Happy Birthday or Whatever: Track Suits, Kim Chee, and Other Family Disasters

Happy Birthday or Whatever: Track Suits, Kim Chee, and Other Family Disasters

By: Annie Choi  

Buy it now at Amazon.com!

Average Customer Rating: 5.0 out of 5

Meet Annie Choi. She fears cable cars and refuses to eat anything that casts a shadow. Her brother thinks chicken is a vegetable. Her father occasionally starts fires at work. Her mother collects Jesus trading cards and wears plaid like it's a job. No matter how hard Annie and her family try to understand one another, they often come up hilariously short.

But in the midst of a family crisis, Annie comes to realize that the only way to survive one another is to stick together . . . as difficult as that might be. Annie Choi's Happy Birthday or Whatever is a sidesplitting, eye-opening, and transcendent tale of coping with an infuriating, demanding, but ultimately loving Korean family.

Publisher: Harper Paperbacks

Release Date: 2007-04-03

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Cute! - This was a very cute and quick reading book. I like how the stories are told as if you are hearing them from a friend. As an asian american, they are very relatable and made me think back and laugh at some of my similar situations. Very cute and easy to read. Since I finished it so quickly, I ended up passing it along to my sisters and friends.

Customer Review: 4 out of 5
Super fast delivery! - The shipment was out to me in a couple of days! This book is awesome, too! Thanks!

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
A Wonderful Read - It's hard enough for a kid to absorb and become part of American culture. This book provides a glimpse into Choi's attempt to master two cultures. Choi's memoir is both very funny and thought provoking. She has a wonderful storytelling style - she lets the characters dish out the plot with "kettles" of unabashed humor. I haven't read a book this quickly in years.

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Couldn't put it down - The book was hilarious, I couldn't put it down. All the situations that she describes in the book are just great. It made me feel better that I'm not the only one with a crazy family, especially since I also come from a Korean background. The book def puts a smile on your face and if you want more she keeps up a blog, so check that out too.

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Hillarious and real - I have a Korean mother, and an American father. I was raised in as much of the Korean tradition as possible, and often thought my mother was out of her mind. Having American friends, I would see how their families and mothers were and thought that my mom was just neurotic and out to make my life miserable.

Annie's book is so well written. I felt that I could relate to everything she wrote. By reliving vicariously through her words, I was finally able to see that my family dynamic was not about control and disappointment, rather more about love and wanting the best for me, albeit in a very strange, stressful, mind game sort of way.

Annie says on page 196: "Though we hate to admit it, we care what our family thinks; we've been brainwashed to seek approval and obey, just like the rest of Korea's children." I've repeated this line again and again, and not one of my Korean friends (and siblings) haven't laughed out loud at the funny, but very true statement.

You will fall in love with Annie's family. You will adore her mother. You will feel like you know her in some strange way. This is probably because her spoken English is written as is, and you feel like she is talking to you. If you have a Korean parent, you will laugh at how the English language is somewhat butchered, yet that you are able to read and understand every bit of broken English, mispronounced and incomplete words. You will laugh at the different logic that cultural differences bring, and you will find yourself in stitches over the similarities that seem to be universal in the Korean family dynamic.

This book is a joy to read. It is side splitting funny, and not dull for one second. You'll start reading and not put it down. Then you will go through withdrawal when you are finished. You'll find yourself ordering copies for friends of similar backgrounds, and referring to over and over again.

Annie is comical and quick witted. I only hope that she will continue her memoir into the future.

--> Find out more about "Happy Birthday or Whatever: Track Suits, Kim Chee, and Other Family Disasters" at Amazon.com or Order Now