories seem to contain acute emotional pain (and joy) that is beautifully revealed through events that unfold at a riveting pace. I LOVE Amy Tan, and I didn't detect the same infectious story-telling style and rhythm in The Calligrapher's Daughter, but more of a dutiful daughter / granddaughter recording her family's story with respect and responsibility to Korean history. That didn't mean that I felt Kim's writing was not compelling, simply that the story really only got interesting for me when times started to get tough for the main character (Najin)--when she got married.

I was trying to pinpoint why the rape of her teacher and other difficulties that occur previously to her marriage did not hold the same horror as say, the scene from The Kite Runner, and I can only compare it to the events retold in To Kill a Mockingbird--the horror was somewhat veiled by the perspective of the child narrator. In fact, the retelling of the rape seemed almost quaint in The Calligrapher's Daughter, as it brought Najin and her favorite teacher closer together.

In conclusion, my favorite parts of the book were probably the dialogue--the formal language of "this person" third person always caused me to suppress a giggle as an absurdly and often inappropriately informal Westerner--that I am. I also appreciated, Kim's sweet retelling of her family's story against the backdrop of events that I only read previously through children's books such as Year of Impossible Good-byes (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16...) and When My Name Was Keoko (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61...). Side note: When I visited Korea this summer, some Korean natives indicated that they were not at all pleased with the success of When My Name Was Keoko as they viewed it as a flawed and skewed portrayal of Korea. I would love for someone to weigh in on this perspective.

Questions For Discussion: These questions were taken from Eugenia Kim's own webpage for her book:
(http://www.thecalligraphersdaughter.c...)

1. Najin’s father, the calligrapher Han, is very traditional. Did he fear change or was he simply stubborn? What did change represent to him? What does he gain by maintaining old customs? What does he lose? Did your perceptions of him change as the novel progressed?


2. While Najin is the primary narrator of The Calligrapher’s Daughter, many chapters are written from the points-of-view of her father and her mother. How did seeing Najin’s world from their perspective alter your understanding of it?


3. Najin experiences faith and belief in varying degrees. When does her faith feel strongest to her, and when does it ebb? Why do you think she is unable to sustain a consistent belief? Given her conflicted feelings about religion, did you think she made the right decision to marry a seminarian?


4. Most of the married couples in The Calligrapher’s Daughter face severe stresses during at least one point of their relationship. Discuss the different challenges thrust upon them, as well as how they deal with them. What does this novel say about love? What does it say about fidelity?


5. Ilsun, Najin’s brother (whom she calls Dongsaeng), often seems to bring trouble upon himself and his family. What special pressures does he face as the firstborn son? Could you empathize at all with his behaviors?


6. Despite the Korean Confucian standard of male supremacy during that era, many of the women in The Calligrapher’s Daughter managed to find meaning and fulfillment in their lives. How did Najin’s mother, her mother-in-law and her two sisters-in-law (Unsook and Meeja) find strength to make personal choices within the confines of their roles? What opportunities did the servant women have to marshal inner resources and the ability to make choices?


7. Najin and her mother seem to share a deep understanding of all the best qualities in a mother-daughter relationship, yet the word “love” is never spoken. What are some of those qualities and how were they conveyed?


8. As an adult, Najin tries to keep her personal trials to herself, such as her silence about the torture she witnessed in prison. Where did her ability to suppress feelings stem from? Could she have been more expressive? When might it have served her better if she were more forthcoming with her feelings and difficulties?


9. The estate in Gaeseong has deep significance to the family, especially to Han who has rarely left it, and Najin who has often left and returned, enabling her to recognize its significance. How is the family estate a metaphor for Korea during the Japanese occupation?


10. Five years after this novel ends, the Korean War began. It ended three bloody years later with an armistice agreement that partitioned the nation into North and South. Considering Korea’s history of isolationism and the oppressive period depicted in The Calligrapher’s Daughter, do you think there are parallels between the Japanese occupation and the military dictatorships of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il in what is now the most insular and isolated nation in the world?


11. Eugenia Kim has said that her novel was inspired by the life of her mother, and that the “writing experience radically changed my regard for my mother and my father, as well as my own Korean-American identity, in the most enriching, positive way.” Are there stories in your own family’s history that might contain the seeds of a novel?

