TeachGlobalEd.net

A Life Like Mine tells the story of how children live around the world through four themes:  survival, development, protection, participation.  Excellent images and text suitable for upper elementary and middle school students. Truly has a global perspective. Includes many visuals and maps.

Is is published by UNICEF.

Recommended because new editions each year contain collections of 30-40 up to date articles from scholars and the world press that examine the most important global issues facing the planet.  The book has a world map, a glossary, a topic guide, and a list of related websites. This is one of many Annual Editions series. Others (see list on the Annual Editions website) are also relevant to specific issues as well as regional studies.

Citation: Jackson, Robert M. (editor). Guilford, CT: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin. http://www.dushkin.com

Recommended because this book delves into the customs and ways of their featured countries, taking a respectful yet lively point of view. Topics include government, arts, language, work, leisure, education, festivals, and food. Each title explains the role of language in shaping culture and provides practical information for travelers. Find out about traditional Chinese medicine, English fish and chips, the Welsh red dragon, and even Christmas in Japan.

Citation: Wilkinson, Kenneth. McGraw-Hill. $10.36

Recommended because of the story of a girl’s childhood in Korea, Yun’s first novel is a warm and vivid reminiscence of the relationship between a girl and her mother. The Korea of her memories was occupied by the Japanese, whose harsh rule was followed by the devastation of the Korean War. Young Wife, her mother, is a quietly courageous woman who keeps her three children together. Though abandoned by her husband, she manages to provide food, clothing, shelter, and schooling while she nourishes the children?s souls with tales of a forgotten peaceful time in Korea: a time when tigers smoked pipes and history, tradition, and magic blended together to create an exciting and viable culture. Eloquently written in language that is both metaphorical and poetic, this is an excellent addition to the series. Reviewed by Janis Williams, LIBRARY JOURNAL, October 1, 1998

Citation: Yun, Mia New York : Interlink Books($ 10.36)

Recommended because it provides lesson plans and ideas that focus on cross-cultural exchange, global themes, and comparative analyses in order to teach historical thinking and inquiry. The book is divided into three parts: Part 1 explores approaches to teaching world history and provides world history curricular models; Part 2 explores world history topics and issues (i.e., gender, religion, art, environment, civilizations, political systems, literature, trade, technology, philosophy, etc.); Part 3 provides strategies and lessons for elementary through graduate-level students.

Citation: Roupp, Heidi (editor). Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharp.

Recommended because this book attempts to present Japanese unique culture or customs that people coming to Japan usually encounter. This book would be good for junior high and high school students. Topics and materials included in this book are 56 situations, each characterized by a conflict or misunderstanding, which are introduced by dividing them into four topics: human relations at work and leisure, etiquette, formalities, and customs, Japanese expressions, and handy trivia. Reviewed by Masataka Kasai, 5/1/02

Citation: Kataoka, Hiroko C., & Kusumoto, Tetsuya. (1991). Lincolnwood, IL: NTC Publishing Group. $9.95.

Recommended because this book is a fascinating series for early readers that discusses the history, geography, economy, people, and culture of Japan. With large, simple text, maps, illustrations, and great photographs, young ones will get a true picture of life in Japan. 7 x 8.25. 48 pp. Ages 6-9. Be aware of the fact that “A 1 Book – China” is also available.
Reviewed by Asia for Kids.

Citation: Heinrichs, Ann. Children’s Press

Recommended because one of the first volume in a series, the collective biographies introduce famous men and women such as Confucius, poets Li Bo and Du Fu, Lin Xezu (who fought the opium traders) and the Soong family whose members played various political roles in t he twentieth century. Victoria Burck’s engaging ink-and-watercolor paintings and portraits appear throughout the book adding color and setting to the tone. Reviewed by East Asian Library (University of Pittsburgh)

Citation: Hoobler, Dorothy., & Hoobler, Thomas. Raintree Pub

Recommended because this book records a week in the daily life of Chi-hoon, an eight-year-old girl who lives in Seoul. Korean culture and values are portrayed and the reader is given a look at what it means to grow up in a male dominated culture.
Reviewed by East Asian Library (University of Pittsburgh)

Citation: McMahon, Patricia., & O’Brien, Michael. Boyds Mills Press

Recommended because this book is a wonderful story based on three variations of the Korean Cinderella. Pear Blossom, a stepchild mistreated by Omoni (her stepmother) is aided by magical animals to lessen her burdens at home and help her to become the wife of a noble man. 8″ x 10″. 48 pp. Ages 5 & up.
Reviewed by Asia for Kids.

