Anger and Change in Korean American Literature

Experiences of the "forgotten" Korean War, Korean military-mediated immigration to the US in the twentieth century, and the role of Korean Americans in some of the largest upheavals in American history all inform a specific relation to anger and both its expression and use in Korean American literature. This book illustrates how Korean American novels and poetry use anger to enact change, foregrounding the various ways it can pinpoint injustice and suggest alternatives. Experiences of the "forgotten" Korean War, Korean military-mediated immigration to the US in the twentieth century, and the role of Korean Americans in some of the largest upheavals in American history all inform a specific relation to anger and both its expression and use in Korean American literature. Through various texts comprised of both poetry and prose from authors including Steph Cha, Cathy Park Hong, Eugene Lim, and Yongsoo Park, Willems highlights how anger is seen to function in some contexts as a positive fulcrum for change.