Is there a reading schedule for this read Jackie?

Brought in the New Year reading The Calligrapher's Daughter.

First impression: Wow, I am embarrassingly ignorant of Asian history in general, and Korean history in particular, and I didn't even know it! I look forward to learning from you all as we read this book together.

Rebecca, Great question!! I usually don't finish the books on time but since I was the DL, I've already returned my copy to the library. I think it is conveniently broken up into 3 sections. If you have your copy with you, maybe you could let me know what the titles of these sections are until I can get my hands on the book again? Until then:

Section 1: January 9
Section 2: January 16
Section 3: January 23

Does that sound reasonable?

P.S. Oddly, as I mentioned previously, most books on Korean history that I've read are young adult fiction. I also believe there was a great one entitled, A Single Shard (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/78...).

I sure can Jackie. I am picking up my copy from the library tommorow. Sounds great. Thank you.

I'm only about half-way through the book, and while it's a bit slow, I'm giving the book a thumbs up. Jackie - Thanks for leading this discussion - I'm hoping you'll add more dimension to my comments as someone who lives as a bridge between cultures and generations.

It seems to me Ms. Kim has done a great job with her debut novel and deserves recognition for successfully translating some very sensitive issues while managing to preserve her story's cultural and historical voice. I think it's important to remember Kim's family and that means inherently her voice is yang-ban, upper crust Korean, and would still shape a woman's words, even a thoroughly modern woman, from saying all that she means. Subtlety is a value.

I'm afraid though that too much was lost in the translation between generations and culture and perhaps Ms. Kim should have drawn things out a little more for her readers. I'm new to this group and have been watching from the sidelines hoping to be able to catch up and contribute something to the discussions. I jumped in with both feet when I read the father in Kim's story was a traditionalist and the story set against the Japanese imperialist expansion of Korea.

As an indigenous writer and an advocate for what has been coined, Traditional Environmental Knowledge (TEK), I am very interested in hearing this group's discussion about the author's treatment of the concepts of tradition, progress and "contemporary thinking".

It seems the word "tradition" has come to imply rigidness, resistance or fear of change. I'm anxious to hear what other readers think and am hoping that some of you will share your insights in that area.

I don't know very much about Korean culture or traditions, but one of the few things I have learned is that during the time of the story, a great deal of Korea's indigenous knowledge was lost. The use of their traditional ceremonies, healing practices and aspects of the language were all but forgotten. Traditional healing instruments, clothing, writings were burnt and destroyed. Like the patriarch of the story,Abbuh-nim, great teachers of the traditional arts were beaten, imprisoned and killed. Of course with our contemporary understanding we recognize this as genocide, and understand that this has far reaching implications that affect not only the cultural and spiritual aspects of Korean culture but also larger environmental concerns as well. Although Kim touches on this theme in places, the conflict between preserving Korean culture in exchange for modernism is left unresolved.

In that vein I wish that Kim would have taken the father's role further - to look at the motivating reasons behind his refusal to adopt more modern ways. What causes a person to become so devoted to cultural traditions that they would spend their entire life preserving it, even risking their own health and safety? From my own personal experience, I can say there is a great love and passion for the great significance that traditions bring to life. Perhaps casually traditions seem restrictive and stifling to progress and growth, but consider it was after traditional systems were replaced by more progressive mechanisms that both Korean and Japanese suffered tremendous poverty and illness. It's a repetitious story throughout our world and our shared history. Traditional systems work in part because they are a result of thousands of years of slow and successful change. I challenge our group to consider an alternative view of Abbuh-nim's resistance to progress, not as a character defect- a man clinging to the past - but perhaps to imagine him as a dedicated warrior preserving the dignity of his family and a traditional way of life that gave roots, belonging, purpose and substance to his family and his people.

In contrast to her husband's steadfast resistance, Umma-nin, the mother offers flexibility and agility. As is very common within indigenous cultures, Mother is the largely invisible, yet very present, backbone of her family. "I felt lost without Mother on her feet." Najin-ah reflects. Mother's feet move swiftly and surely and in more than one scene pave the way to her family's survival.

