tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post3928086072140728225..comments2024-03-26T03:31:06.199-04:00Comments on Ask a Korean!: 10 Books that Influenced the Korean's View of the WorldT.K. (Ask a Korean!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07663422474464557214noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-71630467498403451042012-04-11T23:55:12.136-04:002012-04-11T23:55:12.136-04:00Super late commenting, but I bought the 먼나라 이웃나라 a...Super late commenting, but I bought the 먼나라 이웃나라 about Korea when I was there in February, just to help me study Korean. I am enjoying it.<br />I also read a mammoth biography of Malcolm in High School that had a profound influence on me.Banana Stachehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07791323632819024972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-19954604910359539132011-02-18T01:10:09.902-05:002011-02-18T01:10:09.902-05:00hi, this is a great blog, i recently reading the c...hi, this is a great blog, i recently reading the comic book of professor Li, I wanna ask you when was that countries book series published in Korea? thank you very much!Yaohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03410817117884881223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-18343296356611511302010-04-25T04:43:18.347-04:002010-04-25T04:43:18.347-04:00Here is my top 10:
10. Life of Pi- Yann Martel
9....Here is my top 10:<br /><br />10. Life of Pi- Yann Martel<br />9. IT- Stephen King<br />8. Starship Troopers- Robert Heinlein<br />7. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy- Douglas Adams<br />6. The Stand- Stephen King<br />5. Confederacy of the Dunces- John Kennedy Toole<br />4. High Fidelity- Nick Hornby<br />3. Last Train to Memphis- Peter Guralnick<br />2. Grapes of Wrath- John Steinbeck<br />1. East of Eden- John Steinbeckbeatnixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17103533855857402068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-13320907456978884342010-04-09T06:41:06.845-04:002010-04-09T06:41:06.845-04:00Slamdunk is also my greatest sports influence in m...Slamdunk is also my greatest sports influence in middle school. Practically waited every week for each chapter to be released in one of those weekly manga compilations sold at newspaper stands. <br />Probably the only reason I started playing basketball regularly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-89721005403019846832010-04-07T00:28:57.112-04:002010-04-07T00:28:57.112-04:00Very quickly, off the top of his head:
- Karl Lle...Very quickly, off the top of his head:<br /><br />- Karl Llewellyn, <i>The Bramble Bush</i><br />- Richard Rorty, <i>Objectivity, Relativity and Truth</i><br />- Hyeon Jin-Geon (현진건), <i>A Lucky Day</i> (운수 좋은 날)<br />- Lee Sang (이상), <i>Crow's Eye View</i> (오감도)<br />- Kim Sang-Yong (김상용), <i>Will Make a Window Toward South</i> (남으로 창을 내겠소)<br />- Cass Sunstein, <i>Democracy and the Problem of Free Speech</i><br />- Victor Hugo, <i>Les Miserables</i><br />- Steven Pinker, <i>The Language Instinct</i>T.K. (Ask a Korean!)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07663422474464557214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-22372749177453447392010-04-05T04:43:39.517-04:002010-04-05T04:43:39.517-04:00Yuck, Ross Douthat. He's an ax-grinding ideol...Yuck, Ross Douthat. He's an ax-grinding ideologue, not a writer interested in ideas.<br /><br />But people talking about books always make me happy. In terms of my thinking, I'd have to say William James and Richard Rorty have had the biggest influence. If you're interested in a short and accessible work of philosophy, I'd recommend James' <i>Pragmatism</i>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-58538855471620128342010-04-04T23:56:01.650-04:002010-04-04T23:56:01.650-04:00Douglas,
I agree with you that 10 books aren'...Douglas, <br /><br />I agree with you that 10 books aren't nearly enough. <br /><br />TK, <br />you should def. do a 2-parter on this interesting-as-all-heck post and write about the other 10 books you were thinking about...Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08454620417668904591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-3612140516123446952010-04-04T10:37:27.644-04:002010-04-04T10:37:27.644-04:00TGGP,
Why would Asian-Americans owe Malcolm X any...TGGP,<br /><br /><b>Why would Asian-Americans owe Malcolm X anything? Their situations were completely different. The "Korean grocer" is stereotypically at odds with many of Malcolm's fans.</b><br /><br />Stereotypes have a funny way of distorting reality.<br /><br />At any rate, thank you for the recommendations. The Korean will be sure to check them out.<br /><br />Douglas,<br /><br />If the Korean made this list right now again, it is likely that he will have 10 completely different books. The exercise was supposed to be a quick, off-the-top-of-the-head variety.T.K. (Ask a Korean!)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07663422474464557214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-32445377315660428792010-04-03T20:22:18.832-04:002010-04-03T20:22:18.832-04:00Korean,
