University News
Publishing Personal Stories and Korean-American Marriages Book Talk Nov. 12 at Malpass
November 4, 2009
MACOMB, IL -- Retired Western Illinois University broadcasting department instructor Gloria Hurh will present "Pleasures and Pains of Publishing Personal Stories" from 3-5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12 in the Leslie F. Malpass Library's Garden Lounge (second floor).
Hurh, who is the editor of the newly published book, "We Married Koreans: Personal Stories of American Women with Korean Husbands," will discuss the rewards and difficulties she experienced during the five years she collected, wrote, edited and finally published the book. When she began her book project, Hurh noted she had no idea how much would be involved to bring it to completion; the book highlights the experiences of 12 American women and their marriages to Korean husbands.
"These marriage stories provide readers with an up-close, multicultural perspective on Korean-American marriages that occurred in the 1960s, a time when many states in the U.S. still had anti-miscegenation laws in place," she explained.
"The women tell their stories in their own words and describe how they met their husbands, how their relationships developed and the reactions of family and friends," Hurh said. "Included in the book are the challenges the couples faced in blending Korean and American cultures, as well as some of the experiences of their mixed-race children."
Hurh also noted that, in her view, one of the book's major strengths is the variety of experiences presented, which reflect a wide range of circumstances.
"For example, the stories include a Jewish-Korean couple; a wife whose husband was imprisoned in Korea; a family that failed to adjust to living in Korea; a family that lived in Brazil for 12 years; and a wife who unfortunately had to bury her Korean husband," Hurh said.
For more information about the presentation or the book, contact Hurh at (309) 833-1146 or at GA-Hurh@wiu.edu. "We Married Koreans: Personal Stories of American Women with Korean Husbands" is available through New Copperfield's Book Service (www.copperfieldco.com) in Macomb, Llumina Press (www.llumina.com) and Amazon (www.amazon.com).
Posted By: Teresa Koltzenburg (WIUNews@wiu.edu)
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