Precious Silver Chopsticks: A True Story of a Korean Noble Family, Mae Adams, CreateSpace, 2017
This memoir is an attempt to tell the author's American-born husband what her life was like before they met.
Born in North Korea, her mother did not want a second daughter, so she tried to abort the pregnancy. When she was born, Mom gave her to her parents to raise. Grandma gave Adams lots of love, and allowed her to explore her Korean heritage. She received a Japanese-style education, and her most prized possession, a pair of silver chopsticks. It was a time when class structure was very important, along with religion and astrology.
World War II came, and the family was forced to flee south, while Grandma stayed behind. A few years later, the Korean War forced the family to again become refugees. The author was now old enough to get a job with the US military, and to begin thinking about marriage. Later in life, the relationship with her mother was still "difficult".
This is a really good book. The author does a fine job at showing one family's journey through the mid-20th Century, in a different part of the world. Yes, it is well worth reading.
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