Category Archives: books

“This is a Bust” by Ed Lin (Review)

Posted on August 31, 2010 by jaehwan

bigWOWO Rating: Asian American Gold We often talk about the publishing industry on this site: how mainstream publishers kill good stories, whitewash the literary scene, and edge out the edgier stories created by newer literary talent.  It’s very true–notice that … Continue reading →

Posted in Asian American, Reviews, books | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick (Review)

Posted on August 17, 2010 by jaehwan

I just finished reading Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick, an oral history about six North Korean refugees that was published in December of last year. What an amazing book.  It’s a similar story to … Continue reading →

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Raising Happiness by Christine Carter, Ph.D. (Review)

Posted on August 5, 2010 by jaehwan

I sometimes put my name on the waiting lists for popular books at the library.  I requested the book Raising Happiness by Christine Carter probably three or four months ago.  I was #25 or #26 in line, and my turn … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, books, parenting | Tagged , , | 14 Comments

Necessary Roughness by Marie G. Lee (Review)

Posted on July 31, 2010 by jaehwan

bigWOWO Rating: Asian American Silver I’m continuing my reading YA Asian American Lit.  Necessary Roughness by Marie G. Lee was my latest reading.  It is a YA book about a teenage Korean American boy and his twin sister who move … Continue reading →

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1001 Cranes by Naomi Hirahara (Review)

Posted on July 18, 2010 by jaehwan

bigWOWO rating: Asian American Gold Someone asked why I’m reading YA Lit.  Here’s are some of the reasons: 1. I read this article in the New Yorker: http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2010/06/14/100614crat_atlarge_miller I was intrigued by what the author says about the contrast of … Continue reading →

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YA Literature/Someone Like Summer by M.E. Kerr

Posted on July 15, 2010 by jaehwan

As a writer, it’s always good to read words of other writers–to get ideas on delivery, to develop a sense of rhythm, and to see different perspectives.  I’ve mostly been reading literary fiction, so I decided to take a break … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Writing, books | Tagged , , , , | 23 Comments

Jeff Ma’s New Book

Posted on July 9, 2010 by jaehwan

Jeff Ma, the guy who became famous as a White guy in the movie 21, just wrote a new book called The House Advantage: Playing the Odds to Win Big in Business. He was, of course, the inspiration behind the … Continue reading →

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Institutional Power and Censorship

Posted on May 18, 2010 by jaehwan

The NY Times had an interesting article a few days ago: How Chinese Censorship Affects Writers in the West.  It talks about how China’s influence is growing so large that writers, even those in the West, are censoring themselves out … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Knowledge, Writing, books, media | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Bounce Back

Posted on March 27, 2010 by jaehwan

This is my last Happy Week post. My reason for declaring Happy Week was the book above, Bounce Back by John Calipari.  As you sports fans know, Calipari is the Kentucky coach who was fired from the Nets a while … Continue reading →

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Transparency by Frances Hwang

Posted on February 26, 2010 by jaehwan

bigWOWO Rating: Asian American Gold Transparency is a collection of short stories written by Frances Hwang. I picked it up at the suggestion of Akrypti, who said that she loved Frances Hwang. The short stories contained within the book often … Continue reading →

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