Arcade Offerings: A Novel

OFFERINGS by Michael ByungJu Kim is an amazing book. Kim is a powerful story-teller who shares insights, attitudes, and history of Korea – its culture, the bonds and cycles of father-son relationships, the North Korean threat, plus the main character’s (Dae Joon) conflicting ‘duties’ to father, to friend, to company, and to his native country. The parallel story-telling in differing times and settings was very effective. Kim creatively laces together enchanting tales of a young immigrant American from Korea adjusting to life in New Jersey, the drama of high-finance and wheeling-dealings of i-bankers aimed at saving the Korean economy, the traditional albeit complex courtship and romance of a lovely Korean ‘bride’ Jee Yeon, the loss of a father nearly coinciding with the birth of a son.OFFERINGS is majestic, action-packed and enthralling. Kim strings together a powerful and emotionally charged story in a truly effective manner. It was hard to separate fact from fiction, real life experience from the imagined, real-world from dreamworld, but therein lies a wonderful accomplishment with OFFERINGS.

When we look back our life, we do not remember important events in chronological order. We somehow remember some striking or insignificant occasions, those we loved or just met, or words that moved or just went through our minds. But those things often bring impacts on our way of thinking, traits, and behavior.I found "offerings" very realistic story of recollections of a Korean-American hero.

This is a brilliant book.In the face of relentless pursuit of power and influence of international finance, we are guided through a path to an embrace of the sensitive, the considerate, and the spirited. We are reminded that the best of humanity is perhaps in the simple offerings that negate cruelty and chaos in this world.

I finished the book in two days. It is beautifully written, and tells several interesting stories with insight into both high level investment banking and Korean history. This book will remain with me for a long while.

Good read about a Korean family that sort of splits their lives in U.S. and Korea. Loyalty remains for the home land after education in the states. Heartaches about the hard times in the mother country, Korea. Interesting read and educated me about a country that know very little about. Family devotion and faithfulness is strong and never ending. Good saga, honestly written, and author knows a great deal about the connection and life lead.