162KOREAN STUDIES, VOL. 23 odd: Europe of, say, the tenth century, a backward subcontinent of illiterate kings, robber barons, mostly primitive barter economy, and dirty, minute towns was far from being a beacon of civilization and has never been mistaken for such by either contemporaries or later historians. Even the Koreans themselves , as Lee assures his readers, in "[t]heir physical features had more Caucasian characteristics than those of other Asian races" (p. 7—a bold claim, however , not supported by dry figures of physical anthropological measurements). It is not clear what had led to these recurrent remarks: the author's desire to win the sympathies of an audience that he presumes to be Eurocentric, his personal inclinations, or something else. So, Lee's book is instructive reading. This is not because it gives a foreign reader a knowledge of Korean history—in this regard it is not particularly reliable, due to both factual errors and biased interpretations—but because it reflects the modern Korean nationalist mythology of history and, to a certain degree, something more universal and general—the nationalist state of mind, the nationalist approach to history. Like it or not, for many Koreans, whose world view has been formed under the strong influence of nationalism, history looks very close to the picture depicted in Lee's book, and this perception, however distorted it is, has to be taken into account by everybody dealing with Korea and Koreans. Andrei N. Lankov Australian National University The Korean American Dream: Immigrants and Small Business in New York City, by Kyeyoung Park. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1997. 224 pp., illustrations, map, charts, tables. $37.50 cloth; $14.95 paper. Kyeyoung Park has written a cogent, compelling account of recent Korean immigration to the United States. Her book provides new information and perspectives on Korean immigrants. Drawing on recent theory related to ethnic identity and using interviews with ninety-four Koreans, she asserts that Korean immigrants are constructing a new "American identity in the complex ethnic and racial mosaic of New York" (p. 1). Part anthropology, part social history , and part social theory, Park's book delves into questions such as why do Koreans come to places like Queens and why are so many involved in businesses like groceries, dry cleaning stores, beauty parlors, and other small businesses ? The explanations are complicated as well as simple—unique at times, but also touching on universal concerns and themes. She provides theoretical BOOK REVIEWS163 explanations—"dependent development"—as well as a humanistic face to the consequences of moving from Korea to Queens. In following her narrative that takes us from outside the storefronts and into the backrooms and homes and lives of Korean immigrants, we experience the anxieties, tensions, and perspectives of a people who are struggling to fit in, to make it financially, and to become part of the American Dream. A Window into the Immigrant World. Peering in from the outside, the world of the Korean immigrant is bleak. Many seem to have been forced or lured into a life of hardship by economic circumstances. She describes the "fever to emigrate to America" (migukpyong) in the following way: American fever in Korea is like a sickness. It is contagious, and it spreads. People call those gripped by this fever ghosts being eaten or possessed by the Western spirit. American fever is more than interest in American culture. It is a cultural complex of longing for political, economic, social, and cultural well-being, all identified with U.S. society. The only cure lies in leaving for the U.S. (p. 29) It is no wonder that experiences for many fall way short of expectations. Many are victimized. Stigmatized. Marginalized. Few seem to find the paradise imagined while in Korea. There is no shortage of han between these lines. The world that Park describes is one in which the Unes between work and home, between family and employer, between the existence of small businesses and the identity of many Korean Americans have become blurred. The complex identity of Korean Americans is shaped by history and the current political economy and punctuated by their painful life stories and shattered expectations. The Secret ofMy...