Not to piss on your parade or anything bu...Korean,<br /><br />Not to piss on your parade or anything but how the hell did you narrow the list down to only ten books? I admit that I'm a voracious reader and I could, if pressed, cite 10 authors that have influenced me but not ten books. Over the course of my life I've read thousands of books, own hundreds and plan on buying hundreds more. I don't think I'm alone here. For most people who are truly educated and have broad interests, this would be a frustrating task to say the least, and probably an incomplete one.Douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11625452538115548605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-22399338967575002812010-04-02T21:53:54.368-04:002010-04-02T21:53:54.368-04:00Why would Asian-Americans owe Malcolm X anything? ...Why would Asian-Americans owe Malcolm X anything? Their situations were completely different. The "Korean grocer" is stereotypically at odds with many of Malcolm's fans.<br /><br />I really enjoyed GG&S (even if he fails to answer the question he sets out to, lumping all of "Eurasia, the largest land-mass, together), but he completely ignores how geographic/environmental differences gave rise to evolutionary selective forces that altered the inhabitants of such reasons. Some people think there wasn't enough time for anything significant to happen during such a "short" time period, but that is just wrong. See "The 10,000 Year Explosion" by Greg Cochran & Henry Harpending. If you want to read a book by a non-expert attacking GG&S, with some flaws of its own but also landing some telling blows, you can <a href="http://entitledtoanopinion.wordpress.com/2007/11/30/download-understanding-human-history-for-free/" rel="nofollow">download "Understanding Human History" for free</a>.TGGPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11017651009634767649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-63940961277361251402010-04-02T16:22:26.763-04:002010-04-02T16:22:26.763-04:00The Korean LOVED Schulz and the Peanuts by David M...The Korean LOVED <i>Schulz and the Peanuts</i> by David Michaels, the biography of Charles Schulz, the creator of Charlie Brown and Snoopy. Among novels, <i>The Plot Against America</i> by Philip Roth was mesmerizing.T.K. (Ask a Korean!)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07663422474464557214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-2050188963140092012010-04-02T15:55:12.007-04:002010-04-02T15:55:12.007-04:00I just read Guns, Germs, and Steel a few months ag...I just read Guns, Germs, and Steel a few months ago - very good read and very thought-provoking. I do feel that sometimes culture is a key factor in development (e.g. China/Korea vs. Japan in the 19th century). But I guess Diamond is more focused on pre-1500s, and I can't find many faults with his arguments there.<br /><br />Toy catalogs were my life when I was 6, no doubt. Toys are no laughing matter!<br /><br />Just curious, do you recommend any recent fiction or non-fiction books?kignusonichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01547078885365339311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-70843927152402097362010-04-02T15:20:26.003-04:002010-04-02T15:20:26.003-04:00Antti,
One more round of thank you for those phot...Antti,<br /><br />One more round of thank you for those photos. Pictures of old Korea completely fascinate the Korean. Also agreed on Taebaek Mountains -- even as the Korean was reading it, he thought the description of Americans in the novel was a little over the top.<br /><br />bum,<br /><br />Incredible story. Thanks.<br /><br />kdufos,<br /><br />It was incomplete, but the Korean still thinks it is a fine book for what it set out to do. Realizing that not all of what we learned when we were young was true is a part of growing up. The small distortions in 먼나라 이웃나라 do not really diminish its value, IMO.T.K. (Ask a Korean!)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07663422474464557214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-41491694929982230792010-04-02T13:19:27.563-04:002010-04-02T13:19:27.563-04:00Antti,
Thanks for the link to the fascinating gal...Antti,<br /><br />Thanks for the link to the fascinating gallery. Those photos had been taken a few months before I was born. I had no idea that I was born in such a piss-poor country. LOL <br /><br />I guess that makes Korea's transformation in the four decades since then even more amazing. <br /><br />God, I hope my parents had the decency to make me wear at least a pair of white 쌍방울 panties when I played in the stream!I am, therefore I think.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03036468014467526897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-45589912775624578292010-03-31T11:17:20.540-04:002010-03-31T11:17:20.540-04:00I enjoyed 먼나라 이웃나라 too when I was in junior high, ...I enjoyed 먼나라 이웃나라 too when I was in junior high, but later found it to contain too much bullshit, and I would definitely not buy the series for my children. It far too unabashedly over-simplifies and trivializes cultural and historic attributes through the biased lenses of the author, who claims to be an authority on the subject but is not even a qualified anthropologist or historian. Instilling narrow, ill-founded biases on foreign cultures onto people who many not have much other exposure to the subject is unhealthy, to say the least. It's too bad, because Rhie is lots of fun and is a very good narrator and illustrator. If he had closely collaborated with established experts on the respective countries, he could have produced the perfect introduction to foreign countries for young Koreans.kdufoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03588853539671213717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-14633668732615687332010-03-31T05:11:37.484-04:002010-03-31T05:11:37.484-04:00먼나라이웃나라!! haha
