Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature
1 appearances
-
Edition 0 (2021) Winner
Grace M. Cho
グレース・エム・チョ
Grace M. Cho
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English, Korean
Career
- Occupations
- Sociologist, Author, Professor
- Active Years
- 2000-
- Affiliations
- College of Staten Island (CUNY)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CUNY Graduate Center | Sociology and Women's Studies | Sociology / Women's Studies | PhD | — | United States |
CUNY Graduate Center
Sociology and Women's Studies
/ Sociology / Women's Studies
Degree:
PhD
Country:
United States
Completed a PhD in Sociology and Women's Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | National Book Award for Nonfiction (Finalist) | Tastes Like War | — | National Book Foundation | finalist |
| 2022 | Asian/Pacific American Literature Award for Nonfiction | Tastes Like War | — | Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) | winner |
| 2009 | Asia & Asian America Section Book Award | Haunting the Korean Diaspora: Shame, Secrecy, and the Forgotten War | — | American Sociological Association (ASA) | winner |
National Book Award for Nonfiction (Finalist)
2021
Work:
Tastes Like War
Organization:
National Book Foundation
Result:
finalist
Asian/Pacific American Literature Award for Nonfiction
2022
Work:
Tastes Like War
Organization:
Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA)
Result:
winner
Asia & Asian America Section Book Award
2009
Work:
Haunting the Korean Diaspora: Shame, Secrecy, and the Forgotten War
Organization:
American Sociological Association (ASA)
Result:
winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Tastes Like War
2021 MemoirA memoir in which the author explores her relationship with her late mother, who developed schizophrenia when Cho was 15. Cho learns to cook many Korean dishes to feel closer to her mother and uses recipes as prologues to expand into broader Korean cultural, linguistic, and political history. Time described the book as seamlessly joining heartrending memories with broad cultural, linguistic and political analysis.
memoryfamilyfood/cookingtransgenerational traumaKorean diasporamental illness
Haunting the Korean Diaspora: Shame, Secrecy, and the Forgotten War
2008 Academic / SociologyA sociological study examining relationships between Korean sex workers and American servicemen during and after the Korean War, arguing that trauma from sexual violence was transmitted across generations among Korean and Korean-American communities. The work analyzes shame, secrecy, and the forgotten aspects of the war in relation to diaspora formation.
war and sexual violenceshame and secrecydiaspora studiesintergenerational trauma
Bibliography
- Tastes Like War (2021)
- Haunting the Korean Diaspora: Shame, Secrecy, and the Forgotten War (2008)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Blends personal memoir with socio-cultural analysisUses food and recipes as prologues to broader cultural and historical discussion
- Recurring Motifs
- food (Korean cuisine)mother-daughter relationshipmemory and traumashadows of war
Legacy
Grace M. Cho is both a scholar and author recognized for contributions to academic research and memoir. She is noted for her analyses of family memory, trauma, and the Korean diaspora. Tastes Like War was a National Book Award finalist, won APALA's nonfiction prize, and was listed among Time's 100 Must-Read Books of 2021.
Academic Societies
- American Sociological Association
In Popular Culture
- Featured in Time magazine's '100 Must-Read Books of 2021' list
Quotes
-
Time magazine stated that the author "seamlessly joins heartrending memories with broad cultural, linguistic and political analysis."
Source: Time (2021) (2021)
Trivia
- In Tastes Like War, Cho learns many Korean dishes as a way to get closer to her mother.
- Tastes Like War was a finalist for the National Book Award in Nonfiction.
- Tastes Like War won the APALA award for Nonfiction.