Rating: 
Summary: Very well worth a read
Review: This book is beautifully written, and provides thoughtful complex insight into the search for better understanding of Korean/American heritage.I found the structure also very compelling: by using different narrators, Mira Stout alters the style and perspective of her writing. I'm trying to find my copy, and I can't right now, but I remember from reading it a year ago, that the impact of the Japanese occupation was described with incredible sensitivity and power. I also remember having to stop, go back and read slowly, just to admire how well Mira Stout had crafted a section describing life in New York.END
Rating: 
Summary: A Different Voice Is Heard
Review: _One Thousand Chestnut Trees_, is a wonderful book from an author conveying a very special point of view -- and I thoroughly enjoyed reading Mira Stout's novel. I'm grateful to Stout for writing the book -- and pleased that she found a publisher. I am an Amerasian of Korean-German descent. My mother came to this country as a foreign-exchange student after the Korean War, and later, married an American. I find this book so phenomenal because of a greater context. It wasn't that long ago that 17 states banned marriages between Koreans and so-called "Americans." And if American racial prejudices weren't enough, so-called "half-breed" Korean-American children have also faced unspeakable discrimination from many Korean communities. That Mira Stout has risen above this type of background rhetoric to present her story is a testament to something quite special in her character. She lovingly represents the Korean side of her family through this novel. And while she does share the "dark sides" of her family, countries, and cultures that she must bridge, she doesn't succomb to a tiresome tirade of old accusations. Rather, she presents these people in a far more sophisticated way -- showing their struggles, misunderstandings, and achievements. Stout shares a personal journey with all of its heartache and humor. We have many good texts regarding Korean history in the 20th century -- but we have far fewer books that give historical statistics names and faces and feelings. As an Amerasian in the United States, my Korean heritage has been difficult to access. There are many reasons for this -- both benign and malicious. Benign in the sense that America is overwhelming European-American by habit; malicious in that racial prejudice still closes many doors on both sides of the Pacific. But Stout has been willing to risk writing a book that opens doors to my Korean heritage -- to my parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles. Stout shares the thoughts that my family will never be able to tell me -- but notions which deserve articulation. I appreciate Stout giving voice to the voiceless. And in voicing, giving us an insight into people that are more than mono-syllables and horrible accents -- but rather, a sophisticated amalgam of love and hope without demagoguery. I hope Stout writes another book soon.
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