Citation: Climo, Shirley. HarperTrophy

Recommended because readers can Enjoy a glimpse of the fantasies that occupied the minds and hearts of Korean children during the years when Korea was known as the “Hermit Kingdom.” 3 modern short stories are also given to round out a complete circle of delectable folktales. 8.5″ x 11″. 70 pp. Ages 6 & up.
Reviewed by Asia for Kids.

Citation: Hyun, Peter. Tuttle/Seoul International

Recommended because this book is about A first-person account of one girl’s experience during the Cultural Revolution. Written for children and young adults.
Reviewed from Indiana University East Asian Studies Center Selected Bibliography of Resources. Please check this URL — http://www.indiana.edu/~easc/respub.htm

Citation: Jiang, JiLi. HarperTrophy

Recommended because a quick overview of Japan’s land, celebrations, arts and crafts, and everyday life in an information-packed kit! Includes a huge poster, colorful map, projects, activities, recipes, crafts, and an audiotape with an interview with Japanese children, songs, a folktale, and a Japanese language lesson. 8.5″ x 11″. 64 pp. Ages 6-13. Be aware of the fact that “Culture Kit: China” is also available.
Reviewed by Asia for Kids.

Citation: Scher, Linda., & Oates, Mary. Scholastic; Bk&Cassett edition

Recommended because of its efforts to develop curriculum materials on the significance of the U.S. Bill of Rights in the framing and exercise of government in other nations. The lesson plans presented in this book could be used in middle and high school classrooms. Topics and materials included in this book are lesson plans about four countries: Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Nigeria in terms of the political and social systems influenced by the U.S. Bill of Rights, and bibliography in each section. Start by the last three lessons in Japan section since these three lessons provide a comparison of constitutional rights in postwar Japan and the United States and two case studies of the exercise of individual rights in postwar and contemporary Japan. Reviewed by Masataka Kasai, 5/3/02.

Citation: Barbara Miller and Lynn Parisi, et al. Boulder, Colorado: Social Science Education Consortium, Inc.

Recommended because this book attempts to discuss various aspects of minorities such as economy, politics, education, and culture and how globalization has affected China’s ethnic minorities. Topics and materials included in this site are historical background, minorities politics, the economies of the minorities, religion and education, population, and international relations. Start by chapter 1 Introduction as this chapter discusses the definitions of minorities and globalization, and the various impacts of globalization. Be aware of the fact that a list of Chinas fifty-five state-recognized ethnic minorities is provided at the end of the book along with brief description of each.

Citation: Mackerras, Colin. New York: RoutledgeCurzon.

Recommended because the author presents case studies on the contributions that students and teachers with extensive international experiences can make to the curriculum in their schools. Suburban, urban, and rural schools are the settings for the case study analyses that discuss how school systems, teacher education programs, and communities can collaborate to infuse global perspectives in (social) education. The author discusses issues related to (1) the tension between cultural loyalty and global citizenship and (2) the ambivalence of school cultures towards international experience. The author also provides (1) a model for explaining the impact of international experience and (2) suggestions for incorporating international experiences in schools.

Citation: Wilson, Angene. Praeger Publishers/Greenwood Publishing Group. ($72.95).

Recommended because of this collection of short stories recommended for high school students. The book is available in paperback from Indiana University Press or from many public libraries.
Reviewed by East Asian Project of Columbia University. http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/

Citation: Chen, Jo-hsi Indiana University Press

Recommended because this book is aimed at students, travelers and other readers seeking to understand the modern people and culture of China in the context of ancient history. Provides an overview of China’s history and people, geography, society, philosophy and religion, and the arts in an accessible style. Contains a list of suggested readings.
Reviewed from http://www.international.ucla.edu/publications.asp.

