Spanning the 20th century and two continents, Kalbus shares her experience during Korea’s turbulent history and the story of immigrating with her mother to mid-20th century California, a land where the streets were supposedly paved with gold, but where the reality was one of hardship, poverty, and anti-Asian discrimination. This lyrical and often humorous memoir, told in brief, gemlike chapters, is the tale of an observant girl determined to excel. It’s also the story of divided Korea, colonized by Japan and devastated by civil war with consequences for families that reverberate today. Above all, The Boat Not Taken is a love letter to an extraordinary mother: a daughter of rural Korean gentry and an independent widow fiercely devoted to her daughter but hiding a secret so shocking that, once it was uncovered, shook her child’s sense of identity. Joanna Choi Kalbus was born in North Korea. She made two critical migrations: from North Korea to South Korea after the Communist takeover, and then to the United States as 10-year-old during the Korean War. She pursued her education in the U.S., obtaining a PhD in Educational Administration, and has been involved in education for 35 years.

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