My Mother's Pot Paperback – January 17, 2026

A sweeping family saga of love, sacrifice, and resilience spanning three generations of Korean women. "A story of hands that never stopped working, a heart that never stopped forgiving, and a love that turned enemies into family." In the snowy hills of 1930s Korea, a four-year-old girl crawls through the snow before dawn to honor her grandfather. That girl is Yongrhea—and this is her extraordinary story. Denied an education because she was born female, Yongrhea earns the right to attend night school by weaving straw rope until her fingers bleed. At sixteen, she marries a stranger and enters a household with an empty rice jar. What follows is a journey through Korea's most turbulent century—Japanese occupation, liberation, and devastating war. When her husband takes concubines to produce a male heir, Yongrhea does not crumble. She raises their sons as her own, transforming a fractured household into a family bound by something stronger than blood. She builds businesses from nothing—a rice mill, farmland, and even a theater—proving that love and determination can overcome any obstacle. When the Korean War erupts and her husband faces execution by the Red Army, Yongrhea walks alone into enemy territory, armed with nothing but courage, to bring him home. Based on a true story. Written by her son, award-winning Korean author Jaesung Kim, My Mother's Pot is a promise kept—a tribute to one remarkable woman who transformed suffering into grace, weakness into strength, and division into unity. Perfect for readers who loved: • Pachinko by Min Jin Lee • The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See • Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden About the Author: Jaesung Kim is an award-winning Korean author whose works include the Mystery Award-winning novel Headless Indian and the Socheon Children's Literary Award-winning Dragon Dentist. With My Mother's Pot, he turns to biographical narrative, honoring the extraordinary life of his mother, Yongrhea. Read more