Crying in H Mart

First Edition Cover

When Emily and I visited the library, she told me the recent hot book is “crying in H Mart”. Coincidently, I saw this book on the Rapid Read display shelf. This is the reason why I picked this book for my reading. I finished reading this book in 2 weeks because it is in the “Rapid Read” display and needs to be returned within two weeks.

The author, Michelle Zauner, is an American Korean whose mother came from South Korea. Korean foods play the connection between the daughter and mother. It also represents the finding of her “identity” after the author’s mother passed away due to stomach cancer. There are many comments and sharing online, and anyone can easily find good introductions for this book.

H Mart is a Korean Asian supermarket in the US. If I were not here now, the feeling might not be so vivid to me. Furthermore, we are also new immigrants to the US, although all of my family are not the second generation yet.

The culture that we shared was active, effervescent in my gut and in my genes, and I had to seize it, foster it so it did not die in me…If I could not be with my mother, I would be her.

Near the end of the book, Zauner

Interestingly, Michelle Zauner is also the “Japanese Breakfast” singer which previously visited Taiwan. The cover of her debut album of “Psychopomp” is her mother’s photo. Her mother’s passing away is her mother’s end, but she also finds herself and the new in her writing and music performance. The intriguing relationships between the author and her mother seem one traditional type in Asian culture. Probably not every reader can appreciate and understand this kind of situation. Finally, this is still a good book to read for me!

BURN: How does the world end?

Reading English Novel is a challenge for me. In my old days, I always read published journals in English, News sometime, but almost none for English novels.

Burn, by Patrick Ness

Recently, I visited the local library with my two girls and took a new novel from Teens Novel Area. It took me some time, but I am happy to read through my first English Novel. The story begins with a dragon hired to work on a remote farm by Sarah and her father. This is really a strange beginning but is also interesting to make me think about how the story can expand.

Coincidentally, I read the story of Desert Diary, regarding the citizenship and human right of Japanese Americans (Nikkei). It was also included in this novel. This novel setting is in 1950s America, with dragon and US-Russia Cold War. The issues of racial discrimination and homophobia were included. The story concept is also based on multi-universe, which shows the components of the science of fiction.

I think it is not a good idea to say more about the story. Anyway, I enjoyed this novel and would read the author, Patrick Ness’s famous novel, Chaos Walking.

Learning from History: Desert Diary

After moving to Boston, I began to enjoy the pleasure of reading again. It has been a long time not to read books in past of busy daily life. Two weeks ago, I borrowed this book from the library in town and really understood the injustice for Japanese Americans (Nikkei) in the 1940s.

The Book Cover: Japanese American Kids Behind Barbed Wire

I know the racial issues, such as stop Asian hate and Balck lives maters but never thought the similar events that happened during WW II. This is also my first to know “The Pledge of Allegiance”, which is also read in my daughter’s junior high.

The government did something wrong and finally apologized for the past. Although it takes some time (apology letter signed by George H. W. Bush, 1990), the wrongdoing is acknowledged and history is always remembered.

I really enjoy reading!

Related Links: Discover Nikkei

2018首發:台灣大腸癌發生率下降

這真的是去年度到今年初最大的新聞了!也證實了預防勝於治療的老生常談。大腸瘜肉是大腸癌的前奏是,基本上在生長的過程平均需要5-10年不等,而大腺瘤到腺癌約需3年。透過政府提供的大腸潛血糞便篩檢,在早期就把大腸瘜肉處理掉,讓他們沒有機會生成大腸癌,也因此造就了大腸癌發生率下降的結果。 閱讀全文

電子新閱讀

2017-07-23 下午7.33.34

博客來,價格356台幣

2017-07-23 下午7.40.47

QQ閱讀,17.99人民幣

電子書這東西也不是新花樣,至少Amazon Kindle已經上市好了一段時間,不過因為沒有臺灣Amazon,而且台灣的電子書市場似乎也沒真正起飛過。前幾個月,老婆介紹了「茅山抓鬼人」這部網路小說,開始了我對電子閱讀的新經驗。

事實上,在網路上閱讀其實也沒啥特別,一開始我也是在網站上一個page往下閱讀,但是這本小說寫的很不錯,讓我開始認真如何開始「付費」。搜尋了一下,原來這篇小說來自騰訊的QQ閱讀,接著我發現原來上面有好本原創小說。除此之外,也有不少上市的書,而我在iPhone上透過QQ閱讀的App,付費購買了點值,直接購買了「馬云:未來已來」這本電子書,然後完成了我第一此閱讀電子書的經驗,也發現在博客來的繁體版要賣台幣356元,但是在QQ閱讀上只賣90元台幣。 閱讀全文

