Pachinko: Koreans in Japan struggle to control their destiny

In the mid-1970s, when we were adopting our eldest son, I read that Koreans did not like the Japanese, because Korea had once been a Japanese colony. Understandable. Min Jin Lee, author of Pachinko, a National Book Award finalist, sees it differently: The Japanese do not like Koreans.

Covering several generations from 1910-1989, Pachinko describes how people born in Japan of Korean heritage are treated with disrespect and suspicion. The submissive roles of women and children in both these patriarchal cultures is especially emphasized. Above all, Pachinko shows that intolerance is one of our planet’s most odious vices.