Song of Myself: A Korean-American Life

Although Yearn Choi identifies himself as an ordinary man, his has been a remarkable life...the odyssey of a Korean in America. Naturally, because it is a memoir, this book explores the theme of identity. What does life on the hyphen (Korean-American) mean for his generation versus his children’s generation? Yet the author’s journey intersects with the trajectory of this country in the midst of struggle and transformation. What is America? Choi lived, studied, and worked in the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest, the Deep South, and the nation’s capital over four decades, while the U.S. was in the throes of the civil rights, anti-war, anti-nuclear, and environmental movements. Artful, informative, heartfelt, provocative, and always engaging, Choi’s memoir will prove an invaluable and unique contribution to American and Asian Studies by a seminal poet and incisive scholar. With Song of Myself, Yearn Hong Choi immediately signals Walt Whitman. Yet he rivals Whitman in style and exceeds Whitman in scope. from the Forward by Ellen Olmstead, Professor of English, Montgomery College, Rockville, Maryland