The Naked Tree by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim
The Naked Tree by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim and Janet Hong is a graphic novel adaptation of Pak Wan-Suh’s novel of the same name. I had no idea what the book was about, but the image of the cover of a young girl, with a wind-up key in her back was enticing. It also was as bit distributing. It gave me a feeling I knew what the book was going to be about, but when I was finally able to find a copy, it turned out […]
Act of War: Lyndon Johnson, North Korea, and the Capture of the USS Pueblo by Jack Cheevers
One thing I love about history is that no matter how much you think you know, there’s always something new to uncover. Such was the case, here. I think I have a pretty good handle on 20th century US history. I’m not an academic, by any means, but I’ve done a fair bit of reading. I’ve either never heard of the USS Pueblo, or had forgotten about it until reading this book. Technically speaking, the Korean War never ended. We were all reminded of this […]
I have many thoughts about this book but as always, here’s the situation that led to me reading it. This Kind of War is another book from the Army Chief of Staff’s reading list. It has also been recommended by Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis as a must-read. Secretary Mattis is known, colloquially, as the Warrior Monk due to his dedication to his craft and his knowledge and understanding of making war. He is known to be a voracious reader and believes that all leaders […]
I finished this book last weekend, but haven’t really had the time to review it. Both my wife and son are taking a nap, and I’m in the middle of Hurricane Matthew, so I figured now is as good a time as any. The Korean War isn’t called “The Forgotten War” for nothing. I’ve been a history buff as long as I can remember, and I don’t think I’ve ever read a book or seen a documentary about it. Other than M*A*S*H*, I don’t think […]
Book 3 of the masters reading list is “The Martyred” by Richard Kim. I’ll start with saying that I’m glad I read it. I’ve been looking for some non-Western authors, and Kim’s writing style is solid and his characters relatable. It was also great to read about the Korean War from a Korean perspective. The story follows a professor turned army intelligence officer, Captain Lee, as he is forced to investigate the Communists’ murder of twelve Christian ministers after the invasion of […]
