Reviews for Korea-U.S. Relations in a Changing World

The average rating for Korea-U.S. Relations in a Changing World based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-10-07 00:00:00 Gabriel Engle Okinawa is a fascinating place as it sits between Japan and China and has elements of both cultures and has been the home of US military bases since the end of WWII. This book Okinawa: Two Postwar Novellas provides insight into the post war condition of the Ryukyu Islands at the southern most part of the Japanese archipelago. There are two novellas: The Cocktail Party by Tatsuhiro Oshiro and Child of Okinawa by Mineo Higashi. However, the introduction and afterword by translator Steve Rabson are enlightening with the historical and cultural context in which these works were written. The principal characters in the first story, "The Cocktail Party" by Oshiro, are an Okinawan, a Japanese, a Chinese, and an American who are friends and have several cross-cultural discussion about events that take place over the story. The biggest being the rape and prosecution for bodily harm of the Okinawan's teenage daughter with an American soldier. These political and cultural questions weigh in more heavily than literary devices. I have read this was turned into a play and see how that might have been a more effective vehicle for this particular story. In fact, it would probably make a compelling film as well. The second story is a more conventional coming of age story about Tsuneyoshi a preadolescent boy who is unhappy about his current living conditions-he lives in a town that serves the American military base and his parents run a bar with girls for sale and when there is a need for two simultaneous beds he is usurped. He has to do chores, deliver papers, and attend school where is looked down on by teachers and students alike. He dreams of escape to a desert island like Robinson Crusoe the hero of his favorite book. As pointed out by Rabson, these stories are both journeys that lead to separation from the communities in which they feel marginalized. These are powerful stories that reflect the contentious and diverse culture of Okinawa in the face of American military economic occupation.

Review # 2 was written on 2016-02-10 00:00:00 Julian Rankin Both novellas were very well written and the experiences of the protagonists were ultimately shaped by the military occupation of Okinawa. In each case the juxtaposition of how the world is supposed to appear and the broken realities the characters experience highlight the problems of the losers in an occupied state.