Varsity's Choice |
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Related Stories |
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Guest's Recommendation |
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Native Speaker |
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By Jennifer Zhang |
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Book Title: Native Speaker Recommended by: Jonathan Tsang, Political science, Year 4, UC Berkeley Comment: ¡§The plot's engaging, and the language's awesome. The book's simply brilliant.¡¨ An immigrant experience, a spy thriller, and a story of various relationships ¡X Native Speaker, by the Korean American author Chang-Rae Lee, has seamlessly woven the three genres into one beautifully-worded book. The narrator, Henry Park, who is an Korean immigrant, has spent his entire life trying to be a true American, but still ends up feeling left out and being taken as ¡§illegal alien¡¨ , ¡§emotional alien¡¨ and ¡§yellow peril¡¨ . Raised by his Korean parents, Henry has learnt to control his emotions, remember everything by heart, and have a sense of alienation. These Asian introverted characteristics have shaped him a perfect natural spy. But the very job where Henry excels has put Henry's marriage into danger as his wife finds him ¡§surreptitious¡¨ , ¡§a stranger, follower, and traitor.¡¨ When their son died, his stoical way of treating his death becomes the last straw Henry's life crumbles more when he becomes emotionally attached to his new target at work, John Kwang, a rising Korean American politician. Facing Kwang's success of effortlessly being an American, Henry has a hard time trying to figure out why he fails to be truly accepted by the American society. In all, the book is a portrait of Asian immigrants struggling in the American society. It highlihts minority rights, cultural assimilation, political intrigue, ethical conflicts, and family ties. A little complicated it may seem, yet it is definitely a page-turner. Native Speaker has also won high praise for its vivid and haunting description. This astounding novel is the winner of the prestigious Hemingway Foundation/PEN award. |
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