Citation: Gunde, R. UCLA Center for China Studies Cultures and Customs of Asia Series.

Recommended because Cobblestone Publishing Company produces a magazine (Calliope) in its Exploring World History series that focuses on particular periods or themes of Chinese history. Individual issues are reviewed below. They are available for $4.95 each from Cobblestone Publishing Company, 30 Grove Street, Suite C, Petersborough, NH 03458. Visit their website for complete ordering information.
Reviewed from China: A Teaching Workbook. http://www.afe.easia.columbia.edu/mainframe.html (not working)

Calliope: Confucius and Confucianism (Exploring World History)
The October 1999 issue is devoted to Confucius and Confucianism. It features articles on Confucius personal life, his name, the Chinese classics, the influence of Confucian teaching on Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, and the origin of fortunes in fortune cookies. Not only informative, this magazine is full of stimulating visuals accompanying each short article. Volume 10, Number 2, ISBN 0382445120

Calliope: China’s First Emperor: Shi-Huangdi (Exploring World History)
The October 1997 issue of Calliope magazine is devoted to China’s First Emperor: Shi-Huangdi. It features articles on topics and personalities of the period. Not only informative, this magazine is full of stimulating visuals accompanying each short article. October 1997Volume 8, Number 2, ISBN 0382408942

Calliope: Han Dynasty of China (Exploring World History)
The October 1998 issue of Calliope magazine covers the Han Dynasty of China. It features articles on Sima Qian, Liu Bang, The Emperor Wu Di, The Golden Age of Technology and the Arts, and much more. Not only informative, this magazine is full of stimulating visuals accompanying each short article. October 1998Volume 9, Number 2, ISBN 0382443896

Calliope: Lost Cities (Exploring World History)
The May/June 1991 issue includes an article on Loyang (Luoyang), ancient capital of China under the later Han dynasty. The article is entitled, “Loyang: The Emperor’s City in China.” Volume 1, Number 5, ISBN 0382405838

Calliope: The Hunnic Invasions (Exploring World History)
The September/October 1991 issue includes an article on “The Xiongnu Breach the Great Wall of China,” discussing the role played by the invasions of these tribes from the north in Chinese history. Volume 2, Number 1, ISBN 0382405889

Calliope: Buddhism (Exploring World History)
The March/April 1995 issue is devoted to Buddhism and includes articles on the historical Buddha, the basic teachings of Buddhism, the early development of Buddhism, the life of a Buddhist monk, and the Dalai Lama. Although not specifically focused on Buddhism as practiced in any one country, this issue provides an excellent introduction to the religion. Not only informative, this magazine is full of stimulating visuals accompanying each short article. Volume 5, Number 4, ISBN 0382445120

Calliope: Cities of the Past (Exploring World History)
The May/June 1996 issue includes an article on “China’s Ancient Capital: Xian.” Xian, known historically as “Changan,” was the capital of China during the Qin, Han, and Tang dynasties, as a cosmopolitan city that was the western terminus of the Silk Road. Volume 6, Number 5, ISBN 0382445120

Calliope: The Mongols (Exploring World History)
The November/December 1993 issue focuses on the Mongols, their leaders, their role in world history as conquerors and rules of China and vast areas of the Eurasian continent. Volume 4, Number 2, ISBN 0382405994

Calliope: Great Explorers to the East (Exploring World History)
The September/October 1990 issue includes an article on Marco Polo and his travels to China, “Marco Polo: Describing the World.” Volume 1, Number 1, ISBN 0382405838

Calliope: The Ming Dynasty: The World of the Yongle Emperor (Exploring World History)
The May/June 1995 issue of Calliope magazine is titled The Ming Dynasty: The World of the Yongle Emperor. It features articles on Zhu Di, Zheng He, The Forbidden City, and much more. Not only informative, this magazine is full of stimulating visuals accompanying each short article. May/June 1995Volume 5, Number 5

Ancient China: Theme Pack from Calliope (Exploring World History)
Five issues are conveniently grouped in one boxed set with an excellent teacher’s guide. The issues included are Confucius and Confucianism, China’s First Emperor: Shi Huangdi, The Han Dynasty, The Mongols, and The Ming Dynasty: The World of the Yongle Emperor. (See above for annotation of individual issues.)
Price: $25.95

