The South of Seoul Volunteer November Book Club 2022 recommendation is “The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation Is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture” by Euny Hong. Explore the rise of Korean pop culture and a global phenomenon.
About the South of Seoul Virtual Book Club
Looking for book recommendations? Welcome to the South of Seoul book club. We recommend a book every month. Such recommended books explore topics like 1) South Korean history or culture, 2) the complexity of cross-cultural life, or 4) the exploration of life within the diaspora experience.
Commitment to Accessibility
South of Seoul volunteers take book accessibility into consideration when recommending titles. We consider:
- Purchasable in English In Korea: Many translated titles can’t actually be purchased in English in Korea,
- Audio Version Available: Many people find audiobooks easier to consume.
- Online Versions.: International residents can’t afford to travel with many books and many books may not be available in digital form from within Korea.
Commitment to Diverse Lived Experiences
South of Seoul volunteers seek to put lived experiences at the forefront of their recommendation choices. When considering authors we look for such things as:
- Korean authors writing about their lived experiences in Korea.
- International residents writing about their lived experiences in South Korea.
- Ethnic Koreans writing about their lived experience in other countries.
Reading about Korean culture from a variety of perspectives may provide readers with a greater understanding of the country and culture.
Commitment to Supporting Mental Health
South of Seoul also includes book recommendations that support the lives and mental health of our community. This means that books may tackle the issues related to living between cultures. This may include topics such as culture shock, language, relationships, and more.
Book Recommendation by Molly Hayden
November’s book club recommendation is brought to you by Cultural Liaison and journalist Molly Hayden.
About “The Birth of Korean Cool“
Euny Hong’s “The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture” offers an insight into Korean innovation through its creation of curated pop culture.
The author uses her experiences growing up in both South Korea and the U.S. to dive into Korean culture. Euny Hong does this using American terms and blending two very different schools of thought. Hong’s background as a journalist guides her writing. The book contains data-driven insights woven into these personal stories, making them easily digestible and understandable for English readers.
Published in 2014, the book’s timeframe focuses on the popularity of Psy’s “Gangnam Style.” The book is currently devoid of any BTS references. Even still, it’s a poignant and historical look into South Korea’s past and how the country capitalized on its future.
More Commentary and Reviews
For more on “The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation Is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture” read the New York Times review Seoul Survivors.
Online Purchasing Link
You can also purchase “The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation Is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture” on Amazon.
Find More Book Club Recommendations
Did you like this recommendation? Be sure to explore our other volunteer-recommended books.
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What Books Do You Recommend?
Feel free to share your own book recommendations on our Facebook page or in the blog post comments at the end of this post.
Journalist Molly Hayden has worked in the journalism field in Germany and the United States. In 2021 she relocated to South Korea.
As a volunteer Cultural Liason and Content Creator, Ms. Hayden reports on a variety of life & style topics with a focus on families living in rural South Korea.
