Part memoir, part social history, To Kill a Tiger seamlessly ties together Jid Lee's moving personal narrative of girlhood in South Korea and the story of Korea's traumatic modern history of division, colonization, and war, and of South Korea's tumultuous road to democracy. Lee's accessible and engaging writing style, combined with her authoritative voice on Korean history and politics, makes To Kill a Tiger an invaluable resource to anyone who wants to know more about the divided Korean peninsula and the United States' role in it. The publication of this book is a triumph and a testament to Lee's courage.
Korea has changed more in the last 70 years than in the last 700, and Jid Lee's compelling memoir-the story of a Korean woman who read her way, book by book, out of poverty to America-is a window into everything a history book couldn't ever describe about this time.
What a pleasure it was to meet Jid Lee in her memoir, To Kill a Tiger. A feisty and courageous woman, born and raised in the country of my birth, Korea, her personal narrative is compelling and moving. The book shatters all the stereotypical images of Asian women. Most importantly, To Kill a Tiger gives the lie to long-perpetuated accounts of US/Korea and North/South Korea relations. Jid Lee's insights and opinions are refreshing, enlightening and timely.