Seoul Man: A Memoir of Cars, Culture, Crisis, and Unexpected Hilarity Inside a Korean Corporate Titan by Frank Ahrens – ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Recommended: sure
For those interested in the automotive world/Hyundai specifically, and those interested in life as an expat who can tolerate reading a ton about the automotive industry
Summary:
Frank Ahrens and his wife move to Korea for his wife’s government job placing. Frank takes on a job in PR at Hyundai, a major auto manufacturer, and details his experiences in Korea. Through his work, his home, and just managing regular daily activities, Frank learns a lot about his new industry and the country he’s ended up in. With humor and honesty, we see what life is like when you’re never quite sure of your footing.
Thoughts:
This took me forEVER to finally get around to reading, and then to finish once I was consistently reading it. It’s really heavy about the details of Hyundai and the automotive world, which could get to be a bit much for me at times. However, it’s balanced enough with stories about his personal experiences both in and out of the office that I was able to enjoy getting through this all.
Having lived in Korea, there were a lot of things that I related to very easily, thinking about times when I had also learned one of those cultural differences thanks to an awkward moment, and some were new to me since he was there longer than I was, and resolved some mysteries I still had.
Overall, it’s a good book to read on the side with some lighter things interspersed during it. Read a few chapters about the politics and planning of automotive shows, then a few chapters of whatever fiction you want.
My Book Joy 