Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Endesu]

As I am kinda taking a Korean degree, I have to plough through a whole lot of books about Korean history, society and people. And I must say, most of them are wayyyy to academical and boring. But there are some good ones out there, and I wanna know which books others have enjoyed. Any book in English about Korea will do.

My favourites are:
Clive Leatherdale: To Dream of Pigs.
Simon Winchester: Korea, A walk through the land of Miracles
Michael Breen: The Koreans : who they are, what they want, where their future lies.

And of the many history books I have read, I prefer the ones by Bruce Cumings. A bit less academic than the rest of them.

Funny thing is that I seem to enjoy books written by British authors alot more. All the the three books I mentioned are by British authors, and they seem to write with alot more humour and they are always spot on in their descriptions of Korea and Koreans. When I read those books it was just like reading about my own experiences.

So what books do the rest of you reccomend?

[VanIslander]

Two, surprisingly enough, in cartoon format:

Korea Unmasked by Won-bok Rhie explains a lot about Korean culture, a bit simplified in places, but the gist and heart of it is what made it a bestseller among Korean readers before the English translation version was made by Jung Un and Louis Choi.

Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea by Guy Delisle, a French animation artist helping the regime develop its industry. His story of his experiences, done in a simple yet atmospheric sketch format, is mesmerizing. You really feel like you are there at times, and there are observations and reflections that speak volumes.

[Becka]

[Cedar]

Being a few days from ending a degree in Korean Studies, I have lots to say, but I am also too tired (turned in my thesis to the committee members this morning) to be very coherent. Most of the books I like the most are ones that are useful for my research. I think I'll just name a few good books next to me as I type:

Korea: A Religious History -- James H Grayson - splendid history and detailed religious info.

Cultural Protection Policy in Korea-- Yang Jongsung - okay, this is the book most useful for my thesis.

Glossary of Korean Culture-- Song Ki-joong - it's a fancy dictionary for the really tough stuff, like names of obscure historical books.

Ancestor Worship and Korean Society-- Janelli and Janelli - a classic to understand rural Korea and traditional societal norms.

Living Dangerously in Korea - Donald N Clark - son of missionaries writes a history from 1900-50 through his personal connections to almost every foreigner who lived in Korea during that time period. Very enlightening.

Korea: The politics of the Vortex-- Gregory Henderson

Shamans, Housewives and other Restless Spirits -- Laurel Kendall

Okay, the list could go on, and I definitely recommend Korea Unmasked mentioned above. And Korea's Place in the Sun.

[Endesu]

James H. Grayson is my professor in here, so Im not really enjoying his books

[Gladiator]

I'm amazed nobody's mentioned Korean Patterns by Paul Crane. It was written in 1978 but I found many of the incisive observations made by Crane back then (he was a missionary surgeon down in Cholla Province and stayed here for over 20 years) stunningly, actually eerily accurate even today. In fact, once you read his book you realize that while so much of Korea has changed cosmetically, deep beneath the surface the psyche of the country is really frozen in time.