Available Now!
From Lake Union Publishing
“A beautiful and deeply researched novel…How does a woman protect her family, honor her heritage, and save herself? If you loved Pachinko, you’ll love White Mulberry.”
Lisa See,New York Times bestselling author of The Island of Sea Women and Lady Tan’s Circle of Women
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Welcome!
Welcome!My debut novel, White Mulberry, follows a teenage girl who leaves an impoverished village in northern Korea in the 1930s to seek a better future in Japan. But once there, she faces racial prejudice among many obstacles, as she tries to forge a new identity in an unwelcome new country. This story, and the sequel, Red Seal, are inspired by the true story of my grandmother’s and father’s lives. My mission is to amplify voices that have been overlooked and spur others to explore and share their own family stories.
“White Mulberry is a beautiful and poignant novel of a young Korean woman’s coming of age amidst the turbulence of colonization and World War II. The resilience and self-determination of her heroine vividly mirrors the astonishing trajectory of her nation.”—Juhea Kim, author of Beasts of a Little Land and City of Night Birds
I invite you to join my newsletter and follow me on The Journey blog as I navigate writing and publishing books, such as landing a two-book deal with Lake Union, the inspiration for my novels, and being a debut author at 60! I would love to connect with you! Please scroll through my past posts to read about my path to publication, and enter your name and email address in the box below to receive my new entries. You’ll receive a bonus Korean recipe as a gift. I’m thrilled that White Mulberry is finding its way out into the world and can’t wait for Red Seal to be published in 2026!
Thank you for your support!
Rosa Kwon Easton
Three Generations – One Family
My paternal grandmother and my father in 1943 during WWII and the Japanese Occupation.
My parents, brothers and me taken in the mid-70’s after we settled into life in California. I think this photo is still on display in my parent’s home.
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Don’t Give Up
Mother Who Are You
The Trauma Of Immigration
The Journey, Recent Articles from the Blog
The Latest from Instagram
Great first day at the Bay Area Book Festival! 📚Can’t wait for my panel with @thealkajoshi and @meredithjaegerauthor moderated by @janiscookenewman tomorrow Sunday at 11:15. Hope you can come out!! ❤️
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@mjuhae @nayomimunaweera @bquinnterest @graceprasad @viet.thanh.nguyen.writer @baybookfest @berkeleypubliclibrary
#BABF25 #bookfestival #authorcommunity #historicalfiction
#2024debuts #whitemulberrybook
I’m looking forward to speaking at the Bay Area Book Festival in downtown Berkeley on June 1st!
The Seeking Justice in Historical Fiction panel will be moderated by @janiscookenewman and I’ll be joined by two amazing authors, @meredithjaegerauthor and @thealkajoshi
Will I see you there?
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#historicalfictionbooks @baybookfest #bookfestival #debutauthor #historicalfictionnovel
Something borrowed…I discovered this shirt in a closet on the second to last day of my arts residency and I wore it with abandon even when summer miraculously came overnight (along with black flies lol).
I wore the inspiration I borrowed from fellow artists during the transformative ten days I spent wrestling with my own project while witnessing others tackling their own in the beauty of this special space. My husband calls it “art camp” but I call it magic. I even learned how to peel a mango!
Thank you to my new artist friends, the town of Monson, and Monson Arts for this borrowed time. I will cherish it forever! ❤️
PS Did you you know you can also borrow cross-country skis, boots, and poles at the local library? I love libraries ❤️
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@monson_arts
@grace.m.cho
@thedwmckinney
@danveradc
@joettamaue
@kiki.gaffney
@lindsayilene
@jessicareisch
@juvanasoliven
#artsresidency #artcommunity #monsonlibrary #authorlife #redsealbook #whitemulberry #monson
So happy to see readers enjoying White Mulberry. ❤️
“A well written description of a different era. Challenging times for a young female both due to culture and occupation of their country.
A mother’s decision to try and improve her daughters lives and the implications of this for each.
A story of resilience, love and determination to succeed. It opened my eyes to history unknown to me.
Not glamorised, nor over dramatic. A good interesting read.
Highly recommend” - Reviewer
Have you White Mulberry yet?
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#historicalfiction #koreanhistory #familystory #aapiheritagemonth #familyhistory #growthjourney