France was my fav too; i was fascin...먼나라이웃나라!! haha<br />France was my fav too; i was fascinated by the food story!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09860225433920462800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-10094246363297376362010-03-31T03:42:38.959-04:002010-03-31T03:42:38.959-04:00"(very similar to what happened to 안창민's ..."(very similar to what happened to 안창민's mom in the novel)"<br /><br />Sorry, I meant "Very similar to what happened to 김범우's dad in the novel"bumfromkoreahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06153488376014405461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-4377015492154070692010-03-31T03:38:13.677-04:002010-03-31T03:38:13.677-04:00I also think Han River was better in literary term...I also think Han River was better in literary terms than Taebaek Mountains, though I actually like Taebaek Mountains more personally. I would be lying if I said I wasn't influenced by the fact that I visited almost every landmarks mentioned in the book (since my grandmother live on the outskirts of 벌교) and that my grandparents went through the real-life version of the book's plot.<br /><br />My great-grandparents were in a situation similar to 안창민's family, except that no one in the family were guerrillas and they were really, really rich (they still own a HUGE chunk of 보성's green tea farms, even after one of my uncles pissed away the family fortune with 화투). My grandfather was a policeman during and after the Japanese Occupation, and during the NK occupation he was brought to People's Court for being a collaborator and was saved by townspeople testifying that he was the only good cop in the entire neighborhood (very similar to what happened to 안창민's mom in the novel). But because he was spared by the NK troops, he was later arrested by the SK paramilitary and was literally standing in front of a mass grave - he was in the second to the last group when apparently one of the guys in the firing squad recognized him (my granddad had saved him from other policemen during the Occupation when he was being chased by the Japanese) and whispered to him to just jump into the grave when the shots are fired, and purposefully missed his shot. <br /><br />:D So, Taebaek Mountains have a very, very special place in my heart.bumfromkoreahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06153488376014405461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-55884850928880374982010-03-31T01:58:05.445-04:002010-03-31T01:58:05.445-04:00Thanks for a very entertaining and informative pos...Thanks for a very entertaining and informative post!<br /><br /><i>1. Fisher-Price Toy Catalog (Age 6)</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mishalov.com/korea768/pictures/korea768-10.html" rel="nofollow">Here's a very interesting photo</a> of Korean women looking at a Sears-Robuck catalog while a GI watches them, taken in 1968 by Neil Mishalov who was serving in Korea. <br /><br /><i>6. Taebaek Mountains (태백산맥) by Cho Jeong-Rae (조정래) (Age 16)</i><br /><br />This novel truly must have had a profound effect on especially young Koreans since the late 1980s. But it was also a product of its time.<br /><br />My sense after reading the novel was that the idealization of the guerrillas is harmful to the literary quality; those characters are not as believable as they could be. But the intellectual climate of the time must have required that. For example, the "thug brother" was to me a more interesting and true character than the older idealist brother. <br /><br />Kudos, by the way, to Cho for not bringing the two brothers to fight each other in the end of the book...<br /><br />I found Cho's later multi-volume novel <i>Han River</i>, depicting Korea's urbanization and development in the 1960s and 1970s, much more interesting and characters more fully developed.Antti Leppänenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06746321145150137767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-51568593460621156912010-03-31T01:03:03.099-04:002010-03-31T01:03:03.099-04:00I strongly second that, kushibo. And, Korean, I lo...I strongly second that, kushibo. And, Korean, I loved your inclusion of the toy catalog. That type of book is more influential in many young children's lives than most will admit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-54997683905400009712010-03-30T22:54:37.304-04:002010-03-30T22:54:37.304-04:00Hear, hear on Malcolm X. That should be read, not ...Hear, hear on Malcolm X. That should be read, not watched.kushibohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10306033998028548550noreply@blogger.com