Triumph at Last: A Korean-American Life
A Memoir by Steven Soo Hyun Kim
176 pages
ISBN: 978-0-9852883-2-7
Description
Author Bio
Steven Soo-Hyun Kim was born in Japan to Korean parents when Korean was under the rule of Japan. At the end of WW II, when Japan surrendered, Korean became free and the Kim family returned to their homeland amidst the poverty that existed there. Steven's early youth in Korea was one of extreme hardship, poverty, malnutrition and starvation. Through all of this he struggled year after year to get an education through middle school, high school and eventually graduation for college with a degree in civil engineering. Through work in the early years of rebuilding Korean, working in Vietnam during the war he determined that he would change the circumstances of his birth and succeed in life. His Christian religion became an important part of his life. Eventually immigrating to the US in 1970 he became a successful civil engineer and business man in Atlanta where he continues to life. From the worst possible childhood he has indeed changed the circumstances of his life and become successful in his career and most importantly in his life.
About the Book
Human triumph comes to mind when I think of Mr. Kim Soo-Hyun. Not because he achieved grandiose things throughout his life, but because he lived among those who lived during a dark and brutal period in Korean history. His life is a reflection of that period and he gently touches the reader through a true depiction of that time. When he gave me a copy of his manuscript to read, I initially took the responsibility lightly, as an etiquette to a church member as a pastor should. But as soon as I read the first page, I found myself falling deeply into his story.
Mr. Kim's life journey of a human character in the midst of adversity spoke to me
and touched me deeply. The heroism does not glaringly reveal itself in his writing
as it does in most books of this genre, but rather, his words expose a vulnerable
human being who struggled daily to survive his trying circumstances. While reading
his story, I was able to put myself in that context and experience history firsthand.
— From the Forward by Rev. Chongho Kim, Senior Pastor, Korean Church of
Atlanta UMC