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Title: Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History by Bruce Cumings ISBN: 0-393-31681-5 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: February, 1998 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $20.60 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.91 (22 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Another Masterpiece from Cumings
Comment: I was a East Asian Studies concentrator at Harvard College. The author's seminal study, The Origins of the Korean War (Vol. I & II), is THE work for anyone interested in modern Korean history. His scholarship is impeccable and readers benefit from his eloquent and effective writing style. He is very passionate about the subject - I for one welcome it. In Bruce Cumings we do not have a scholar who tries to project objectivity with bland writing. However, because at times his passion covers his writing like a Hudson Bay blanket in a Mississippi summer, the author's work has been subject to criticism that his scholarship is faulty - nothing could be further from the truth. An examination of his footnotes and endnotes shows the work of a scholar.
This book is a condensed version of his Origins of the Korean War (the early chapters and the later chapters of the book sandwich a summary of his masterpiece work).
If you are going to read ONE history book on modern Korea, this should be the book.
Rating: 4
Summary: An important work
Comment: In writing a modern history of Korea one of the greatest challenges would be in maintaining a balanced viewpoint. This is especially so of any examination of the past 50 years of Korean history which would involve to a high degree deciding on where to place the blame and to whom to give the credit. Such questions asked might include "Who started the Korean War?"; "What were the causes of Korea's economic 'miracle'?"; and "Just how crazy is Kim Jong Il?"
Bruce Cumings's book is interesting in that it exposes the root of a great many misunderstandings between America and Korea(both north and south), misunderstandings which often led to serious blunders if not outright tragedies. Part of the blame he places on the ignorance of the American press, which fed into the idea of North Korea as a rogue state and perpetuated it to the American public; hence America often adopted a misguided, if not dangerous policy towards the North. In addition he places some blame on Americans themselves who go about their lives with almost total indifference towards Korea, a country where millions of families have been separated for over 50 years, where there are still more than 30,000 US soldiers posted, and in which peace between the North and South has almost been entirely dependent on US foreign policy.
Although some people may find the book slightly uneven in its analysis, overall Cumings does a good job of providing the reader with an insightful look at the underpinnings of modern Korean society and the main figures of Korean politics following World War II. However, the book (which was published in 1997) does not include any of the incredibly important dvelopments of the past 5 years: the 97 economic crisis; Kim Dae Jung's election as president; North Korea's launching of a rocket over Japan; the peace summit in Pyoungyang; and Kim's winning of the Nobel Peace Prize. It also fails to mention anything of the supposedly 1 million North Korean lives that have been lost to famine during this time. All of these things I'm sure will be included in an updated version at some point.
If Cumings views are unorthodox, they are necessarily so. Too much of American foreign policy concerning Korea has been based on ignorance and been executed with muscle rather than diplomacy. This book stands as counterpoint to those which have often failed to notice or disclose the essence of Korean history, which is Koreans themselves. Although Cumings may misstep here and there--at one point he states that Korean high school graduates have equivalent skills to American college juniors--he's heading in the right direction, trying to open up discussion and stimiluate debate. He always does this honestly and for the most part fairly. His highly readable prose combined with his skills as a scholar make this an important book.
Rating: 3
Summary: Half of the story, but still not the whole story
Comment: Bruce Cumings book is an excellent read for anyone who is knowledgeable on the subject, but is not the best source for anyone with limited knowledge and experience about the history of the Korean Peninsula. Mr. Cumings' book addresses a number of interesting issues and perspectives not normally addressed or focused on elsewhere, but it is an incomplete history of the Korean Peninsula and their relations with the United States of America. Mr. Cumings is an advocate (and prisoner) of his ideological beliefs, so facts and "claims of facts" that support his viewpoint are embellished, while facts, which do not, are ignored. He is quick to identify and highlight any mistake (real or perceived) of the United States of America, while downplaying or ignoring any misdeeds of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. He is proud of the Korean people, but that pride severely distorts his viewpoint. Because of this fatal flaw I can only access his book a 3-Star rating, but if you belief you already have a good understanding of Korea and its dynamic history in the last century, this is a good book to broaden your understanding of its extremely interesting history. If you are only going to read one book about Korea, this is NOT the one.
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Title: The Two Koreas: A Contemporary History (Revised and Updated Edition) by Don Oberdorfer ISBN: 0465051626 Publisher: Basic Books Pub. Date: 05 February, 2002 List Price(USD): $21.00 |
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Title: Korea Old and New: A History by Carter J. Eckert, Ki-Baik Lee, Michael Robinson ISBN: 0962771309 Publisher: Harvard Univ Pr Pub. Date: August, 1991 List Price(USD): $28.50 |
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Title: The Koreans : Who They Are, What They Want, Where Their Future Lies by Michael Breen ISBN: 0312242115 Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books Pub. Date: 28 December, 1999 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
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Title: The Boom and The Bubble: The US in the World Economy by Robert Brenner ISBN: 1859844839 Publisher: Verso Books Pub. Date: October, 2003 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: North Korea: Another Country by Bruce Cumings ISBN: 156584873X Publisher: New Press Pub. Date: 01 November, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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