The birth scene and the conveyance of her dream to her daughter, Najin-ah, was powerful and has captivated my imagination with its symbology. I'm curious if anyone else has any thoughts of the dream's meaning. Is it too much of a stretch to think that the author was trying to draw out the dual aspects of life and the story; tradition and progress, pain and joy, masculine and feminine while at times opposed,inevitably connected and essential.

I'm anxious to hear other thoughts and perspectives and am glad to finally be able to offer more to these great discussions. And Happy New Year!

Gemma, Thanks for sharing your perspective!! We will continue to value your deeper knowledge and investment in Korean culture and history as the discussion unfolds. I want to make clear, that as the story progressed, I definitely felt a sympathy for the father's traditional ways that was not forced, although I had initially felt manipulated by the author to resist feeling bitter towards him, if not sympathy towards him. Obviously, we are all meant to develop this as Najin grows in her understanding of her father and the value of the Korean culture as it was slipping away or, more accurately, being ripped away from them. Although, the traditional roles of the wife and daughter in the yang-ban society are not at all understood or accepted in contemporary American culture, there were other aspects of Korean culture that the Japanese were forcibly tearing away from the Koreans. If you didn't mourn this loss to some degree, then I'm afraid you missed one of the major themes of this book, in my opinion. I look forward to hearing more aspects of the culture from your perspective, Gemma!

Thank you, Gemma. I admit, I wasn't terribly interested in this book, until I read your thoughtful comments. Glad to have you here.

The following is an invitation from the author, Eugenia Kim to correspond with her directly regarding questions related to her book, The Calligrapher's Daughter. Ms. Kim has given me permission to post her note to the group:

Dear Jackie,

Thank you for choosing The Calligrapher's Daughter for January's read. I hesitated to write to you since I didn't want to influence how any group members might not give their fully honest opinions about the book if they knew i was lurking. I don't want to cramp the discussion nor prevent anyone from speaking freely about their reaction, so I won't participate nor will I read the thread afterwards, but if there are specific questions readers would like answered, please feel free to email me at this address: thecalligraphersdaughter@gmail.com

Again, my thanks for your selection. I am honored.

Eugenia

This is such an interesting group and each of you has such insight, I have enjoyed listening in and I'm glad that you enjoyed my perspective as well. And thank you for the warm welcome.

Personally, I'd love to have the author as part of our conversations I think it's a honor to have that kind of insight to what we're reading. I'll have to ask her about the dream. : )

Jackie, I hope what I have typed up is ok. Let me know.
Section I Gaeseong pg.3-138 - January 9th
Section II Higher Education pg.141-314 January 16th
Section III Seoul pg.317 to the end. January 23

Rebecca, yes!! Thank you!! Super! I need to get to the library again.

My book finally came in at the library! Hooray!

Yay Wilhelmina. I know the feeling is a happy one.

I feel like Kim has just dropped me into her novel. Right now I am thinking her start to the story is not easy or a smooth one. I hope that changes quickly.I just started but What is the relationship between Korea and Japan at this time? I guess I would like some more historical background to help me. Will she get to this as I keep reading???

Hello to everyone. I am new to the group and looking forward to participating as much as possible. Unfortunately I am on holiday so not able to get hold of the book at this time. Just as a matter of interest some years ago i read "Ten Thousand Sorrows" a memoir by Elizabeth Kim and one of the saddest books I have ever read. The writing style is nothing special but the life story of a mixed race Korean woman is painful and disturbing.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49...

Rebecca wrote: "I feel like Kim has just dropped me into her novel. Right now I am thinking her start to the story is not easy or a smooth one. I hope that changes quickly.I just started but What is the relations..."

Rebecca, from what I could gather from this book and from other novels I've read (no official historical perspective here--so maybe Gemma and others can weigh in or I can stop being lazy and actually do some research) Japan was an aggressor in the region, not only towards Korea, but towards China as well. At the time the novel is set, they were occupying Korea and trying to snuff out Korean culture through authoritarian means (torture, suppression, political arrests, etc.). I believe that the power struggle was also linked to a forced marriage between a Korean and Japanese royalty.

