Short Description Svetlana Kim was just twenty-three years old when she left Leningrad, Russia, for New York City. During a chance encounter in a bread line, a former schoolmate offered her a plane ticket from the black market to America. With only a dollar in her pocket and no knowledge of the English language, Kim left her family and friends for a new life, just as her great-grandparents had left Korea for Russia nearly a century before. Faced with seemingly insurmountable odds after her arrival in the United States, the intrepid young woman clung tightly to her memories of her Soviet-Korean grandmother Bya-ok (Korean for “White Pearl”). Inspired by White Pearl’s indomitable spirit in the face of tremendous adversity, Kim tirelessly pursued the American dream. Seventeen years after her arrival in America, she has built a successful career, rubbing elbows with some of the country’s most respected politicians and businesswomen. White Pearl and I is an inspiring account of one woman’s courage and conviction.
Professional Reviews
White Pearl and I: A Memoir of a Political Refugee
“This passionate saga of one woman’s journey to find freedom illuminates the deepest good in the human soul. Svetlana Kim’s unlikely path takes her from Leningrad to Wall Street and beyond, reminding us that pursuing our dreams remains our most powerful path to success.”
-Sarah Miller Caldicott, great grandniece of Thomas Edison, co-author, Innovate Like Edison: The Five-Step System to Breakthrough Business Success
White Pearl and I
“Enlightening and entertaining...All at the same time! Svetlana writes with vivid emotion, humor, and hard-hitting and uplifting messages. White Pearl and I is a story of love, perseverance, persistence, and happiness as well as meaning and a sense of purpose.”
—Grand Master Jhoon Rhee, American Tae Kwon Doe Founding Father, and Martial Arts Instructor for Bruce Lee and Muhammad Ali
White Pearl and I
“Profound. Provocative. Moving. Prepare to be inspired as you read this page-turning story that showcases what can happen when you face life with initiative, determination and, above all, a commitment to excel and serve others. Read it and reap.”
—Sam Horn, author of Tongue Fu! and POP! Create the Perfect Pitch, Title and Tagline for Anything
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Reviews for "White Pearl and I: A Memoir of a Political Refugee"
Enlightening, Inspiring, Thought Provoking, Incredible
“White Pearl & I” is a riveting story that is underscored by passion over adversity, kindness over impartialness, survival over disparity, endurance over feebleness, and above all, perseverance over vacillation. It is a validation that perception drives behavior and ultimately your destiny and that uncertainty is not a reason to succumb to what most consider the unmistakably obvious.
J. A. Rodriguez Jr.
Author of “Not Intuitively Obvious – Transition to the Professional Work Environment”
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