Literary Nonfiction. Asian American Studies. Memoir. Although Yearn Choi identifies himself as an ordinary man, his has been a remarkable life...the odyssey of a Korean in America. Naturally, because it is a memoir, this book explores the theme of identity. What does life on the hyphen (Korean-American) mean for his generation versus his children's generation? Yet the author's journey intersects with the trajectory of this country in the midst of struggle and transformation. What is America? Choi lived, studied, and worked in the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest, the Deep South, and the nation's capital over four decades, while the U.S. was in the throes of the civil rights, anti-war, anti-nuclear, and environmental movements. Artful, informative, heartfelt, provocative, and always engaging, Choi's memoir will prove an invaluable and unique contribution to American and Asian Studies by a seminal poet and incisive scholar. With SONG OF MYSELF, Yearn Hong Choi immediately signals Walt Whitman. Yet he rivals Whitman in style and exceeds Whitman in scope.

Author City: FAIRFAX, VA USA

Yearn Choi came to the United States from Korean in 1968 to pursue a PhD in Public Administration at Indiana University. Already established as a significant poetic voice in Korea, Yearn continued publishing poetry both in Korea and the U.S. while teaching and writing in the changing field of political science. Yearn published widely in academic journals and op-ed pieces for newspapers from the Washington Post to the Korean Herald. He became the first member of the Pentagon to work on the emerging field of Environmental Policy. Yearn brings his passion, his involvement in the important events of his time, from the Vietnam War to civil rights, to the environmental and the significance of the immigrant to the American experience, into his writing.