Thank you Jackie. I feel like I have some more bearings than before. I thought this article has some more insight along the lines you mentioned and although it does go on in unrelated places it was very good.
Here is the link: http://organizations.bloomu.edu/gasi/...
The following paragraph I think summarizes the beginning of the book too.
“Nobody used these names at
home,” says Roh, who even today must search for official records from his youth under his
Japanese name.Forced name-changing was part of a larger effort to suppress Korean culture. There were also penalties for speaking Korean, and many cultural artifacts were either destroyed or removed fromJapan during that period. According to Newsweek, for instance, 80 percent of all Korean Buddhist paintings are now in Japan.In addition, millions of Koreans were conscripted for labor and the Japanese military, including perhaps 200,000 women and girls who were forced into sexual slavery for the occupier’s soldiers. In 1919, an estimated 7,000 nonviolent demonstrators were killed while demanding independence.“Overall, the Japanese were
very suspicious of Koreans,” said Roh, “and Koreans didn’t like Japanese,
either.”

Thanks Rebecca!!

Also, I felt as though the significance of Najin's "non-name" was somewhat confusing at first. In fact, it felt to me like the author intended there to be lots of significance tied to it, but the full impact of significance was somehow a bit thin and sketchy to me as a reader.

So, although, I don't have my copy with me, I mentally noted that on page 101, Najin's father finally spells out his thoughts on this topic. It was very revealing and helpful for feeling more connected to both characters.

P.S. I return to school tomorrow in my job as a 2nd grade teacher. My responses may be less frequent as the responsibilities of lesson planning, grading, etc. might take over. (c;

Rebecca wrote: "What is the relationship between Korea and Japan at this time? I guess I would like some more historical background to help me. .."

I'm feeling hampered in appreciating this story by my historical ignorance, too. I found the Wikipedia entry on Korea to provide a quick & dirty history:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korea
I also found the entry on Korean naming enlightening:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_name

Kim has chosen names that are clearly symbolic: for example, the father's name is Han, which means both 'country' as well as 'leader', and he clearly represent the traditional Korean nation. So, what does it mean that the tale begins with a daughter who has no personal name, no title, no place name, who is utterly nameless?

Mistinguettes wrote: "So, what does it mean that the tale begins with a daughter who has no personal name, no title, no place name, who is utterly nameless?"

M - You couldn't have phrased your question more perfectly. I think that is precisely Kim's point, to the father without his land, his language, his traditions - all was lost.

After he suffered the first arrest by the Japanese, he did not know his personal or his country's future. Where was he to go, who would he become, who would this GIRL child become in a world of not belonging? How do you name what is "not"? And yet he feared to name it also...it would be like naming a ghost I think.

Elegant!

I read this story a little while ago and appreciated and admit that is has its ups and downs. What I did appreciate the most was the dealing of the story from the Korean prespective. What I have previously read about Korea was from the either the Chinese or Japanese pov. To me it is was interesting reading about Korea pre- the Korean War. The one fact that remains in my mind - is that Christainity was not introduced into the culture by missionaries but was due to the Chinese translation of the Bible - the missionaries came later.
This book expanded by knowledge of Korea.

Najin’s father, the calligrapher Han, is very traditional. Did he fear change or was he simply stubborn? What did change represent to him? What does he gain by maintaining old customs? What does he lose? Did your perceptions of him change as the novel progressed?

I thought that Najin's father did not want change because he was part of the privilaged class and in a position of power. Why would he want change? Everything was fine for him and he would not know what his role would be in the new world.

Also he did not want to lose any of the traditions/privilage that he thought was due him.

To me this was quite normal behavior.

One part of the story that I found interesting was Najin at first thought her in-laws were more progressive thinkers open to change than her father than was really surprised about her in-laws living conditions.

Section I Gaeseong pg.3-138 - January 9th

What were your lasting impressions of Najin from the first section of the book?

How would you describe your feelings towards her father and their relationship as the first section progressed?

What were some of your new learning about what was happening in Korea at this time?

Spolier Alert: I am about half-way through the Calligrapher's Daughter, and have met younger brother Ilsun as an adolescent. His rebellious voice is very Western and contemporary. He sounds so much like a 21st century American teenager that I laughed out loud!

