The Golden Mountain: The Autobiography of a Korean Immigrant, 1895-1960

From the publisher’s website:

The classic of Asian American literature and memoir

At the age of ten and without his parents, Easurk Charr, a convert to Christianity, came to Hawa’ii in 1904 to earn enough money to acquire an education and return to his native Korea as a medical missionary. The Golden Mountain is Charr’s story of his early years in Korea, his migration to Hawai’i and the American mainland, and the joys and pain of his life as one of some seven thousand Koreans who migrated to the United States between 1903 and 1905.

First published in 1961, Charr’s memoir offers touching insights into the experience of early Korean immigrants. He tells eloquently of how difficult it was for him to become a naturalized citizen, even after serving in the U.S. Army. An introduction by Wayne Patterson provides a broader perspective on both Charr and the Korean immigrant experience.

Easurk Charr was born in 1895 in northern Korea. After becoming an American citizen in 1936, he worked for the United States government as a draftsman. He died in 1986.