{"product_id":"unbearable-splendor-9781566894517","title":"Unbearable Splendor","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAbout Unbearable Splendor\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFinalist for the \u003ci\u003eBeliever\u003c\/i\u003e Poetry Award\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"[her] work reads like redactions, offering fragments to be explored, investigated and interrogated, making her reader equal partner in the creation of meaning.\"--\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eStar Tribune\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eUnbearable Splendor\u003c\/i\u003e is a poetry collection that interrogates the boundaries of identity through the lens of Korean American experience, transracial adoption, and cultural hybridity. Sun Yung Shin constructs and deconstructs ideas of home, belonging, and self through verse that draws from mythology, science fiction, and classical literature.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe collection moves fluidly between Korean and American identities, adoptee experiences, and roles as mother and daughter. Shin engages with Catholic and Buddhist traditions while weaving in references to Sophocles and contemporary science fiction, creating a textured exploration of what it means to exist between worlds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eThemes and Approach\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eWhat is a cyborg but a hybrid creature of excess? A thing that exceeds the sum of its parts. A thing that has extended its powers, enhanced, even superpowered.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis guiding metaphor of the cyborg--a being that transcends its component parts--runs throughout the collection. Shin treats identity as something constructed, hybrid, and powerful in its multiplicity. Her fragmented style invites readers to actively participate in creating meaning, making them collaborators rather than passive observers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe poems examine transracial adoption, cultural displacement, and the formation of identity across borders and languages. Shin's work is particularly resonant for readers interested in Asian American literature, adoption narratives, and contemporary feminist poetry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eRecognition and Critical Reception\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs a finalist for the \u003ci\u003eBeliever\u003c\/i\u003e Poetry Award, \u003ci\u003eUnbearable Splendor\u003c\/i\u003e has received recognition for its innovative approach to questions of identity and belonging. The \u003ci\u003eStar Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e praised Shin's distinctive style that positions readers as active participants in the work's meaning-making.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSun Yung Shin\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of poetry collections \u003ci\u003eRough, and Savage\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eSkirt Full of Black\u003c\/i\u003e, which won an Asian American Literary Award. She co-edited the anthology \u003ci\u003eOutsiders Within: Writing on Transracial Adoption\u003c\/i\u003e, and is the author of \u003ci\u003eCooper's Lesson\u003c\/i\u003e, a bilingual Korean\/English illustrated book for children. She's received grants and fellowships from the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Bush Foundation, the Jerome Foundation, and elsewhere. She lives in Minneapolis.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Coffee House Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50681184354578,"sku":"9781566894517","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_2c548bd8-ea2f-400d-ad35-534ccbd9763b.jpg?v=1733950114","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/unbearable-splendor-9781566894517","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}