In Search of My America

In Search of My America is one of the few Korean American women's autobiographies published in the United States. Being a woman of color trying to rise in an academia dominated by the white male, I had to play an all-American negating her ethnic background. Being a non-native speaker teaching English to native speakers, I had to play a consummate professional in denial of her accent. Being an Asian woman whose sexuality has been historically objectified and has been equated to that of a Madame Butterfly, I had to play a fiercely independent woman without an ounce of a submissive attitude. In In Search of My America, I describe the intimate details of the mask I had to wear to cope with cultural and racial stereotypes.

In Search of My America is about a spectrum of issues, including my naïve American dream and rude awakening, my process of Americanization, my loneliness as an expatriate, my endeavors to reconcile the conflicting demands of human sexuality and intellect, and my attempt to build bridges between different worlds. I weave a giant piece of embroidery with all these components and set them against a series of tales created from Korean myths, bilingual metaphors, folklore, and legends.