Rating: 
Summary: Incredible!
Review: Absolutely one of the best books I've ever experienced! An amazing story from an inspiring woman. This unforgettable tale of one woman's journey to find happiness will change the way you look at life.
Rating:
Summary: Inspiring and Compelling!
Review: Elizabeth Kim's life story is an extraordinary look at survival of the human spirit. At times, I would put the book aside for awhile to absorb what she was living through. Her writing style allowed me to know her. Perhaps this biography was interesting to me because my dad served in Korea and I've seen pictures of the children there. From Ms. Kim's picture on the front cover to the reviews on the back, this book is inspiring and compelling. It was so intense at times, that I would put down the book to cry with her, and pray for her. When she was finally able to 'let go' of one of her obsessions, I closed the book and cried with sheer joy for her. This was not an easy read, but it was well worth my time, and I'm glad she shared her story.
Rating:
Summary: A Korean-American Male, Embrace this book.
Review: It is a shame that readers will dissect the legitamacy of the author's life. It may be romanticized and exaggerated at times, however, reflecting back on a life filled with such sorrow may cause a seemingly contrasting story. You must remember, this is a recollection of events from childhood to near-present. Accept that this is a story you (The Reader) can learn from. Yes there is such a thing as "Honor Killings," and furthermore, there are Christian Fundamentalists that carry out their beliefs in drastic ways. For God's sake just embrace her story.For those of you who may be interested in this book, who have not already read it that is, expect a story of suffering from a voice that is not often heard. The story is not a depiction of Korean culture, nor is it a plea for pity; this book is about one life lived under horrific circumstances. Remember that "Honor Killings" are part of an old tradition that is hardly practiced in Korea at all anymore, however, allow yourself to be exposed to the contrast between Eastern and Western values that do still exist. A note to many of the other reviewers: Relax...If you honestly took nothing away from this book, then I suggest you search deep within yourself for your soul. I am nobody without compassion. I am nothing without understanding. Who are you to judge if you do not understand compassion?
Rating: 
Summary: 10000 sorrows
Review: I'm not so much concerned about the accuracy, as I am a abandonded post Korean war adoptee myself and can not remember anything, and have no idea of the human ability to remember tramatic occurences. My exception with the book is the seemily endless time she spent in minute details re:the life with her adoptee parents. I to was adopted for all the wrong reasons, into a Christian home. I have EVERY reason to NOT be in church today. I really felt sorry for the author, as she never had a personal experience with the VERY God who could have helped her through the pain and suffering of her homelife. I am so thankful that I NEVER said anything to break the spirit of the people who adopted me. I can't imagine the pain that her parents must feel. I chose instead to find out what in their past led to the way they dealt with me. The freedom from the pain of the past as led me to a joyful life in the present, full of gratitude for my deliverance for war-torn Korea. I once heard one say that we have not the choice of being a victum, but we do have the choice of staying a victum. I am happy to report that there is deliverance and freedom for the bondage of the past in a loving relationship with JESUS!
Rating: 
Summary: This is not the Korea I know
Review: I can't evaluate the truthfulness of Ms. Kim's story here, but readers should not draw broad conclusions about Korea's culture and people from this book. Like Ms. Kim, I'm an American of mixed Korean/Caucasian blood. I grew up in Korea, living there from the mid 1960s to 1980. I experienced acceptance and respect in Korea--from my own Korean relatives, friends, aquaintances, and also from people I didn't know. No culture is completely free of prejudice, but I often feel that Korea is misunderstood by Americans. I'm afraid that this book perpetuates misunderstanding of a nation and a culture that I personally know and love.
Rating: 
Summary: Looking beyond the problems
Review: Ms.Kims book touched me. ....To me, it reads from the heart. While never a war orphan or mixed-race myself, I could relate to the pain that she has inside her. One part is especially true of any survivor of abuse: "I don't feel 'healed.' I feel stronger certainly; I feel human and alive. I don't know if true healing can ever happen in this life. I hope it can, but there are many times when I still feel swept away into desolation and see no hope anywhere. There are still many times when I doubt that I'm capable of inspiring love." ...see the inner struggle of a woman, learning to find value in herself.
