ŷ������

4.5 stars: “Pachinko�� by Min Jin Lee is a saga that follows four generations of Koreans who were born in Japan and lived in Japan. Lee educates the reader to the turmoil that Koreans faced in Japan. Even though the Koreans are born in Japan, they still face ethnic slurs and discrimination. Within one family, each member identifies themselves as Japanese and navigates the discrimination in his own way.

The story begins in the early 20th century when Japan occupied Korea. The story sprawls through pre WWII until the late 1980’s. Pachinko is a Japanese game that is like a gambling slot machine. Through Pachinko, many Koreans found successful jobs and wealth. Yet, the Japanese abhors the game (although they frequent the Pachinko parlors). The theme of random luck in life and the gambling game is a thread throughout the novel. Do we create our luck or is it like Pachinko? Each character has differing thoughts and differing ways of dealing with life in Japan as a Korean.

I listen to the audio version of this narrative mostly because I knew I would butcher the Korean and Japanese names and get caught in those names. Hearing the story allowed me to remain in the flow of the story. Allison Hiroto is the beautiful and soothing voice behind the audio. I highly recommend the audio version.