KOREA IN WAR, REVOLUTION AND PEACE:
    The Recollections of Horace G. Underwood
    Edited and Annotated by Michael J. Devine
    Yonsei University Press, Seoul, Korea
    Hardcopy, 390 pages, ISBN 89-7141-562-2, 20,000 won

   REVIEW I

    Reviewed by
    Moo-Young Han
    Editor-in-Chief of SKAS (KASTN/IEKAS)
    Professor of Physics
    Duke University
    myhan@phy.duke.edu

    [ED. For some reasons unknown to us, the book is not available at Amazon.com, although it is written in English and is
    clearly intended for global readership.  I am indebted to Dr. Jong Y. Lee, a fellow OKSPN member, of the University of
    Minnesota Medical Center, who provided me with a gift copy after he ordered a few copies directly from Korea.]

    Edited and annotated by Michael J. Devine of the University of Washington, the book traces the family chronology of the
    four generations of the Underwoods of Korea, arguably the most famous of non-Korean Koreans.  In the Foreword of
    the book Mr. Underwood states that he urged Mr. Devine to list himself as "co-author" rather than Editor.

    Horace Grant Underwood was born in Seoul in 1917.  He is the third generation of an extraordinary American family
    whose lives have been interwoven with Korean history for more than a century.

    In one of the Appendices is listed the family tree of the Underwoods of Korea.  The first Underwood, Horace Grant
    Underwood (1859-1916), arrived in Korea in 1885. In 1915 he established Chosun Christian College which later
    became Yonhui College and eventually to today's Yonsei University, arguably one of the two top private universities in
    Korea, the other being Korea University.

    Horace Grant Underwood had one child, a son by the name of  Horace Horton Underwood (1890-1951).  Horace
    Horton in turn had 6 children, the eldest of whom is Horace Grant Underwood (1917 -    ) [Now, you have to pay a close
    attention to the recycling names of the Underwoods!], the author of this book.  Horace Grant (the third generation
    Underwood, that is) has three children, the eldest of whom is, get this, Horace Horton Underwood (1943 -    ).  It is
    Grant, Horton, Grant, and Horton. As stated in Editor's Introduction, "While the Underwoods are a truly remarkable and
    talented family, it is clear that they lack originality in selecting names for their children." (!)

    The book consists of 11 chapters and each chapter is accompanied by a brief Chronology of the Korean history
    for the periods covered in that chapter. The book is truly a family chronology of the Underwoods, told against the
    background the history of Korea of the 20th century. There are many interesting anecdotes, one of which goes
    as follows:

        "Once Mother was riding somewhere in her rickshaw and saw three dirty little boys running along the watering
        carts that used the sewer water to sprinkle the streets to keep down the dust [ED. Seoul in 1920s]. She was
        thinking how sad it was to see such poor children, when suddenly she realized that they were her three little
        darlings."

    The book is not, and never so intended to be, a historical account of Korea over the past 100 years, not in the same
    vein as TROUBLED TIGER by Mark Clifford or THE TWO KOREAS by Don Oberdorfer.  It is an interesting family
    chronology of the Underwoods that, however, is told against the backdrop of the recent Korean history. It is truly a
    personal recollections and as such it is definitely a good read.

     REVIEW II

    Reviewed by
    John Soohan Lee,
    Princeton University
    johnlee@Princeton.edu

    and

    Mary Soojung Lee
    Northwestern Medical School
    m-lee4@md.northwestern.edu

    In a personal narrative that actually spans the length of three generations, Horace G. Underwood delivers a truly
    fascinating look at Korean history, culture, and the evolution of its society. Written with the advantage of a foreign ethnic
    background, yet as an insider, Underwood provides a unique perspective on life during crucial stages of Korean history.

    Born and raised as a third generation child of missionary parents and grandparents in Korea, Underwood, of American
    descent, pays due credit to the two prominent role models in his life: his father and his grandfather. However, his
    compelling tale nonetheless portrays the significant impact that this remarkable man has had in Korea, especially through
    his connection with the prestigious Yonsei University in Seoul and his service as a language and intelligence specialist
    during the Korean War and World War II.

    The scintillating details of his personal experiences, laid out in what Underwood refers to as a "string of memories and
    anecdotes", provide a human aspect to a lifetime that witnessed two major wars and the subsequent struggle towards
    democracy in Korea, which is often relegated to drab textbook history.

    While there are moments when Underwood becomes mired in the minor facts of his own childhood and inadvertently
    obscures the larger picture, this is overcome by the elegance of simplicity and candor in his writing, which provides a
    refreshing outlook on historical events. In the end, Horace Underwood's personal narrative is a great addition to the
    reading list of anyone interested in Korean history because of its fascinating portrayal of life from a Christian and
    Caucasian vantage point in an Asian world.

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