Advertise on podcast: Kpop Bookshelf

Season 6 Episode 4 We cover the book A WAR BORN FAMILY: African American Adoption in the Wake of the Korean War by Kori A. Graves Dr. Graves explores the unique issues surrounding the adoption of Korean Black mixed race children during 1950s-60s from Korea to African American adoptive parents in pre-Civil Rights Era United States. We also take a brief look at the story of Milton Washington. Check out the links below! LINKS: Dr Kori A Graves Biography [Rutgers] A War Born Family - [NYU Press] World’s Largest ‘Baby Exporter’ Confronts Its Painful Past [New York Times] Jim Crow Laws [History. Com] Occupational Segregation in America [Center for American Progress] Black, Korean and searching for the American dream [BBC] Lives Less Ordinary -Black, Korean, stateless: A Slickyboy’s American dream, part 1 [BBC]  Lives Less Ordinary - Black, Korean, stateless: a Slickyboy’s American dream, part 2 [BBC] Adapted Podcast - podcast about Korean adoptees The Janchi Show: Your New Favorite Korean Adoptee Podcast  Kori Graves on Black Korean Adoptees - [Time To Say Goodbye Podcast]

Season 6 Episode 3 In this episode, we discuss the book Palimpsest: Documents From a Korean Adoption by Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom. Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom is a Korean-Swedish adoptee who discovers some shocking truths about the circumstances surrounding her adoption. We explore some of the secrets of the Korean intercountry adoption and learn about why some adoptees and adoptee advocates are accusing the South Korean government and the government of the country they were raised in of not enough oversight over South Korean adoption practices of the late 20th century. LINKS: Legally 'orphaned' to be adopted transnationally [The Korea Times] Paper orphans [CBC] Dutch gov't broke law by destroying adoption files: Inspectorate [NL Times] South Korea’s truth commission to probe foreign adoptions [AP] When her mother came to see her, Holt lied and said she’d already been adopted [Hankyoreh] ‘Korea is hiding our past’: the adoptees searching for their families – and the truth [Guardian] All records must be unsealed for Korean adoptees who want it, argue experts [Hankyoreh]

Season 6 Episode 2 We discuss the book From Orphan to Adoptee: US Empire and Genealogies of Korean Adoption by SooJin Pate This book gives some background on how Korea came to be one of the countries to adopted out the most children to other countries. Learn about how the US government and Americans played a big part in this practice, which continues to this day. There is so much more to this book than discussed here, but hopefully you can some small additional insight into the early days of Korea inter-country adoption. LINKS: The Janchi Show - 004 // SooJin Pate + Choco-Pies! [The Janchi Show] Paper Orphans [CBC] Christianity and Korea - How did the religion become so apparently prevalent in South Korea? [The Diplomat]

Season 6 Episode 1 This season will be about Adoption from Korea. In this first episode, we discuss the book ALL YOU CAN EVER KNOW: A MEMOIR by Nicole Chung. We are joined by special guest and Korean American adoptee, Kim! LINKS: Kim’s Instagram Adapted Podcast

Bonus Episode with Teeny and JoJo where we talk about our experience at KCON LA 2023! Find out what ticketing was like, what interacting with artists was like, whether anyone actually experienced a black ocean, and how we dealt with natural disasters during a major Kpop convention!

Presenting Idol Book Club: A Little Bit Biased - a spinoff of our Idol Book Club series! This time, instead of focusing on books read by kpop idols, my friend, Ash, and I explore the act of being a fan through reading a Japanese book about a Jpop fan, IDOL, BURNING by Rin Usami. LINKS:  Dictionary . com definition of Parasocial Relationship In Defense of Parasocial Relationships [TIME] Friend or Faux: Are Parasocial Relationships Healthy? [Cleveland Clinc]

For this bonus episode, I give you my initial impressions and first reaction to the book Beyond the Story: 10-Year Record of BTS by BTS and Myeongseok Kang. I have some thoughts about the structure of the book, a few random bones to pick with some of the topics, some newer things I learned, and what I see as parallels between The Beatles and BTS!

