More than 1.3 million Korean Americans live in the United States, the
majority of them foreign-born immigrants and their children, the
so-called 1.5 and second generations. While many sons and daughters of
Korean immigrants outwardly conform to the stereotyped image of the
upwardly mobile, highly educated super-achiever, the realities and
challenges that the children of Korean immigrants face in their adult
lives as
their immigrant parents grow older and confront health issues that are
far more complex. In Caring Across Generations, Grace J. Yoo and
Barbara W. Kim explore how earlier experiences helping immigrant parents
navigate American society have prepared Korean American children for
negotiating and redefining the traditional gender norms, close familial
relationships, and cultural practices that their parents expect them to
adhere to as they reach adulthood. Drawing on in-depth interviews with
137 second and 1.5 generation Korean Americans, Yoo & Kim explore issues
such as their childhood experiences, their interpreted cultural
traditions and values in regards to care and respect for the elderly,
their attitudes and values regarding care for aging parents, their
observations of parents facing retirement and life changes, and their
experiences with providing care when parents face illness or the
prospects of dying.
A unique study at the intersection of immigration and aging, Caring
Across Generations provides a new look at the linked lives of
immigrants and their families, and the struggles and triumphs that they
face over many generations.