Citation: http://www.cobblestonepub.com

Recommended because as a contrast to Family’s aristocratic milieu, Lao She’s 1937 novel depicts the suffering of the urban poor. The protagonist, Camel, is a downtrodden rickshaw puller who destroys himself while trying valiantly to better his circumstances in a dog-eat-dog world, where no individual can survive alone. Yet Camel’s experiences in the attempt reveal actual life in the streets of pre-revolutionary Peking.
Reviewed by East Asian Project of Columbia University. http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/

Citation: She, Lao Recommended translation: Jean M. James (translator), Rickshaw: The Novel Lo-t’o Hsiang Tzu. Honolulu: University Press of Hawaii, 1979.

Recommended because this unit challenges students to examine a notion of homogeneity of Asian countries and also offers students a chance to examine the experiences and challenges of another country’s ethnic groups. 221 pages, 5 lessons CD-ROM with images for each lesson Secondary While many outside of China believe that China is an ethnically homogeneous nation, it is actually quite diverse. Although roughly 92 percent of the Chinese population is classified as ethnically “Han,” there is great diversity even within this majority group. For instance, within the Han nationality, there are 7

Citation: Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE) http://spice.stanford.edu/ldml/viewpub_sp.lasso?id=20202 $49.95

Recommended because this anthology of 305 folk songs was probably compiled during the sixth century B.C. Its most accessible poems are short love songs and work songs. It also contains a number of songs complaining about greedy landlords or protesting military service. The relatively simple imagery of these folksongs demonstrates the close relationship between man and nature in a this-worldly agricultural society.
Reviewed by East Asian Project of Columbia University. http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/

Citation: Arthur Waley, trans. reprint, New York: Grove Press, 1960.

Recommended because this includes a free collection of activities for middle-school students on the Qin (Ch’in) dynasty, Confucius, the Tale of Monkey, the Chinese language, society, agriculture, the political system, and shadow puppets. It was produced by teachers in the state of Washington and edited by Mary Hammond Bernson of the University of Washington in conjunction with the State Education Department.
Reviewed from http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/

Citation: Mary Hammond Bernson. Olympia, WA : Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Recommended because students will come away with a clear understanding of the concept of economic interdependence, as well as key facts about Hong Kong’s role in Asia, past and present. In 1997 the world watched with mixed feelings as Hong Kong was returned to Chinese rule. The handover was politically and historically significant, but foremost in many minds were the economic implications. Recommended for secondary schools. Reviewed from SPICE catalog on line

Citation: SPICE http://spice.stanford.edu/ldml/viewpub_sp.lasso?id=10051

Recommended because world history, geography, and world culture classes will benefit from this unit’s treatment of the rich and colorful history and geography of the Silk Road. Recommended for engaging small group activities, which draw on many primary sources, will allow students to explore these historic routes through the lives of people who have lived and traveled these pathways from early days to the present. An adaptation of the simulation Heelotia is included. Recommended for middle school, high school.
Reviewed from SPICE website includes connections to curriculum standards.

Citation: http://spice.stanford.edu

Recommended because this is a highly participatory unit which gives students the opportunity to analyze the issue of land distribution in China since 1940. Students are assigned to each of the four major social classes of China in the 1940s and receive shares of “land” in proportion to Chinese land distribution at that time, to dramatize the wide disparities in land distribution. They read primary sources depicting the impoverished state of Chinese peasants in 1947 and follow Mao Tse-Tung’s sweeping land-reform movement by reading “Stone Village,” a fictionalized account of the kind of violent turn that land reform often took. Students analyze an article from the Beijing Review, written by a farmer who became wealthy as a result of the “Family Responsibility System” which allowed him to engage in private chicken farming. Grades 7-10. Reviewed in http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/

Citation: National Center for History in the Schools, University of California at Los Angeles.

