One Thousand Chestnut Trees by Mira Stout

Anna has never much identified with the Korean half of her heritage and had little tolerance for the stories her mother shared about her childhood years in Korea. But as an adult, Anna decides to travel there for some inspiration and to get her artistic muse back. As she looks for the people and places of her mother's stories, we are treated to a history of Korea through the lens of this one powerful family. It is an amazing story of a country who has managed to maintain a proud identity in spite of a history of foreign dominance and brutal warfare. I probably wouldn't have picked up this book without all my Korean connections but I am very glad I did.