The Korean: Single and Obese: Then Kimchi Changed Everything!

Rating 3.5“Never let yourself feel hopeless. Find something worth doing and work on it while you’re going through the worst time of your life. Find the voice of someone out there who lifts you high when you can’t.”Africa Yoon née Engo was about to turn 30. She was a celebrated activist working in Manhattan and around the world, when she found she had gained 120 pounds and was now obese. She realized she needed a life beyond her work and began to dream about having a husband and children. To get her dream, she had to work on herself.One afternoon, at Asian grocery store H-Mart, a Korean grandmother called her fat! After the initial embarrassment of the public moment, the two began an unusual friendship that led her to eating kimchi—and that moment changed everything.Africa Yoon’s memoir is not written in the style you would expect. For one, it is much shorter and highlights key events from her life: particularly those connecting her to Korean culture. The pace of her writing is fairly crisp that you seem to be jogging along instead of taking a stroll. It makes her sound more candid, almost as if you’re sitting and chatting with a friend.I enjoyed reading about how she discovered and learnt Korean food and began to understand the nuances of their culture. Her story as an African woman, living in America, discovering an almost spiritual bond with an Asian culture is both curious and inspiring,This copy courtesy of NetGalley and Black Yoonicorn Press.For complete review, visit aquamarineflavours.wordpress.com

This book spoke to me so many different times. Africa was telling a bit of my story too as I have been married to my amazing Korean husband for 22 years.I learned so much more about the Korean culture and have an even greater respect for my in laws after reading Africa's book. This book flowed so easily and I truly didn’t want it to end. I, too prayed for someone like my husband to come into my life. My favorite part of this book is how Africa shares how simple it was to start making Korean food. I love her honesty and love for life. This book is a gift and you won’t be sorry purchasing it. Enjoy!

Such a great and easy read. Loved getting to know a bit of the woman called Africa Yoon.

This story had me hooked from beginning to end, I read it from cover to cover in one sitting! I tend to read fast, but Africa is such a great storyteller. She took me on her journey through all her adventures during that period of her life, as she made discoveries about herself and the people around her. Her honesty and grit shines through, as she relates her memoirs of her journey to love and family. It really is such a beautiful story, she has experienced so much in her young life! Read it to find out, this gal is a very interesting person!!!

Africa Yoon's story is not just about her journey to finding herself with the help of a Halmoni, it's so much more. There's a lot to say about this book because it has an impact on culture, food, belonging, health and well-being.Her narrative in The Korean: Single and Obese is very positive in writing even in the times when she is feeling very low (e.g. binge eating at home alone which I can relate, moving across country, hyperthyroidism). You can really tell how she pushes on despite challenges around her and always encourages the reader to do the same in their lives.I also want to know if the Halmoni passed away or whether she was a spirit but I started to believe the latter more and more especially when her and her family moved to Busan. It was also very interesting to see how Africa legally changed her name from Suzanne Africa Engo to Africa Yoon.I really love that a lot of the food that she enjoys talking about is written in Korean and then in English to readers. The relationship she has with Korean food is pretty prominent with how she not only grew up in a Korean neighbourhood in the US, but the way she explains in more detail about each dish and how to cook them. Yoon also explains in more detail what However gwiyeowo for "cute" being spelt KEE-AHH WOOOH sent me and was the only exception that wasn't translated well.Nevertheless, it was a great memoir to read and I do recommend this to anyone else who has strong interest in Korean food, well-being and more healthy tips in their life.

This book was refreshing and delightful to read. I didn’t want it to end. Thank you for sharing your story.