Rating: 
Summary: A memoir written on the raw
Review: I value this book as an insight into the pain parents can inflict on their children and as a tribute to the strength of the child to overcome adversity. Not many children have as harrowing a life as Elisabeth Kim, but very many, like her, find their adult lives confounded by their upbringing. To read this memoir is to encounter the writer's pain on the raw, but also to discover the difficult road to hope and forgiveness. The last quarter of the book seems to have been written quickly, or at least unreflectively. It is clearly a product of therapy and perhaps all the better for it. This is not the best written memoir ever, but what marks it out is the story the writer has to tell. What we are offered is the memoir of a person in the process of becoming whole, not of someone who has completed that process and can now look at their life from a distance. The writer's obvious emotional involvement is a strength. The book also provides an insight into the dynamics of Christian fundamentalism and of domestic violence. Interesting how these two seem to go together...
Rating:
Summary: a book about learning to let go
Review: This book is named after a phrase that Elizabeth's mum taught her, that in life, there are 10000 sorrows & 1000 joys. Here, we were given an overview of the living hell that the author had to put up with. She was disgusted with herself as she reckoned that her look of mixed blood was what caused her not been accepted by her peers. Neither her adopted parents nor her subsequent husband helped her case by mistreating her & thus, further undermined her self belief & confidence. Not having any soul mates, she had nobody to turn to. So, she physically inflicted harm upon herself hoping that all bad things would go away. I could feel for her about the Christian zealots that tried to convert all the people in the world or else they would go to hell & yet, they contradicted the teaching of Christianity about humanity by doing harmful things to other people. How hypocritical can that be! I could also feel how heart broken she would be by having her favourite pet been taken away from her especially at her toddler age. It definitely brought back many memories. When the author got older, she trapped herself in the vicious cycle, trying to destroy herself & along the way, hurted many guys that she had relationships / affairs with. At one stage, she's even suicidal as she reckoned that suicide was the certain & only way that she could be closer to her mum who was long dead through the so called mercy killing. At one stage, I felt that the book was about bickering, much complain but no remedy. Alas, towards the end, the author finally realised that all her life, she had lost her plot altogether. Rather than focusing upon 10000 sorrows, she should focus upon 1000 joys. She finally learned that she shouldn't forsake the gift of life that her mum had given her & she shouldn't be that foolish to take away her life or else, who's going to take care of her much beloved daughter, Leigh. She finally learned to let go of the past, made peace not only with her dead mum but herself & finding peace & tranquility in Buddhism. She admitted that she's coping with her problems now as she has had let go of her past. I believe this book is easy & succinct to read. Poems written by the author came as a bonus as we managed to gauge the emotions of the author as she undertook the tasks of writing them. Still, I find this book less than satisfying, if compared with Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. The reason being this book is not as well balanced as the book talked a lot about her childhood but as she grew up towards adulthood, everything seemed to be fast track. It seemed like incidents in her adulthood weren't elaborate much at all compared with her childhood which she was able to describe to the smallest detail imaginable. Still, this is a book worth reading reminding to ourselves how lucky we all are. Irrespective what form we are, what colour of skin we have, we shall just be thankful for the life we have for making a difference in this world. Commendable book.
Rating: 
Summary: Legacy of a 1,000 year old Confucianism
Review: Honor killing was very widely practiced in Korea for the last 1,000 years - especially during and after the Confucian "Chosun" Dynasty (1392-1910). Punishment for a disgraced daughter (it usually had to be a daughter, never a son) was death. Or she was sent to a Buddhist temple to become a monk there, to repent for the rest of her life. (Sometimes illegitimate sons of high ranking officers were forced to become monks, too). Too bad similar inhumanities are still practiced in some parts of the world today. This book is not a story about a miserable post-war orphan. It is about the legacies of poverty stricken Asia's Confucian feudal institutions for the last 1,000 years, which produced millions of Elizabeths and poor Ommas. I value this book as it's about humanity and about the victory of a fragile yet powerful, beautiful Asian American soul. Time will heal and reward the many scars of Elizabeth and Leigh. As a man with a degree in literature, I place Elizabeth Kim among the same ranks of J D Salinger or William Saroyan. I like the following passage: "Anothe time I went out to cover a car wreck...She was a complete stranger, but in those seconds I felt like I knew her. 'You're so precious,' I told her." (p.190) I look forward to her second story, hopefully from her experience as crime reporter.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping story
Review: As an American living in Korea, I have heard of these honor killings. I picked this book up at the request of a friend and couldn't put it down. Ms Kim does a great job of telling the story of her beloved omma and then her own struggles thru life. I congratulate Ms Kim on this writing. She is truly extraordinary. I wish her the best life has to offer!
