A Korean American memoir about one family’s diaspora experience of longing, identity, and hope. It reveals adversity and love, assumptions of family loyalty, and the complicated ties between mothers and daughters.
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About Umma, at the Edge of Memory​
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Speaking in a reasonable tone of voice seemed to be an afterthought in Sunny Pak's family. As a South Korean immigrant and daughter of parents who ran restaurants and service businesses across the U.S., one of her earliest memories was their constant fighting, which shaped her young desire to be no trouble. Estranged from her father, Sunny’s fierce interdependence with her mother grew stronger in the midst of their troubled marriage and the hardships and successes of starting over.
After chasing the American Dream from the West Coast to the East Coast, then back again, Sunny's brother struggles with addiction, deepening the tension in an already strained family dynamic. The one comfort is Sunny’s relationship with her mother that takes on new meaning as she learns about ancestors and endurance through her mother's vivid memories of growing up in a prosperous family before war changed everything. Along with a few unforeseen revelations.
When her mother’s memories begin to fade under the weight of dementia, Sunny confronts the emotional cost of caregiving and the anticipatory grief of losing a parent integral to her sense of self, while struggling with a healthcare system designed to care and assist but does the opposite.
Written with unvarnished truth and unrelenting humor, Umma, at the Edge of Memory is a moving reflection on love, resilience, and the complicated ties between mothers and daughters. It explores the complexities of identity and family loyalty, and asks how we navigate the space between what is expected of us and who we become.
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Correction (July 2026): Some citations for this book have been updated and a minor historical inaccuracy in Chapter 4 (page 38 in paperback) regarding the division of Korea and the 1953 armistice has been corrected in subsequent editions. New purchasers will automatically receive the updated edition.
If you previously purchased the ebook, please check your retailer's update options to see whether the latest version is available. Thank you.