Recommended because in order to let people in other countries know just what young Japanese are being taught in this field, ISEI has published, with the cooperation of Professor Toriumi Yasushi of Chuo University, a series entitled Japanese School Textbooks. The series brings together those portions with foreign countries since ancient times, but this series deals mainly with the period since the opening of Japan in the mid-nineteenth century after some 200 years of seclusion, a period in which relations with the outside world underwent particularly striking changes. Japan in Modern History contains a history of Japan from the pre-modern to the post-modern period. Includes a final chapter that covers religious beliefs, the legal system, and technology.
Reviewed in the EAP Resouce Lending Library Catalog at Cornell University. http://www.einaudi.cornell.edu/ Available on loan throughout the U.S.

Citation: International Society for Educational Information, Inc. Tokyo: International Society for Educational Information.

Recommended because set in early 20th century Japan, the author struggles with the issue of a modernizing Japan adopting greater elements of Western thought or maintaining traditional Japanese value.
Reviewed by East Asian Studies Center Indiana University.

Citation: Tanizaki, Junichiro. Translated by Anthony Chambers. New York: Vintage International. $12.00.

Recommended because the study guide summarizes the readings and essays in The Chinese, providing learning objectives, key terms and concepts, and review and essay questions The two books are part of a telecourse package, distributed by Great Plains National, that includes the Emmy Award-winning television series The Heart of the Dragon. For telecourse information call GPN: 1 (800) 228-4630. Heart of the Red Dragon is available on loan from the University of Pittsburgh Center for International Studies Asian Studies Program Video Collection. To order e-mail asa@imap.pitt.edu Study guide available from University of Michigan Press at http://www.press.umich.edu

Citation: Buoye, M. Thomas. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press ($10.00)

Recommended because of the comparative perspective it applies to the complex issues of nation building and social change. Two ways, one nonviolent and the other and the other based on the idea that political change comes out of the barrel of a gun. The unit examines the objectives of the two leaders and the methods they used to reach them. Recommended for high school.
Reviewed from NCHS website.
Available for $11.00 from the National Center for History in the Schools (NCHS) at http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/nchs

Citation: Joint publication of National Center for History in the Schools and the Asia Society.

Recommended because Recommended because it is considered to be one of the best books written on the subject of the civil wars that plagued Yugoslavia in the 1990s. A British journalist for the respected Times of London and the Economist draws upon his experience of living in Belgrade and reporting on the disintegration of Yugoslavia. A critically acclaimed and comprehensive account of the self-destruction of Yugoslavia due to unrestrained ethnic conflict. Available from Amazon.com for $11.17.Reviewed by Bill Wolf, April 2002; updated August 2003.

Citation: Tim Judah, Yale University Press (1997)

Recommended because each chapter deals with what the authors refer to as key core issues. Among the more interesting chapters are the chapters on Global Governance, Human Rights and the Problem of Culture; Global Governance and Human Security; Organizing Labor and Global Governance; and Global Governance and Poverty Reduction. This work could prove invaluable in any secondary school classroom dealing with global governance. This work is ordered thematically instead of by global institutions. Reviewed by Ron Reichel.

Citation: Wilkinson, Rorden and Hughes, Steve Routledge. Routledge. July, 2002. ISBN:0415268389. $28.

Recommended because of its guide for high school teachers for ways to integrate Asia into the teaching of world history. Although aimed at lower level college courses, the essays are also pertinent to high school. Particularly interesting essays include The Beginnings of Contact and Interdependence, Images of the Other: Asia in Nineteenth Century Western Thought, Some Contrasts and Comparisons of Zhou China and Ancient Greece.
Reviewed by Mary Anne Flournoy, 5/10/02.
Available from — M.E. Sharpe, Inc. 80 Business Park Drive Armonk, NY 10504 Phone: 1-800-541-6563 Fax: (914) 273-2106

Citation: Embree, Ainslie & Gluck, Carol (Eds.). Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe ($98.95)

Recommended because of a basic overview of Chinese and Japanese civilizations and their interconnections. Utilized in the Columbia University East Asia telecourse.
Reviewed by Mary Anne Flournoy, 5/10/02.

