A Stranger's Broken Language
by Young Jun Kim
Trafford Publishing

book review by John E. Roper

Despite its widespread usage around the globe, English is not an easy language to learn. A non-native speaker may be able to communicate well enough to get by in it after only a few months of study, but true mastery of all of English's countless idioms and subtle nuances takes years of work. In light of this, the author, a Korean who readily acknowledges his difficulty with the language, shows tremendous bravery through his efforts to compose poetry in it. The result is a book that may struggle with correct syntax and usage but that succeeds in conveying the personality and depth of the writer.

Kim's poems deal with a wide variety of subjects. Some relive childhood memories from his homeland like "When My Mother Takes My Hand toward Buddhist Temple." A few give insight into his personal relationships with other family members such as his wife and daughter. The vast majority, though, appear to be random reflections and philosophical musings on society, nature, and spirituality. This latter theme possibly stems in part from his educational background at Erskine Theological Seminary as well as his experience as a hospice chaplain, but much of it is undoubtedly rooted in his strong Christian faith and concern for the spiritual health of the Church.

Kim's poetry is further enriched by the occasional inclusion of Asian proverbial wisdom such as "Hunting dog is eaten after catching rabbit" and "Tiger remains his skin, but man remains his name." Yet he breaks up the serious mood at times with humor as in the poem "My Cucumber Plants." Overall, even with its weakness in grammar, Kim's poetry exhibits great strength in content.

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