Codis Hampton, II's debut novel, Unchon-ni is an entertaining roller-coaster ride that presents the themes of relationships, love, the coming of age, loneliness, racial barriers between whites and blacks, and much more. Set in a war-ravaged Korea during 1962-1963, Hampton accurately portrays the tension between whites and blacks in the United States Army during the civil rights movement. Essentially, this book will be appreciated by a variety of groups: African Americans and other people of color, veterans, US civilians and military personnel currently in Korea, Baby Boomers, both white and black, and anyone who enjoy a good love story filled with moral lessons as well.
Conjure the image of a seventeen year-old in a foreign land, Korea, thrust into a postwar world of chaos while bonding with six buddies. Born in Arkansas, raised in Milwaukee, Codis Hampton, II was a streetwise African American who was brimming with life and confidence. Of Hampton, the narrator states, "It was because he was a soldier, not in spite of, that he would gladly lay his life on the line for America. He wanted it to be for an America he envisioned, not the country that allowed terrorization of a race of people on its soil."
Unchon-ni presents the journey of a boy who is on a quest to find the answers that will complete his evolution into manhood. His experiences in Korea and the people he encounters there play an integral role in this transformation. This seventeen year-old boy decided to join the Army in order to "make something of himself," and although Codis Hampton had to choose between going to jail or the Army, he understood that the Army would give him an opportunity to travel.
Once in Korea, Hampton is able to see life from different perspectives. On one hand, there is sheer isolation and the pain of separation from his family, thousands of miles away from home. At the same time, Hampton describes how the South Korean Camptown girls helped with the homesickness, creating a kind of family life, despite the boys' being so far away from their real families.
Unchon-ni is well written and brings to life many issues of the time period. Amid being stationed in Korea, finding himself-even outside of the U.S.-in a racial conflict between his GI white counterparts, and battling his solitude, Codis Hampton becomes a man.
Unchon-ni is a refreshing must read and can be purchased at the official website, http://www.unchon-ni.com. In the author's own words, "I wanted to be the man my father thought I could become. Events and incidents facilitated my growth beyond my wildest dreams. By just being in that environment, there were some things I learned by accident. Unlike in high school, I was paying attention. That's why the memories are etched in my mind. If I close my eyes and lean my head back in a chair, I can still see the streets of Unchon-ni and smell that pungent odor that permeated the air of the village. It's as if I am standing there today."
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Find out more about book reviews by visiting http://www.unchon-ni.com
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