Citation: Schirokauer, Conrad. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich ($54.95)

Teacher set $15.00, Student Texts (15 or more texts with Teacher’s Guide), $7 a copy

Recommended because Exploring North-East Asia: China, Japan, Korea looks at cultural, historical and environmental aspects of China, Japan and Korea. The book provides students with fact files about China, Japan, Korea and Australia, and invites comparisons between the countries for better understanding. There are chapters about ancient China, feudal Japan and the main religious beliefs of people in China, Japan and Korea. Students also learn about the issues of water quality and usage in modern Korea and about the extinct and endangered species of the region. This book will help to develop students` understanding of the history, geography, cultures and beliefs of China, Japan and Korea.
Reviewed by Access Asia.

Citation: Allen, Anna-Louise., & Holt, John. Access Asia ($27.20)

Recommended because this book presents history of civilizations in East Asia. Topics and materials included in this book are the three historical parts: (1) Chinese predominance, (2) a new balance of power, and (3) the rise of the Pacific Rim. The first chapter illustrates how the classical Chine (1650-206 B.C.) and the early Chinese Empire (206 B.C. – A.D. 1368) affected other Asian countries including Korea, Japan, and South – East Asia. The second chapter discusses the relationship between the late Chinese empire (1368 – 1912) and other Asian countries. The last chapter examines the impacts of modern times on East Asian countries. Start by the first two chapters since they explicitly illustrate how China significantly affected other Asian countries in a historical perspective.

Citation: Cotterell, Arthur. London : John Murray. $14.95.

Recommended because of its efforts to present the historical interdependency of regional countries in East Asia between the past and the future. Topics and materials included in this book are (1) China Plural, (2) conceiving East Asia, (3) global connections, (4) “Barbarization” of Northern China, (5) before Vietnam, (6) the birth of Korea, and (7) Japan. Start by “Beyond East Asia: Global Connections” since this chapter describes of global connections of East Asian countries through foreign trade and Buddhist.

Citation: Holcombe, Charles. Honolulu : Association for Asian Studies and University of Hawai’i Press. $24.95.

Recommended because a general history of the region. Utilized in the Columbia University East Asia telecourse as a basic text.
Reviewed by Mary Anne Flournoy 5/10/02.

Citation: Murphey, Rhoads. New York: Longmans ($58.33)

Recommended because the stories in this anthology map a crucial period Korean history, and constitute the pinnacle of literary achievement in that country. The writers cover themes of gender conflict and confrontation, the problems resulting from the intersection of traditional modes of life with industrialization, the Japanese Occupation, and the trauma of the Korean War.
Reviewed by Kegan Paul International.

Citation: Chung, Chong-wha. (Ed.). London: Kegan Paul International. ($110.00)

Recommended because essentially an oral history of Korean comfort women, the stories they told Dai Sil are the core of the book. Other chapters provide historical information. The raw stories of these women contain their flesh and blood. In addition, Kim-Gibson explores their lives before and after, as well as during, the forced servitude. Born in northern Korea when it was under Japanese rule, Kim-Gibson traveled to Korea, Japan and China to record their devastating stories. The women pour their hearts out as they tell stories about being taken from their homes, shipped like military supplies to far-off places, suffering the insufferable, and going home only to be silenced. Some say that we wretched Koreans – the people of Hahn (the everlasting woe) – have run out of tears. But to my wonderment, I found myself fighting tears as I turned pages of Dai Sil Kim-Gibson’s “Silence Broken.” More in shame and guilt for our stone-cold indifference to our own blood-and-flesh grandmas who have endured the unendurable. Destiny has willed this poet-philosopher-filmmaker to tell the stories of the ultimate Hahn to posterity, especially for children of an unrepentant neighbor whose leaders have been afflicted with a self-induced collective amnesia.
Reviewed by K.W. Lee, founding president of the Korean American Journalists Association.

Citation: Kim-Gibson, Dai Sil. Parkersburg, Iowa: Mid-Prairie Books ($15) ISBN: 0931209889

Recommended because the 600 verses presented in this anthology will provide the reader with comprehensive and varied aspects of the sijo, the traditional Korean lyric, since its emergence as a fixed literary form as early as the late 12th century down to the 19th century. This text refers to editorial review.

Citation: Selected and translated with an introduction by Jaihiun J. Kim. Fremont. CA: Asian Humanities Press.

