About
"An unforgettable book. It is so carefully crafted, so clever in its slow build up of love. affection, and all the life questions that go with it. Bravo, congratulations on telling so much of what went on in an unbelievable fantasy land, the Republic of Korea."
kindle
paperback
Haunting in its authenticity, Seasons in the Kingdom is the intimate story of Mike and Songhi, an American MP and a young Korean woman. Descriptions of the village life evoke the shadowed world generations of young American men knew, merging history and fiction into a memorably poignant love story. The banality of military life at the Ascom City Stockade and the 249th MP Detachment, Korea, circa 1973-74, is contrasted with the uncompromising society of human struggle that was the camptown village of Sinchon, a cauldron of hope and despair. Narratives of young Korean women reveals the transformation of their hopes and dreams while shackled by economic and social bondage, victims of their own poverty and the economic weight of America. Deceit, betrayal, prostitution, racism, violence, are intertwined in this absorbing true story of camptown society. An unforgettable book, resonating with the experience of hundreds of thousands of US service men and the Koreans who knew them during their seasons in the kingdom.
"Seasons stays with you long after the read is completed. A memorably touching love story. ...If there is war, it is within the hearts of these brave souls in this strange place. How each survives is neither heroic nor cowardly: it is simply pragmatic. The alchemy of necessity. Songhi knows this better than Mike." ROKDrop Review.
"...you produced a very good if not outstanding book..."
"Anyone serving in Korea should read this book. A young man's compassion for a culture and the harsh realities of survival of both young men and the Korean people you saw struggling in the cruel unforgiving environment."
"My little gal treated me very well and I did kinda feel for her but like many soldiers I was just young and a long way from home. I wondered what ever became of her and the many like her? "
"Tim Norris has written a moving novel that weaves real life events and places with a memorably touching love story between a U.S. GI and a local Korean girl."
Korean Quarterly, Fall Edition 2007
comments about
Seasons in the Kingdom
At nandupress zenfolio link, you can link to several Korean Service Veteran galleries of photos from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.
I invite you to share old photos at this site.
"For those that have served on the Korean peninsula during or near this timeframe; this book should really bring back memories of what it was like back then as Norris explains in great detail, not only what the life of a GI was like in the ville, but the girls working there as well. Norris does a great job describing the girls working in these clubs by really bringing home to the reader that these girls were more than just prostitutes, but people who also had hopes and dreams before being shackled by the club system."
ROKDROP Review.