This made me realize that The Calligraphers Daughter is a very different kind of post-colonial tale than I am used to reading. Instead of having two clear sides, a pure, indigenous culture that is oppressed by another nation, the history of Korea has layer upon layers of colonial occupation.

So, Hajin's 'traditional' father hates the Japanese occupation while devoting himself to preserving the tradition of the last occupiers of Korea . His calligraphy is Chinese, not Hangul!

To further complicate things, once Hajin comes to live with her in-laws, we realize that the Han family are upper-middle class people with relative power and economic comfort, even as they are also experiencing brutal racial/ethnic oppression. I thought of them as poor - until Hajin had to live with her working class (but still not poor) in-laws.

Do other readers notice this complexity? A lot of us have remarked we find this story more difficult to read than we expected: do you think all the complicated points of view are part of that? I picked this up expecting an interesting historical novel, but this is something rich and deep!

Mistinguettes wrote: "Spolier Alert: I am about half-way through the Calligrapher's Daughter, and have met younger brother Ilsun as an adolescent. His rebellious voice is very Western and contemporary. He sounds so much..."

I did not get the impression that the Hans were poor - in fact I had the opposite impression. I was surprised at the in-laws economic conditions based on how the son presented himself to Hajiin. I thought it strange that her husband did not tell her about the in-laws living conditions.

Jackie wrote: "Section I Gaeseong pg.3-138 - January 9th

What were your lasting impressions of Najin from the first section of the book?

How would you describe your feelings towards her father and their relati..."

It has been a while since I read the book so not sure where the end of the section was. But I thought that she was a normal child inquisitive, eager to learn but also at the point where she could be molded by the culture around her. She had the personality that she wants to please others.

Her father as has been mentioned was in a position of authority and was respected and trying to hold on to the world that he knowns and understands.

I beleived her father did want the best for her and thought that he knew the skills she would need to be successful in the world as he knowns it.

Beverly wrote:I did not get the impression that the Hans were poor - in fact I had the opposite impression. I was surprised at the in-laws economic conditions based on how the son presented himself to Hajiin.

You are right. They were not poor, but rapidly found themselves in dramatically reduced circumstances. I thought of them as becoming poor because I was experiencing the situation from Hajin's point of view.

I was not surprised about Calvin's family: it was clear that Calvin was 'marrying up". The Cho family occupies space we would call 'working class': they own very little but they are still far better off than, say, the servants of the Han family.

I'm looking forward to reading this book, but it will be awhile before I get my hands on it. I've had it on request at the library. I believe they plan to purchase it, but I'll be out of town for a month or so. Coming late to the party seems to be my M.O.

I can relate to that to sometimes I wait a month to get books from our library which does put you late to the party. Unfortunaley I live in a small town and for that I am lucky I can usually get most of the books I need. Have a great trip Denise. I still would love to hear your comments when you can get to reading it.

I just finished the book and I enjoyed it and learned a lot from it. As some of us have mentioned, I, too, knew very little about the Japanese occupation of Korea. I knew that Japan was an imperialist nation and attempted to dominate the region, but I did not know the extent to which Japan attempted to eliminate the traditional culture of Korea. I thought that Kim did a very good job of illuminating this aspect of history through the eyes of a girl born at the time that the occupation was solidifying. Not being named by her father was, to me, a perfect metaphor for that time when all identity was being crushed, as Mistinguettes and Gemma mentioned in earlier posts.

In terms of the class differences between Najin's birth family and her in-laws, I don't think that the class structure is as simple as rich vs. poor. Najin's father-in-law was a minister which carried its own status, and to some extent, their poverty was a part of their calling - a literal reading of the bible would say that they should give up possessions. I don't think that Calvin considered himself marrying up; his father was highly respected and Calvin was following in his footsteps. Of course, the reality for poor Najin was that she had to live a life that was not in her plans at all, and in addition, she was treated poorly by her in-laws. Najin's family was a part of the intellectual elite who, unfortunately, were being severely persecuted by the Japanese. In earlier times, the family would have had both social status and economic security, but both were rapidly eroding under Japanese oppression.

I know that Kim stated that this story was based on her mother's life, but I really wondered how much of it was factual. I also wondered whether the beautifully described mother/daughter relationship was based on Kim and her own mother. That relationship was one of the aspects of the story that I loved.

