Book Review: Kimchi and Calamari are a Tasty Mix

As the mom of two kids adopted from Central Asia, I was super interested in reading Rose Kent’s KIMCHI AND CALAMARI, a book about Joseph Calderaro, adopted from Korea and raised by the Italian American Calderaros. All kids struggle with identity issues, but I think there’s a unique challenge facing a kid growing up in a family of different race and heritage. If you were adopted as a baby, how much of your identity is from your birth country and how much from the country you’re raised in? I think this is something that each individual answers in their own way, and it leads to some compelling questions. It’s exciting to see a book that takes on these questions and I think Kent does a great job creating an honest and rich examination of them.

One of the things I most appreciate in the book is that Joseph’s adoption is not a trauma or some big secret thing. He’s always known about it and the family is open about his roots and his adoption story. Joseph knows who his “real” parents are but he has a lot of questions and curiosity about his birth parents. And he’s also trying to figure out how being Korean fits into his sense of self. A school project on genealogy and a Korean family moving to town push these questions to the forefront for Joseph. Kent handles his journey with respect and humor- the answers don’t all tie into a neat package at the end but Joseph and his family grow a lot along the way and Joseph has a deeper understanding of who he is by the end. He achieves a level of comfort with his identity that is really satisfying.

And even though I’ve been all on the adoption bandwagon about this book, I don’t think its audience is limited to those interested in adoption. Identity issues are universal and Kent’s story has wide appeal. It’s got a great boy voice, a juicy love story and a nutty family, all of which combine for a super good read for all kids. My overall rating- two thumbs up.

## Daphne