Stranger in a Stranger Land: My Six Years in Korea

by Brian M. Williams

At his most immodest, Brian would like to think Bill Bryson would be able to recognize his influence on this book. It's a humorous, informative and thoughtful exploration of modern Korean culture and expat life. The book is full of personal anecdotes, secondhand stories and interesting facts, which are all interlaced with his personal narrative. He discusses serious topics like Korea's deeply embedded racism, its 1950's style sexism, its demanding but unproductive work culture, and its highly lauded but deeply flawed education system. However, he also talks about lighter subjects like K-pop, the expat and Korean dating scenes, its debaucherous drinking culture, and why He thinks Seoul is the party capital of Asia. By time readers are done, they'll have an understanding of how a lot of expats view Korea, what some of its most significant and peculiar cultural differences are and some of the problems it's currently facing. This really is a must read for anyone thinking of moving to the peninsula.

ebook

Published May 31, 2017

Reviews

[Sammi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the voice of this book. The author is well spoken (written) but not condescending, which is a must for any travel memoir. He used documented information for many of his insights, and honestly it really gave a voice to some of what I felt while I lived and taught in Korea. I especially identified with his description of feverish expats meeting and becoming friends. I’ve talked with a few of my Korean made friends about this specific phenomenon. Overall, the book felt like a conversation with a friend. I agreed, disagreed, and learned some new things. Highly recommend.