Rating:
Summary: Fictious book
Review: Elizabeth Kim should check her facts before deciding to write a book about the injustice in Korea. Yes, she may have suffered a great deal, but to fabricate and exaggerate what happened to her for the sake of sympathy is not accepatble. There is no such thing as "honor killing" in Korea and the author has spread this and many false rumors about Korea without checking what really happened. Also, her negative attitude towards life is depressing as she blames others for her misfortune in life in the past and present. A careful study of this book would reveal many contradictions; therefore, this book should be read as fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Read this book!
Review: Some IDIOT wrote: "Don't be duped. Ask any Korean person you know whether her details make any sense." This is probably the same idiot that believes that HOLICOST did not exist... I'm a Korean, and I BELIVE Elizabeth's story. Why? I've seen BIGOT and IGNORANT Koreans when growing up in Korea. In fact, I'm embarrassed to say, most KOREANS (not Korean-Americans) are years behind Western cultures when it comes to being TOLERANT of foreigners! My uncle for instance told me that if I don't marry a Korean, I'm nothing to him. Today, I'm nothing to him. The fact is, Koreans are extremely patriotic to their people and country. All Korean men are required to serve in military for few years. Those who know any military folks know what this can do to one's head. Do all patriots perform "honor killing?" No. But, the extremists have tendency to be very intolerant of others who are different. Keep in mind that Elizabeth was very young when she lived with her biological mother. Kids see and interpret things the way they perceive to be TRUE. How can anyone say, without proof, that Elizabeth's story is hyperbole? A reader from New Haven, CT worte: "If she and her mother were so poor, how on earth could they have afforded rice and quince tea every day?" Where does this fool come up with this foolish logic...I was very poor when I was growing up from Korea... I had them daily. Having them daily does not mean one is NOT poor. Reviewer: Dag from Alexandria, VA wrote: "I was disappointed by the mean-spiritedness with which Elizabeth Kim describes her life. So what if she had to do chores when she was growing up? So what if her parents embarrassed her by praying out loud in restaurants? I refuse to believe that anyone who has undergone real suffering, such as being raped or watching her mother murdered, is even going to register such trivial problems." WOW! Who's mean-spirited here? Dag do you have NO compassion? I just had 2 major knee surgeries... It hurt tons but I still remember one of the nurses who was not friendly (why do I remember this trivial detail?) If a young child says she was mistreated, I'm almost CERTAIN that she was. If a young child remembers "trivial" problems despite other great sufferings... don't fault her for being human who went on to LIVE... LOVE her for having the courage to REMEMBER and share her compelling story. The fact is this is a well-told story worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: a little hard to swallow
Review: I just want to say that like Jemma I also found the hyperbole troublesome. For example, when Kim's husband throws the casserole out the closed window on their first night together. (Later she describes him as a compulsive neatness freak - just the kind of guy who would ruin a window just because he doesn't like zucchini!?) Kim says that the patio was covered in shards of glass, so her hands and knees were "ribboned with cuts" from cleaning up the mess. Hello? Never hear of a broom and dustpan? Who gets down on her hands and knees in a pile of broken glass? Certainly no one I'm interested in sympathizing with.
Rating:
Summary: such a disappointment
Review: I'm always so pleased to find out about new titles by Asian or Asian American authors - particularly Korean ones. But this one was truly terrible - I can't believe that Kim was able to find a publisher for this load of drivel. It was so poorly written - page after page of hyperbole and cliche. I found myself skipping several pages at a time, particularly when Kim indulges in endless description about the little tea ceremonies she would have with her mother, how they would bow to each other and pick out the daintiest morsels of kimchi to feed to each other with their chopsticks. Not only is it ridiculous, but it's incredibly boring. Even after Kim moves to the United States, the story doesn't get any better. Everything is painted in pure black and white - her mother was pure good (the perfect woman), and her adoptive family are pure evil. Actually, it seems as though her adoptive family is lifted straight out of V.C. Andrews' "Heaven." It's a lousy story to read the first time around - it's even lousier when you read it the second time in the form of a memoir. Practically every sentence that Kim writes devolves into ridiculous hyperbole or boring cliche. She claims to be a reporter for a newspaper, which I find unbelievable, to say the least - a newspaper writer should have a cleaner handle on language and storytelling than she does. Small wonder, then, that she doesn't actually divulge the name of the paper that she writes for.
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