Recommended because Land of Morning Calm gives us a better understanding of the people behind the news and the traditions we dont get to see on television as North and South Korea quickly become important players in global politics. It opens a window into another way of life, reminding us once again that we are all as similar as we are different.
What was life like in Ancient Korea? What did people eat? What did they believe in? How is it different now? Take a journey to both ancient and modern Korea, where you will find a rich world of history and traditions that will capture your imagination and whet your appetite for learning more about this fascinating culture. Read about the legend behind the founding of Korea, the meaning of the flag, and the creation of the Korean alphabet. Learn how to make kimchi, how to celebrate Korean holidays, and how people ironed their clothes before electricity. Be aware of the fact that every page explains an aspect of Korean culture and its changes through the years. This resource was originally reviewed by Shen’s Books.

Citation: Stickler, John & Han, Soma Shen’s Books (http://www.shens.com/cgi-bin/mas/category.cgi?category=welcome) $16.95

Recommended because this first-ever “root dictionary” of Korean designed for second-language learners contains more than 1,500 lists of words built from shared roots. The lists offer a unique and efficient way for learners to acquire new words. On encountering a word, one can consult the lists for its component roots and discover many other semantically related words built from the same elements. The Handbook consists of two sections, one presenting roots of Chinese origin and the second containing native Korean roots. Within each section, each list begins with the relevant root written in Korean script together with the Chinese character (if there is one) and its English translation. The entries for individual words within a list include information about each item

Citation: Choo, Miho., & O’Grady, William. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press

Recommended because an essential characteristic of contemporary Korean society and culture is the multi-religious situation. Confucianism, Buddhism, and Christianity have each maintained positions of power in Korea. Each vies for the allegiance of the people, but none has been able to secure a dominant place in the current Korean culture and value system. Thus, Korea is unique in that three of the major world religions are functioning equally as living cultural forces. The ten essays in this book examine each of these forces (as well as shamanism and New Religions) and project possible outcomes of conflict or cooperation.
Reviewed by Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley.

Citation: Lancaster, Lewis R., & Payne, Richard. (Eds.). p.296. ISBN 1-55729-055-5 ($20.00)

Recommended because the Kwangju Uprising is one of the most important political events in late twentieth-century Korean history. What began as a peaceful demonstration against the imposition of military rule in the southwestern city of Kwangju in May 1980 turned into a bloody people’s revolt. In the two decades since, memories of the Kwangju Uprising have lived on, assuming symbolic importance in the Korean democracy movement, underlying the rise in anti-American sentiment in South Korea, and shaping the nation’s transition to a civil society. Nonetheless it remains a contested event, the subject still of controversy, confusion, international debate, and competing claims.
Reviewed by The Center for Korean Studies, School of Hawaiian, Asian & Pacific Studies, University of Hawai`i at Manoa.

Citation: Lewis, Linda. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press

Recommended because this collection of articles centers on women’s issues in Korea, including aspects of myth, religion, modern poetry, language, and the Korean war.
This resource was originally reviewed by Indiana University East Asian Studies Center.

Citation: Seoul, Korea: Research Institute of Asian Women, Sookmyung Women’s University.

Recommended because this set of six filmstrips, with accompanying narration, text, and study guide, examines chronologically Korea’s past and present. They are useful for world civilization and East Asian history courses, as well as upper-division courses in history and political science and specialized sociology, art, and literature courses. They are also of benefit to advanced high school study programs. Each filmstrip runs approximately 20 minutes. The titles are: The Korean People and Ancient Korea; The Silla Kingdom; Koryo: Korea

Citation: Shultz, Edward. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press.

Recommended because this book contains the retelling of many Turkish folktale classics. The thirty-four stories contained in this book are excellent for elementary and middle school teachers to use in a World literature or World cultures curriculum unit. Perfect for story time or for classroom reading practice. Reviewed by Jennifer Nichols, 05/2002.

Citation: Walker, Barbara.

Recommended because it is a good resource for the elementary grades. This text invites children to explore the wildlife and indigenous peoples of Africa. Mask making from Zaire and hats in Nigeria are two of the many ways readers encounter knowledge of Africa. The crafts use common materials in unusual ways.