【閱讀】無國界醫生行醫記-出走到賴比瑞亞

更多有關 無國界醫生行醫記 的事情宋睿祥醫師,在國際志工領域中,大家都知道他是法國無國界醫師(MSF)的志願人員,也岀版了第一本身為MSF的台灣志願人員寫成的書「無國界醫生行醫記-出走到賴比瑞亞」。這本書出版於2005年,對於台灣早期志工服務領域而言,在當時也是不可多得的書籍。從這本書,我們可以看到一個初踏入國際志工服務的熱血年輕人,初起(啟)的過程。

就像他所說的,旅行到歐洲,感受到歐洲的文化洗禮;在西藏拉薩,他感受到世界屋脊上沒有疆界的限制。對於很多從讀完七年,從醫學院畢業的醫學生,有不少人想要出走,而宋睿祥選擇在兩年外科住院醫師的訓練後,背上背包前往西非的賴比瑞亞。 閱讀全文

從國際志工再看「跨國灰姑娘-當東南亞幫傭遇上台灣新富家庭」

More about 跨國灰姑娘 第一次看「跨國灰姑娘-當東南亞幫傭遇上台灣新富家庭」,已經是兩年多前的事,那時候人還在台北,我是在捷運當中翻閱完這本書。雖然我自己沒有真實聘請外籍看護的經驗,但從工作環境中有許多外籍看護,讓我有很多跟書中有許多經驗的重疊,譬如:在醫院中也經歷了菲律賓籍的移工逐漸被印尼籍取代的現實;居家訪視時,聽到雇主怎麼區分不同國籍的看護移工,或是抱怨他們的「不乖」,都讓這本書的內容不再是生硬的學術書本,而是真實的分析與淬煉。 閱讀全文

【閱讀】安然無恙不比遺憾好-挪威七二二屠殺案

More about 安然無恙不比遺憾好

年關到了,很多人都收到許多新年賀卡,或是不同工作單位間的忘年會卡片邀請,有人說:真的不知道怎麼回覆。這時我腦海中出現的是在「挪威縮影」這本書中所提到的「沈溺於疏離」:挪威人這輩子練就了一身獨處的本事,而且不善交際,一輩子常交際的人可能五之手指頭數的出來。挪威縮影的作者是李濠仲,他本身是「外交先生」,婦唱夫隨跟著從事外交工作的太太外派到挪威,憑藉著記者的專業訓練,從生活中長期觀察挪威,算是一種深入的在地觀察。

關於挪威的新聞,大概就是2011年7月22日所發生的恐怖攻擊,始作俑者是金髮碧眼、皮膚白皙的土生土長挪威人Anders Behring Breivik(布列維克),而我卻不禁想像這事情如果發生在台灣,我們會有什麼樣的反應,而李濠仲的「安然無恙不比遺憾好-挪威七二二屠殺案」的這本書,這可以讓我們做一個很不錯的思考與反省。 閱讀全文

【閱讀】美援年代的鳥事並不如煙

More about 美援年代的鳥事並不如煙

這本書要推薦給大家,在忙碌的生活之餘,會帶給你知識、驚奇和很多的樂趣!

近年來國際志工在台灣甚囂塵上,最常引用之一的Background就是台灣也曾經是「被援助」的國家。這本書不是嚴肅的學術專論,是作者劉志偉在做戰後農業發展研究時,發現台灣在美援時期的許多小故事,雖然無法寫進論文中,但卻見證了那個年代的點點滴滴。 閱讀全文

【書摘】乾隆皇帝的十張面孔-管理與統御的潛規則

More about 乾隆皇帝的十張面孔

前一陣子,我準備在我服務的機關中,提出升等的資格審查。赫然發現,計算分數的方法在兩年內修過四次,升等準則修過七次,實在是鉅細靡遺,用心之深,這時候剛好讀完「乾隆皇帝的十張面孔-管理與統御的潛規則」這本書,然後覺得心有戚戚焉。中國的最後一個盛世,清朝的康熙、雍正和乾隆,作者張宏傑針對乾隆盛世期間,乾隆皇帝從小到大,中國皇帝世家和官僚系統下的大道理小細節,敘述與分析的非常生動,非常值得一讀。 閱讀全文