White Mulberry with author Rosa Kwon Easton and Jimin Han

Join authors Rosa Kwon Easton and Jimin Han for a discussion of Kwon Easton's debut novel White Mulberry.

Inspired by the life of Rosa Kwon Easton's grandmother, White Mulberry is a moving portrait of a young Korean woman in 1930s Japan who is torn between two worlds.  When teenaged Miyoung is offered the chance to live with her older sister in Japan and continue her education, she is elated, even though it means leaving her sick mother behind.  However, in Japan, she confronts extreme racial prejudice. Miyoung realizes she must pass as Japanese if she expects to survive. Her Japanese name, Miyoko, helps her achieve a career as a nurse, but as the years go by, she fears that her true self is slipping away. She finds solace in a Korean church group, which reignites her sense of purpose, and her romance with an activist results in the birth of a beloved son. As war looms, Miyoung  is faced with a choice that will change her life and the lives of those she loves forever.

Rosa Kwon Easton was born in Seoul, Korea and grew up with her extended family in Los Angeles. A mother of two grown children, she is a writer, lawyer and library trustee in the Palos Verdes Library District.  Her debut novel, White Mulberry (Lake Union),  is an Amazon First Reads Editor’s Pick and was voted a “Best Historical Fiction” book by BookBub. Easton is an Anaphora Writing Residency Fellow and her work has been published in CRAFT Literary, StoryCenter.org, Writer’s Digest, and in numerous newspapers and anthologies.  A graduate of Smith College, Columbia University, and Boston College Law School, she resides with her husband and Maltipoo in Southern California.  The sequel to White Mulberry, Red Seal, is due out in 2026. 

Jimin Han was born in Seoul, South Korea, and grew up in Providence, Rhode Island, Dayton, Ohio, and Jamestown, New York. Her 2023 novel, The Apology,  was named a Barnes and Noble Discover Pick, a best audiobook of the year by Booklist, and a best book of the summer by the LA Times, Vanity Fair, Shondaland, and Apple Books.  She is also the author of A Small Revolution.  Additional writing of hers can be found online at American Public Media's Weekend America, Poets & Writers, and Catapult. She teaches at The Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College, Pace University, and community writing centers. Her work has been supported by the New York State Council on the Arts.  Jimin lives with her family in Westchester County.