Whilhelmina, Maybe thats why we both loved the mother/daughter relationship. It is very beautifully described and seemed like it was factual. I am glad you mentioned the point about the story's base I have wondered the same as I have read. I am behind Was it for sure clear or said what really happened to Najin's teacher?

Najin's mother finally verified what Najin had feared and added the information that the teacher had become pregnant as a result. Jackie mentioned earlier about the horror being somewhat muted because of the narrator's perspective as a young girl - a good decision, in my opinion. A child can't completely comprehend the horrors that are going on around her; she mainly feels the disintegration of all that she holds dear.

The Calligrapher's Daughter won the Borders Original Voices Annual Reward for Fiction last night.

Wonderful! I think that this book deserved the award. What do others think?

Wilhelmina wrote: "A child can't completely comprehend the horrors that are going on around her; she mainly feels the disintegration of all that she holds dear." It seems to me that's what made Kim's story so elegant; war, genocide, poverty, brutality veiled layers of disintegration.

And in spite of it all, or maybe it was her way of bringing order to her world, Najin remained focused on her education and ultimately her desire to heal and as a midwife, the greatest healing - helping women give birth to future generations.

I'll definitely be reading this book again. I'm really glad this book won the Border's Original Voices.

Section II Higher Education pg.141-314 January 16th

I became intrigued by Najin's relationship with her brother in this section. What thoughts did you have about her responsibility to him and his growing apathy toward or disregard or or even taking advantage of his position in the family?

On a personal note, I attended a college named after John Calvin--Calvin College--so I was amused that Najin's husband's name was Calvin, also a namesake of this protestant reformer. I found their courtship innocent, but the foreshadowing of the peach falling and smashing into the rocks was, in my opinion, an obvious literary device.

Again, Najin's troubles with the Japanese officials regarding her paperwork to leave Korea for the United States suddenly felt more menacing than the overall tone of the story. I'm not sure how to capture this sense of a muted retelling of the horror and dangers connected to the occupation. Maybe, it's just my own reading--but the little I read of "Say You're One of Them" or "Book of Night Women" stands in direct contrast. The voice of these writers felt much more raw and unprotected against the reality of the hardships the characters in those books faced. Or was it simply that Najin's family's position before the occupation insulated her from the worst of the realities (which we begin to feel when she lives with her in-laws for a time) or am I simply a reader who didn't absorb the full horror of Najin's reality, only guessed at it through the author's gentle retelling? hmmm . . . There's always the possibility that the writer intended to mute the horror because of the social class of the narrator.

Finally, Najin's desire to enter the medical profession contrasted with her teaching profession which she achieved through her mother's sacrifice for her. What did you make of her progress toward her dream, in terms of her identity as a woman at this time in Korean history?

Gemma wrote: "Wilhelmina wrote: "A child can't completely comprehend the horrors that are going on around her; she mainly feels the disintegration of all that she holds dear." It seems to me that's what made Kim..."

Gemma, I loved your insight into the connection between Najin's midwifery and the birth of new roles for women during this period in Korean history.

Jackie wrote: "Or was it simply that Najin's family's position before the occupation insulated her from the worst of the realities..."

I think that, until her arrest, Najin was insulated from the worst. I equate Najin's position to the position of the children of professional African Americans during the Jim Crow era when a major priority was protecting children from the harshest aspects of the system. I felt similarly about Najin's professional aspirations. She wasn't able to achieve her dream of becoming a physician, but she took a giant step for a women of her time by attending college and obtaining a teaching position. (My mother and father both wanted to be doctors in the 1930's - 1940's era, but neither family could afford it. They both made major breakthroughs during WWII when the military service of young white men opened up positions in science in government labs. They both had rewarding scientific careers that would have been impossible 20 years earlier.)

I like your observation also, Gemma. That birth was certainly a painful one but a new world did emerge.

I just finished The Calligrapher's Daughter. What a difficult book this must have been to write! Eugenia Kim understood her audience well: Americans who know nothing about Far Eastern history, but who are hungry for stories about generation change, culture change, and the ways that mothers and daughters give each other voice during transformative times.