Citation: Y. Merrill and M. Simpson (2000) .

Recommended because this novel portrays the war-ravaged world of a young girl, and while it does not take the reader to the front lines, it gives a behind the scenes look at what war does to the lives of children. Sookan, the protagonist, glimpses a proud past through her grandfather, who keeps the old Korean ways, while her mother runs a factory that produces knitted socks for the Japanese army. Her father and brothers are away fighting in the resistance movement and when World War II ends the rejoicing proves premature: the Russians are as oppressive as the Japanese. Sookan and her seven-year-old brother flee their northern Korean village, head south to the safety of the 38th parallel, are separated fro m their mother and ultimately reunited. There are vivid, poignant moments when the children bath their dying grandfather?s feet and discover his toenails have been pulled out under torture. They are mortified as small Korean children when they are forced to urinate at their desks because they cannot break from reciting Japanese propaganda. The author?s love for family and homeland shines through this moving account. Reviewed by Mary Miller, East Asian Library, University of Pittsburgh.

Citation: Choi, Sook Nyul. Boston: Houghton ($11.20) ISBN 0-395-57419-6

Recommended because this is a sensitive retelling of a Korean folktale about the chaos a mirror creates when simple folk fail to recognize themselves. Reviewed by Mary Miller, East Asian Library, University of Pittsburgh.

Citation: Ginsburg, Mirra. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich ($ 6.00) ISBN 0152175083

Recommended because of the SHIN KYONG-NIM’s first volume of poems, Farmers’ Dance (Nong-mu), marked a major new step in the development of modern Korean poetry when it was published in 1973. The life of Korea’s oppressed rural masses had never before been highlighted in such a manner. For years, the poet had shared that life as a laborer and salesman, and the poems reflect a deep identification with classes and situations that were normally not considered suitable subjects for poetry. This volume offers a full translation of the poems of the expanded 1975 edition, making available in English for the first time one of the most influential works of modern Korean poetry. Reviewed by Korean Studies Review, Intercultural Institute of California.

Citation: Kyong-Nim, Shin Translated by Brother Anthony of Taize and Young-moo Kim. Cornell Univ East Asia Program($17.00)

Recommended because of this first and only study of North Korean literary history by a Western scholar deals with the crucial role played by Han S(rya, chairman of the D.P.R.K.’s Federation of Literature and Art from 1948 to his purge in 1962, both in devising the iconography of Kim Il Sung’s personality cult and in defining the early course of North Korean letters. Through brief studies of Han’s own canonical works the author also sets out to dispel the widely-held assumption that North Korean literature is compatible with Soviet and Chinese socialist realism. The appendix includes a complete translation of Han’s 1951 novella Jackals (Svngnyangi). Reviewed by East Asia Program, Cornell University.

Citation: Myers, B. Ithaca, N.Y.: East Asia Program, Cornell University. ($17.00)

Recommended because this novel for young people, Winner of the 2002 Newberry Medal, is set in Medieval Korea. It is the story of Tree-Ear, an orphan who apprentices himself to a master potter. His adventures on a journey to enter his master’s wares in the competition for a royal commission takes him over hazardous terrain. This is historical fiction at its best. Recommended for upper elementary and middle school. Reviewed from Columbus Dispatch dated April 25, 2002. F8. Surprise prize by Nancy Gilson.

Citation: Park, L.S. Clarion Books. [ISBN 03978720] 160 pp. ($11.60)

Recommended because the sijo is the most popular and most Korean of all traditional Korean poetic forms. Sometimes likened to haiku for its brevity, a typical sijo poem follows a three-line pattern: the first two lines mimicking one another both in form and content and the last line introducing a twist or counter theme which serves to sharpen the meaning. The popularity of sijo in Korea – writers range from royalty to common citizens – is always a challenge for the translator who must often inhabit widely differing backgrounds to completely understand a poem’s subtle nuances. Richard Rutt’s translations are considered by many to be some of the best available in the English language. The Bamboo Grove will interest not only poets and students of poetry but scholars of Korean culture curious to view history through this important and significant form of verse. This text refers to editorial review.

Citation: Rutt, R. (Ed.). Berkeley, University of California Press. ($19.95)