Rhee Kin Hoo, If You Live To 100, You Might As Well Be Happy

To guardianreaders@theguardian.com

Hello

I have just read Pratinav Anil’s review of Rhee Kun Hoo’s book If You Live To 100, You Might As Well Be Happy (2 June 2024), and I seriously question whether The Guardian’s reviewer actually read the book.

Your reviewer dismisses Rhee’s nine decades of accrued wisdom as trite platitudes and accuses the author of Boomer complacency.

I guess he missed the bits about living through war-time in a town filled with corpses, wounded soldiers, refugees, where children were displaced from schools turned hospitals and studied outdoors. He missed the bit about the earlier years schooled in Japanese, with native Korean banned, and having to learn his nation’s language and culture from the age of nine. Of relatives killed in wars and political massacres. Of going from wealth in childhood to abject poverty in consequence of war. Of being a high school kid trying to care for a dying father who was never diagnosed due to an inability to afford medical services post-bankruptcy. Of being imprisoned for political activism. Of being unable to pursue the career he planned because of his criminal record. Of finally being exonerated of his criminal record only to be required to put in three years military service well into the life phase where he was married with four kids and trying hard to get a career back on track. Of humiliation at housing his young family in a marginal, half-built estate without amenities.

Rhee was eligible to be drafted as a Japanese military kamikaze from age 10. He missed by one year. He was eligible to be drafted into wartime service from age 15. He missed by one year. He lived through dictatorships and eras of starvation.

Yet your reviewer snorts that this kkondae lives in a four-storey compound in Seoul’s equivalent of South Kensington. Missed the bit about this being inherited land where the original modest house was pulled down to permit a rebuild designed to accommodate himself and his wife and their four children and seven grandchildren in separate apartments, each financed by its occupants. Yep, he got lucky inheriting a site in Seoul. So shoot him.

I imagine Pratinav Anil has a much graver, more nuanced experience of life. It might even be he might someday care to share some of his wisdom publicly. Sorry (not sorry), but I won’t hold my breath.

I’m 63, in excellent health, caring for an 89 year old mother, just buried my 90 year old uncle. There was so much in Rhee’s book that spoke to me. I thank him.

Sincerely 

Elly McDonald