I sometimes found the flow of Kim's voice interrupted by didacticism; at the same time,if she didn't explain so much, index so much, include a condensed history in the Afterword, I would not have been able to enter the story at all. Is there a name for this kind of literature, where ethnic groups use fiction explain to mainstream Americans about their people, history and customs?

I look forward to the tale Kim has for me when she no longer needs to teach me the ABCs of what it means to be Korean. I hope her editors don't pigeonhole her as "Korean-American writer" because there is more value in this novel than the novelty of its subject matter. Kim has a gift for using language to reveal subtle tensions and deep longings even as she conveys the formality and discipline that shapes their expression. That voice is heard in fragments in Calligrapher's Daughter. I want to hear more of that voice given its full range, no matter what the subject of her next novel may be.

I didn't know what to expect when I decided to join this particular read, and as someone else mentioned above novels (or autobiographical novels) from a Korean point of view are few and far between (to my knowledge anyway, which should not reflect the opinion of others). I was happy for the Historical Note at the end, though sadly I was not aware of it until I finished the book. I think I might have enjoyed the read a little more had I the context in which to place the story. This isn't to say I did not enjoy the book - in fact, I enjoyed it quite a bit.

The beginning started slow for me, but I loved the spirit in Najin from the beginning - her eagerness to learn, despite odds being against her as a girl. Today I was able to read the rest of the book in one sitting which also encouraged a more positive opinion from me. The differing points of view were distracting at first, especially as I was reading them in fits and starts, and only confusing myself. It helped to have few distractions while I read it all day today.

I'm most drawn to the question posed above from Kim's website about the father and his traditional ways. I don't think he was afraid of change nor was he being stubborn. From what I understand based on the few personal experiences I have with the Asian culture, Koreans in particular are very proud of their heritage, proud of their history and their culture. Traditionalists aren't always motivated by fear, but for the desire to pass on a heritage. As someone mentioned above, Amy Tan incorporates this into a lot of her writing as well. I was also reminded of Sawako Ariyoshi's The River Ki, especially in the relationship between Najin and her mother. Traditional and modern culture seems to be a driving force in a lot of Asian literature, which never seems to fail to be interesting to me. Western culture can often be such a hodge-podge of so many other cultures, that it's hard sometimes to determine where beliefs or attitudes came from originally.

The fact that this is a debut novel is what strikes me the most. As a first novel this is fantastic. So often a debut novel comes across as reading as if the author just rolled out of a creative writing workshop, and that can be such a drag. Kim's novel has the breadth and beauty of being so much more than just a homework assignment, and that is important to me as a reader. For that reason alone I'm glad she's won awards for this novel, and I do look forward to seeing what she does in the future. The fact that she sent such a nice message to Jackie also wins me over.

I'm new to this group but I have to say that if we continue reading such fantastic books, I'll be a happy participant. I'm looking forward to reading Daughters of the Stone next month - though since I already have it from the library I might start early so I don't miss out before having to return it.

El wrote: "I'm most drawn to the question posed above from Kim's website about the father and his traditional ways. I don't think he was afraid of change nor was he being stubborn. From what I understand based on the few personal experiences I have with the Asian culture, Koreans in particular are very proud of their heritage, proud of their history and their culture. Traditionalists aren't always motivated by fear, but for the desire to pass on a heritage...."

I agree, El. The father was a living embodiment of the culture, through his art and calligraphy. He saw his culture being crushed by Japanese imperialism and was willing to risk his life to preserve it. Unfortunately, tradition in this culture, as in many cultures, includes discrimination against women. For Najin to realize her potential, change had to occur. Her mother understood this - even though she was an ideal woman of her culture, this was certainly not what she wanted for her daughter.

That mother/daughter relationship is staying with me. I especially was captured by the picture of Najin's mother making that physically and emotionally painful trip to the prison where Najin was held day after day to sustain her daughter's hope. Her explanation as to how she could do it - "You are my daughter."

It's great having you with us, El!

