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Journalism - People Article Example

Copyright 2001 Susanne M. Alexander

WRITING FOR FREEDOM
By Susanne M. Alexander

Elizabeth Kim published her first book, "Ten Thousand Sorrows," the story of her life, in 2000. She is currently associate editor of The Recorder, a legal news publication for attorneys and judges in the San Francisco area. She is finishing a novel based on the coming-of-age of a preacher's daughter who uncovers a dark secret in her family.

Elizabeth Kim says the writing process for "Ten Thousand Sorrows" was "excruciating," but being a journalist gave her the mental discipline she needed to go through her journals and memories and then lay her story out in a concise, readable way. The title comes from her mother explaining a Buddhist belief that life is made up of ten thousand joys and ten thousand sorrows, all of them stepping-stones to ultimate peace.

As a young child, Kim watched as her mother's relatives hung her "Omma" for the shame of bearing the child of an American soldier and then refusing to give her up for virtual slavery. She was crib-caged in a Korean orphanage and then adopted by a fundamentalist Christian couple in the US. They were very concerned about her soul going to hell, schoolmates ostracized her, and she was in many ways the family's servant. Her parents then arranged an early marriage for her to a man who turned out to be abusive and unfaithful. She and her daughter, Leigh, left him to begin a new life.

SMA: What were your concerns about writing this book?

EK: I was terrified of my parents finding out and being hurt; of people from my past finding out. I'm actually an intensely private person, although you'd never know it from the book. I tried to protect people's identities as much as I could; certain places, times, etc. were tweaked in the book to keep things as unrecognizable as possible. [My parents] read the book a few months ago, and we've talked about it many times since then. Ultimately it was a good thing, because my dad apologized for specific events and I forgave him, so that cleared out a lot of hurt feelings between us.

SMA: Why did you decide to do it?

EK: Ultimately, it came down to this: I wanted to pay homage to a woman who lived and died unknown and unheard, but whose influence for good was so pervasive. My mother's life was so precious, and so tragic. And so many other people live lives like that, lives of quiet grace and dignity, unheralded and unremembered. I wanted to give them a voice.

SMA: What has been the range of responses to the book?

EK: There's been predictable reactions: happiness and support from journalists who like me and care about me; silence or derogatory comments from those who don't. I have heard from people all over the world, from every background and walk of life, who have said that I told their story in some way. I've heard from other Koreans who have been so glad that this kind of thing was finally talked about. And I've heard from people who think I'm the epitome of evil for writing what they see as an indictment on Korea, or on adoption, or on Christianity. The range of responses has been from one extreme to the other.

SMA: How have the writing and then the publishing of the book affected your journalism beats, writing, and career?

EK: I was city editor of a daily newspaper while I was doing the writing, so I basically worked all day and wrote the book at night and on weekends. It was exhausting. Once the book tour started, I quit my newspaper job because my bosses didn't feel they could give me the time off that the book tour required. Now I'm working again, at a legal newspaper, where the schedule is much more relaxed and the pace is slower [Associate Editor, The Recorder, San Francisco]. My second book is fiction, based on the coming-of-age of a preacher's daughter (we write what we know!) who uncovers a dark secret in her family. It's in the rewrite process.

SMA: Have you connected at all with any social organizations dealing with adoptions or adoptions from other countries?

EK: Not really. I feel like people can become emotionally stifled and unhealthy by basing their whole identity on some aspect of their past -- and that's a tendency I've had -- and now I don't consider myself a Korean or an Amerasian or an adoptee or a Buddhist. I consider myself a human being, a part of the vast and beautiful body of sentient beings on this earth.

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Susanne M. Alexander is a freelance journalist and member of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. She can be reached at Susanne@ClariComm.com.