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Woo Ae Yi – Author Interview
Profiles of KAD Relations with the Black Community helps readers understand how KAD can be a bridge in the Black Lives Matter movement. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I wrote the answer to that within the book itself, but essentially I didn’t feel that there was anything like it in existence, and I thought there should be.
What were some ideas that were important for you to convey in this book?
The role that Korean adoptees play in anti-racism.
What is a common misconception you feel people have about Korean adoptees (KAD)?
That they’re “not Asian enough.”
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your book?
The importance of practicing anti-racism and the importance of getting adoption-based and/or race-based trauma included in the DSM V.
Author Links: Website | Facebook | GoodReads
This book is divided into three parts: profiles, background history, and a how-to. Korean adoptee, Yi Woo Ae, also added a call to action. She first points out how the relationship between Blacks and Korean adoptees is better than what we see in the media, if it’s in the media at all. The author advocates for the inclusion of adoption-based and race-based trauma into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). She shares the importance of acknowledging that trauma, as defined in the DSM, is not currently all-inclusive. Whether we believe we chose our present life or not, we are the bridge between worlds. As a Korean adoptee (or Asian adoptee), we can support the Black Lives Matter movement.
Profiles of KAD Relations with the Black Community: ’92 to ’20
Profiles of KAD Relations with the Black Community by Yi Woo Ae, is a study and exploration of the ways in which the lives of minorities, especially the Asian and Black communities, in the United States are intertwined. The book is divided into three complimentary and enlightening parts: a short history, profiles, a quick-start guide, and an explanation of traumas that result from adoption.
The author, who is a Korean adoptee, offers a unique and varied perspective on these issues. She makes a case for the Korean Adoptees acting as a crucial link in the Black Lives Matter movement. She advocates for the strength of the Black-Korean relations and also states the need for including adoption-based and race-based trauma in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The writing is engaging and clear– giving a background history and showing the intersection of different lives in a well-researched and factual manner. It is very interesting to see how she overlaps her personal experiences with the underlying narrative.
Watching the Black Lives Matter movement unfold, while I felt moved and enraged, I was unable to comprehend the nature of the movement in its entirety. This book went a long way in helping me understand the way Asian communities perceive and interact with African American communities. While I am not a part of either community, it helped me to identify the key variables of these issues and I found myself pondering the ways in which my own community interacts with others. I was especially drawn to the profiles- the anecdotes and confessions of KADs growing up in an environment that is simultaneously their own and foreign. They are insightful because they talk about the grounded reality of racism and show the ways in which their lives and thought processes are impacted by it. Even though this is targeted towards Koream adoptees– as a guide for them on how to have difficult conversations, I felt like I came away more confident in both my knowledge and curiosity.
Profiles of KAD Relations with the Black Community is a profound book of depth and intelligence that shines a light on a little understood, and acknowledged, problem in society. This is a thought-provoking book that is well researched and provides wise and rational insight on a topic that is vitally important.
Pages: 272 | ASIN: B08NLLMB9W
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