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BOOK REVIEW
Where Every Ghost Has a Name
A memoir by Kim Liao
Drawn to Taiwan by the mysteries, secrets, and history of the Liao ancestral family, Kim Liao embarks on a one-year journey to find answers while fulfilling her requirements for a Fulbright Scholarship. As a biracial Taiwanese, Kim effortlessly leads her reader on a tour of Taiwan in the early 2000s and a historical perspective of the 1940s to 1950s during the post-Japanese invasion period.
Being an American, Kim did as much preparation as she thought she needed to communicate and respect cultural nuances, but from the moment she arrived in Taiwan, she realized how unprepared she was for not only language and cultural differences but also the insinuations and navigation of not belonging as a biracial female, which is the continual struggle most mixed-race individuals have throughout life. Her ability to share her experience honestly makes this memoir relatable for many mixed-race individuals.
Her eagerness to learn becomes her asset, and she becomes a sponge for details, always observing and listening. This memoir is a historical sweep from past to present as she weaves between her family’s connection with the Independence Movement of Taiwan and her thoughts and conversations in the present day.
The secrets she uncovered and the angelic help of strangers who recognized her ability to bring the story of Taiwan to America seemed to be an answer to many, not just Kim. Her determination continues to bring hope to her doorstep with every new piece of information and understanding. And yet, as she quickly learns from conversations with her father, not all of her family is eager to relive the family history.
“How can I be sympathetic,” he said, “when once you’ve survived, you don’t want to remember being starving hungry or that you couldn’t have those sneakers because they were too expensive?” (p. 24)
How many survivors of war can empathize with this?
This doesn’t stop Kim, as she follows clue after clue from journals, newspaper articles, and the book Formosa Betrayed, which included…
