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Evening Hero  By  cover art

Evening Hero

By: Marie Myung-Ok Lee
Narrated by: Raymond J. Lee
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Publisher's summary

A “moving and captivating” (Cathy Park Hong, New York Times bestselling author of Minor Feelings) novel following a Korean immigrant pursuing the American dream who must confront the secrets of the past or risk watching the world he’s worked so hard to build come crumbling down.

Dr. Yungman Kwak is in the twilight of his life. Every day for the last fifty years, he has brushed his teeth, slipped on his shoes, and headed to Horse Breath’s General Hospital, where, as an obstetrician, he treats the women and babies of the small rural Minnesota town he chose to call home.

This was the life he longed for. The so-called American dream. He immigrated from Korea after the Korean War, forced to leave his family, ancestors, village, and all that he knew behind. But his life is built on a lie. And one day, a letter arrives that threatens to expose it.

Yungman’s life is thrown into chaos—the hospital abruptly closes, his wife refuses to spend time with him, and his son is busy investing in a struggling health start-up. Yungman faces a choice—he must choose to hide his secret from his family and friends or confess and potentially lose all he’s built. He begins to question the very assumptions on which his life is built—the so-called American dream, with the abject failure of its healthcare system, patients and neighbors who perpetuate racism, a town flawed with infrastructure, and a history that doesn’t see him in it.

Toggling between the past and the present, Korea and America, Evening Hero is a “soulful, melodic, rhapsodic novel” (The New York Times) about a man looking back at his life and asking big questions about what is lost and what is gained when immigrants leave home for new shores.

©2022 Marie Myung-Ok Lee. All rights reserved. (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

What listeners say about Evening Hero

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Hard to follow

I found the book as presented very disjointed. Just not my kind of book. Perhaps my book group will bring more to light.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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A great story is woven around the Korean war

Wonderful writing. The author is able to bring a beautiful love story to life while weaving insight regarding the Korean war from a Korean point of view.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great story and compelling, fun narration

The Evening Hero was a pleasure to listen to. Great characters and action, fascinating history, and a compelling narrator. Highly recommend!

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