TEN THOUSAND SORROWS

Buddhists believe that life is made up of ten thousand joys and ten thousand sorrows; Kim has had her share of the latter. As a small child in Korea, she witnessed the murder of her mother by family members for her liaison with an American soldier. Saved by a relative from a similar fate, she was ultimately adopted by an American fundamentalist couple who made her a house slave. Then came an abusive marriage, which produced a daughter on whom she showered the same loving attention she has gotten from her own mother. It must have been difficult for Kim to read of such harrowing experiences (her husband once made her sleep in the dog's pen) without a lot of emotion, but she manages. Her firm voice mirrors the resolve with which she has tried to overcome her sorrows, to be followed by, one hopes, the promised joys. J.B.G. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/NOV 00]