White Mulberry

A Novel

By: Rosa Kwon Easton

Narrated by: Michelle H. Lee

“A beautiful and deeply researched novel…If you loved Pachinko, you’ll love White Mulberry.” —Lisa See, New York Times bestselling author of The Island of Sea Women

Inspired by the life of Easton’s grandmother, White Mulberry is a rich, deeply moving portrait of a young Korean woman in 1930s Japan who is torn between two worlds and must reclaim her true identity to provide a future for her family.

1928, Japan-occupied Korea. Eleven-year-old Miyoung has dreams too big for her tiny farming village near Pyongyang: to become a teacher, to avoid an arranged marriage, to write her own future. When she is offered the chance to live with her older sister in Japan and continue her education, she is elated, even though it means leaving her sick mother—and her very name—behind.

In Kyoto, anti-Korean sentiment is rising every day, and Miyoung quickly realizes she must pass as Japanese if she expects to survive. Her Japanese name, Miyoko, helps her find a new calling as a nurse, but as the years go by, she fears that her true self is slipping away. She seeks solace in a Korean church group and, within it, finds something she never expected: a romance with an activist that reignites her sense of purpose and gives her a cherished son.

As war looms on a new front and Miyoung feels the constraints of her adopted home tighten, she is faced with a choice that will change her life—and the lives of those she loves—forever.

©2024 Rosa Kwon Easton (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Narrator Michelle Lee transports listeners with this historical debut based on the life of the author's grandmother.… Lee's measured yet fluent delivery effectively depicts the well-researched political and social climate of that era. [T]his is an engaging listening experience.”—AudioFile Magazine

“In straightforward prose, Easton novelizes events that will compel readers seeking themes of identity, ‘passing’ in a different culture, immigration, and occupation.”—Booklist

“This is a unique historical novel with many well-knit threads.”—Historical Novels Review

Mistreating people because they’re a different ethnicity is sadly ubiquitous.

I loved that this story was based on a real person. And that real person was a very brave and determined woman.

Sweeping Tale of Bravery and Family Devotion

This book was one of my favorite historical fiction novels that I''ve ever read. I oscillated between a paperback and the audio. Because I wanted to make sure that I got the name pronunciations right. I'm glad I did. But either way, the author does a wonderful job of giving the reader an inside experience of what it's like to be an immigrant and and have your heart pulled to different countries. The author's descriptions are wonderfully written. I'd recommend this to anyone who loves historical fiction.

Understanding survival

In such hard times and trickery, the will to survive grows stronger with each day. Beautifully narrated and the story line well written from the heart.

Fascinating story

And even more intriguing and interesting to learn it is based on a true life story and experience.

Based on a real person.

I enjoyed how this novel brought to life the author’s grandmother.
A Korean woman who struggled to survive in wartime Japan.