Season 5 Episode 2 In our second episode about the book Flowers of Fire by Hawon Jung, we explore how the bodies of women and girls were used to build up the nation of South Korea. The government needed the physical labor in the form of factory girls to help gain economic strength, which helped usher in the "Miracle on the Han River." Comfort women were used not only during WWII, but after, as well, and it was the government who oversaw the system of comfort women working in camptowns. The government also needed women to give birth to babies, yet also controlled reproductive health access for women in more recent years. Mature themes will be discussed in this episode. Links: Factory Girl Literature by Ruth Barraclough [Book] Blood, puss and pitiful pay: Why Korean factory workers are calling it quits [Hankyoreh] A Brutal Sex Trade Built for American Soldiers [The New York Times] After 40 years in US camptown sex trade, S. Korean woman rejoices in court victory [Hankyoreh] Koreans & Camptowns: Reflections of a Mixed-Race Korean [Korean American Story.org] Polish Women Hold 'Black Monday' Strike To Protest Proposed Abortion Ban [NPR] Korea decriminalized abortion, but has anything actually changed? [Korean JoongAng Daily] Not illegal but not legal: The murky landscape of abortion in Korea [The Korea Herald]

Season 5 Episode 1 - CONTENT NOTE: Discussions of sexual harrassment and assault This season we discuss the book Flowers of Fire by Hawon Jung Episode 1 is about the #MeToo cases in Korea of Seo Ji Hyun and Kim Ji Eun. We also discuss the concepts of Hoesik and Flower Snakes. Links: Hawon Jung: Bio [BenBella Books] KBS World Interview w/ Author Hawon Jung [KBS World] Anthony Rapp Opens Up About Kevin Spacey Lawsuit in First Comments Since Trial: ‘A Courtroom Is Not a Safe Space for Trauma’ [Variety] 4 women testified at Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial that they were sexually abused. Here’s what they said [CNN] Seo Ji-hyun, The South Korean Prosecutor Who Spoke Up & Sparked The Country's MeToo Movement | TIME [YouTube] Female prosecutor opens up about sexual harassment [The Korea Herald] 'Hoesik' can help blow off steam, or spark unfortunate events [The Korea Herald] Young South Koreans are fighting against the return of hoesik — 'compulsory' after-work and weekend gatherings — as COVID-19 restrictions ease [Insider] As South Korean government proposes flexible overtime rules, some fear workers may suffer [Reuters] This country wanted a 69-hour workweek. Millennials and Generation Z had other ideas [CNN] In the throes of South Korea’s #MeToo, it’s “very hard to speak up” [Mic] More women coming forward with stories of sexual abuse following Seo Ji-hyun’s allegations [Hankyoreh] Seoul's Mayor Championed Women's Rights. The #MeToo Allegations Against Him Have Bitterly Divided Korea [TIME] #MeToo: South Korea gives more jail time to harassers [USA Today] How #MeToo movement is pushing for revision of South Korea’s defamation law [The Korea Herald]

One of the representative kpop groups of the Hallyu Wave, Super Junior, had a documentary come out about them called Super Junior: The Last Man Standing! In this bonus episode, my friend, Ash, and I recap and talk about our impressions of the documentary as well as some of our own personal memories.

My friend Emma and I discuss my recent experience at an ATEEZ fansign! Not only do we go into entering both video call fansigns and in-person fansigns, but we discuss meeting celebs in general and how the year 2019 in kpop really shook my faith in celebrities.  Some quick corrections from the episode: I say "area code" when I meant to say "country code." The country code for Korea is +82, not +88.  Also, I mention "Backstaging" Broadway shows, but the I think the term I meant to use was "Stage dooring." My new instagram is @kpopbookshelf !

Our second Idol Book Club pick is I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Sehee! This book was read by RM from BTS, who is my cousin Teeny's ultimate bias! Teeny and I discuss our thoughts on this breakout bestselling book about mental health. We reference an interview with the author, Baek Sehee, done by the Korea Society, which you can check out here.