El!! I appreciate your comments because enthusiasm for reading and expanding our understanding of other cultures are what drew me to this group in the first place. It has never disappointed!! (c;

Wilhemina--thanks for your insight and thought into Najin's perspective on the harsh realities of her situation being insulated by her family. I also appreciated your sharing of the personal connection with the incremental struggle to change public thought on the roles of women and racial minorities. Very timely--especially today. (c;

On a different note, Gemma got me thinking beyond a personal family memoir--to thinking about how the characters represent or symbolize Korean culture and thought during this tumultuous time in history. Najin's brother definitely, in my mind, represents the breakdown in Korean tradition--the hope of the father (heightened by the tragic miscarriages before the son's arrival) and the inevitable disappointment.

Later, in Section 3--I realize I'm jumping ahead-- the brother makes some significant choices that may represent the divided loyalty that the Japanese imposed on the Koreans at this time and its tragic consequences. Poignant. Naturally Najin's strength--and the hope for the family coming through the daughter is also telling. What are your thoughts?

Rebecca, I haven't read anything by Lisa See yet, but have seen the name mentioned a few times in reference to this book as a compare/contrast sort of thing. I wonder if my opinion would be different if I had read See first? Maybe it's about time I try one of her books too.

Rebecca wrote: "Absolutely, I hope you will. Read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. I promise you will be blown away. :) "

Although I appreciated Snow Flower and The Secret Fan, and I will preface my comment by saying it is absolutely unfair to compare all literature set in Asia against each other--but for me, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan paled in comparison to, once again, Amy Tan's books (whom I LOVE) or even the controversial, Memoirs of a Geisha, set in Japan. There was something stilted or contrived in the storytelling of Snow Flower, but the subject matter was compelling and the book is worth reading. Not to veer off into a discussion on Lisa See . . .

Yet, I will defend the Calligrapher's Daughter, in that, as a family memoir and a historical retelling, it somehow does not seem to be in the same genre as Snow Flower or Memoirs or even Amy Tan's novels (although based on some of her mother's life story). What do others think?

Jackie wrote: "Rebecca wrote: "Absolutely, I hope you will. Read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. I promise you will be blown away. :) "

Although I appreciated Snow Flower and The Secret Fan, and I will preface m..."

Jackie - I agree with you. I was only to ask what the comparison was between Lisa See's books and Eugenia Kim's book. as the only thing I could come up with is the gepgraphical location of their storylines. And I agree with your assessment of Lisa See's writing style.

As a friend of mine says - Every book is not for everybody but everybody is for somebody.

I did enjoy The Calligrapher's Daughter for several reasons- One I liked that this book was written from the Korean pov. I have read other stories about the Korean occupation by the Japanese but it was usually written from the Japenese or Chinese pov. The mother-daughter and father-daughter relationship illustrated to me that different cultures have many similarities.
I liked how the storyline showed the how the political divide among the Koreans split into the two groups that eventually led to Korean divide.


As it being a memior it is one family's telling of their history as how they saw it.

I've hesitated in jumping in because you all have been so exhaustive in your comments. But I've been meaning to participate and have a moment, so here goes. I truly liked this book, and it surprised me. It's funny Jackie, that you mention comparing her work to Amy Tan, and your love for Tan's work. When I read the jacket blurb, I thought that's what I would be getting. And I didn't know if I had the "strength," if you will, to do that. There is something both epically ponderous and chic-lity light to Tan's work in my opinion, that I wasn't quite in the mood for. (I don't mean to sound negative or bashing of Tan's work, I just don't also want to go into all the good I see it, in a discussion of Ms. Kim's book).

My point being, that my expectations were for something different than I got, and I was pleasantly surprised. I like Najin's character, alot. I found the breadth of experiences that she endured to be fascinating, and thinking that even a kernel of this was based on a "true story" was inspirational to me.

I did learn much about the period and region that I was unaware of, and I liked that the author dropped us into it and trusted that we would be able to follow along and learn. Indeed, we start out with Najin as a young child, completely unaware of the utter importance of things like her nanny's betrayal, or her father's refusal to name her. As she grows to learn of the world around her, so do we.

The thing that I can't shake, and sparks my interest to read more, is that we know that in a matter of years from the end point of this book, Korea and the US would be at war with each other. How is that possible? What in the world could have developed in such a short period of time, and how many more layers to the story are we still missing?

Man, I'm really disappointed in my world history curricula.