Rating:
Summary: Ten Thousand Tears
Review: Elizabeth Kim is an absolutely superb writer who can bring her own memories to life for the rest of the world. I was moved beyond words through the reading of Ten Thousand Sorrows - her writing made me feel her pain, anguish and shame through life. Her words came alive and I felt every disappointment and blow as if I was that little girl. Her story becomes quite inspiring after all the things she has risen above to succeed in this world. This book was also quite cathartic for me as it made me recall wonderful memories of my own mother, who I still miss painfully with every breathing moment of my life. No matter how one loses a mother, Kim's novel reminds you of things past that you probably would not have otherwise. Not only is this a womderfully sad and poignent story, it also helps one analyze their own relationships. I began the book with tears streaming down my face and I finished with the same results. I have never read a book that has touched me so deeply and I invite everyone to enjoy this wonderful experience. I cannot even begin to describe this fabulous gift that she has given me with her words. Many, many thanks to Elizabeth Kim for sharing her story with the rest of the world.
Rating:
Summary: Sad but compelling
Review: I loved this book right up to the last chapter or so. It was a page turner until then, when she sort of "wrapped it all up" with discussions on her ability to love, etc. I realize that this was necessary to pull the story together at the end, but it seemed anticlimactic. I felt sorry for Kim growing up in that home with such misguided Christians for parents. Their "fervor" robbed this person of the joy she should have been able to have in her faith. Of course, they did not have any joy, so they had nothing to share with her. What was most telling to me, was that in adulthood her mother told her how wonderful she was, that she was the best thing that ever happened to them, etc., but never managed to communicate this to Elizabeth growing up......indeed, she did just the opposite. Being a parent is an awesome responsibility.
Rating: 
Summary: A very doubtful memoir
Review: The book has a very intense beginning. I was astonished by what the author witnessed at a very young age. However, as I read on, I felt the book lack of any solid information that could supplement her claims/experiences. Not that I don't believe what she has been through, I just find it hard to believe that anybody can pick up a foreign language within a few days. Without any supporting references, I find the book extremely weak and consider it more or less a novel than a memoir. Lastly, given the author is a journalist, I am very disappointed by the author's story telling ability. It seems that the author devoted all the energy in writing the first few chapters which were the best parts of the book.
Rating:
Summary: Rare courage
Review: This is a wonderful, beautifully written book. After hearing an interview with her on National Public Radio, I knew I had to read it. I was appalled that one reviewer suggested that Kim "made some of it up to make her life seem more tragic." To naively or cruelly mock someone's suffering is unthinkable. Kim's Omma would be proud of her. After all that she endured, she was able to triumph in the end, and I believe that this is a clear indication that she is her mother's daughter. This is an encouraging story for all of those who have experienced pain, and are in the process of healing. I highly recommend this book for all parents, especially those considering foreign adoption. In fact, I recommend it to all my friends, and I'm not the type to generally read an "Oprah pick" type book; I prefer sci fi. Anyway, Elizabeth Kim deserves a hand. I wish her and her daughter the very best.
Rating:
Summary: the book that every adoptive parent must read
Review: The story of how this child comes to be adopted and the insensitivity of the adoptive parents is very sad and enlightening about how parents inflict there own issues on to children. This book illumanates how little we know about the child we adopt and how in parenting the adoptive child. We need to remember the gifts of the birth family.
Rating:
Summary: ten thousand things that don't add up
Review: On day one in the USA, Ms Kim did not even know the word "no." By day three, she "could understand [English] pretty well." She skips two grades and is a couple years younger than her classmates, but still manages to be seventeen at graduation...Come on, fellow Amazonians, don't you wonder why no names or locations or given, not even a single date?
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