Disko Praphanchith Presents COURAGE, a New Book
By: Kristin Salaky Jun. 20, 2013
You'll find shelf after shelf of love stories, but none with the power and depth of Courage: A Story of Love and Friendship (CreateSpace). Author Disko Praphanchith captures not just love and friendship between a man and a woman, but all the myriad strands that make a love like that possible, and impossible, all at the same time. Women's equality, racism, domestic abuse, the loss of love and friendship, regret and morality are all handled deftly to reveal how cultures and ideologies collide to make us human, and flawed.The story portrays a young Korean-American woman and her childhood friend. As she struggles to understand herself, she alienates her Korean family and is cast adrift to encounter the darker side of America: poverty, abuse and isolation. Often raw and gritty, Courage explores without flinching the true meaning of love and friendship, rivaling themes developed by the likes of Russian novelists Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky.
The sophisticated and complex structure of the story implies an experienced author, yet this is Praphanchith's first novel. Vivid and heartrending, Courage is a remarkable debut. The literary world does not include many Asian-Americans in its upper tiers; with its keen insights and skillful writing, this novel deserves critical notice.Born in Laos, Vientiane, Praphanchith moved to the United States as a young boy. He graduated from the University of Washington with numerous literary awards and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and English. He is well-versed in subjects involving literary theory, post-structural discourse, critical practice, and philosophy. Now working on his second novel, Chopin in the Library, the author resides in Seattle, Washington. For more information on this talented writer or his debut novel, please visit:www.diskop.weebly.com.
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