A Worthy Read
With an excess of free time available to me and me preferring the company of myself rather than the anxiety that results from social interaction, I decided that I should do more reading. I have never been able to sit down and read a book within a very short period (Schoolwork being excluded). Reading a book usually took place during my travels on the subway, but rarely at home, thus my total number of books read has not been high but has been a significant improvement over the past. I recently began reading Simon Winchester’s ‘Korea: A walk through the Land of Miracles’ , which is a tale of one mans walk through South Korea from its Southern most point to the North Korean border. Winchester’s walk takes place in 1988, just prior the the Summer Olympics and his travel route is based on the path taken by Dutch sailors in the Mid 17th Century. I really enjoyed the book, particularly the way in which Winchester, was able to weave in elements of Korean history into the tale of his own travels through the country. I found myself engrossed in the book and began reading the book while walking home on the street and even at home, much to the shock of my Girlfriend. This would have to be one of the quickest reads for me and I would highly recommend the book.
About halfway through the book I began to wonder why I found this book so enjoyable. Was it the style of writing, the interesting history that extends well beyond that found in North America? or was it something more. I often think that especially for second or First Generation Canadians, there is an absence of historical perspective and identity. Many of us often come from cultures and traditions with long histories (I mean in theory everyone has the same history, that of mankind) but, once we arrive in Canada our culture and customs are celebrated but the history which often provides the foundation is not celebrated in the same manner. I think this book made me realize that perhaps there is something missing in myself, something to help me better identify who I am.
Obviously for those who know my situation there is a particular reason why a book on Korea would be intriguing, at the same time I didn’t want to be one of those people who seem to ‘adopt’ a second culture and become so engrossed in that culture (Often it is Japan rather than Korea where this occurs). But I can now see how easy it can be to read about a people that you may previously known little about and develop a strong infatuation with the people, culture and traditions of that people.
After reading the book I immediately began searching for other readers reviews of the book(Check out the amazon link for some reviews). You know that feeling when you’ve seen a movie and thought it was good, only to read reviews later that were not very complementary, a complete letdown. I won’t go into details but I felt some of the comments were completely off base but others had merit. Anyways give the book a read I think any book that can have some effect is successful, even if the effect was only on me.
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