After weight- loss and finding true love sparked from eating Kimchi, author Africa Yoon wants to build cultural bridges with her debut memoir “The Korean.”
Author Africa Yoon’s memoir, The Korean, builds global momentum with copies available for purchase worldwide; in addition to a Korean Language version set to release in 2022. Her inspiring story takes you on a cultural journey from Korean food to how Ms. Yoon met her husband.
Africa Yoon née Engo begins her story as a social activist—ranked by MTV as one of the world’s top youth activists—who is about to turn 30, realizing she has gained 120 pounds and is now considered obese. One afternoon at the Asian grocery store H Mart, a Korean grandmother ‘Halmoni’ calls her fat. After the initial embarrassment of the public moment, the two begin an unusual friendship. With a mix of raw vegan and Korean Food with kimchi eaten daily, she finds healthy success. She starts pushing her life beyond her work toward the greatest cause of her life—to save herself. Yoon undergoes a makeover to cultivate self-love, hoping it may lead to true love.
For Yoon, kimchi actually saved her life twice, both with her weight loss journey and during a scary experience postpartum. “This story is one of how opening one’s mind to another culture is a pathway to true transformation, for an individual” and Yoon hopes for Black and Asian communities to unite. It is a timely and universal message. “Especially at a time when Asian elders are being attacked, I feel it is important to use my voice, a Korean elder saved my life it is only right I speak up” says Yoon who also released a spoken word poem ” You deserve Love “
From a young age, Africa consumed food from all over the world and was exposed to the strong relationship between food and one’s cultural identity, gaining early experience to the idea of cultural exchange from her father’s work at the United Nations.
Early Praise
The memoir was shared in a viral post on Instagram Stories by a Korean-American Actor & member of White House AAPI Visibility Task Force, Daniel Dae Kim.
Africa was also featured on Today.com and the Korea Times to talk about her story.
Order the book: https://thekoreanbook.com.
SOURCE: Blackyoonicorn
