My name is Daniel. I was an English teacher in Seoul, South Korea, and now I am a writer who has

published three books including South Korea: Our Story by Daniel Nardini.

                  Two of my three books so far published are non-fiction memoirs on Taiwan and Republic

of Korea (South Korea). For me, personally, these books are important because they talk about two

countries that have not only been an important part of my life but in my view are pivotal for the United States

and the world. However, I face very stiff competition. My books are only one among tens of thousands

published by so many Americans on other countries they have lived in, and their books can be equally

worthy. Here is the problem: the Republic of Korea is just one country and one ally among so many the

United States has. For so many Americans, in too many ways, the emphasis has been and remains more on 

Europe than almost anywhere else. The very publisher who has published my books has many books by

many Americans who have lived in Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Ireland, etc. If anyone was to

examine the sheer number of books in these categories, there are far, far more books on these countries by

this one publisher than there are on Korea. This comes as no surprise because far, far more immigrants

came to the United States from these countries to the United States than have ever come from Korea or from

anywhere in Asia. My own ancestry is Italian---my grandfather having come to the United States and started

the family that exists today. Given this, it might have been better if I had written about Italy or any and all

things Italian. There would be more of an audience of Americans of Italian descent who would read these

books than anything on Korea and all things Korean. In fact, I might have been better off going to and 

living in Europe and specifically in Italy because my family has a greater connection to Europe than to East

Asia (which I have no ancestry from at all). But since I was young, my interest and deep fascination has

always been with East Asia and with China (specifically with Taiwan) and with Korea. It would be these places that I would go to, travel in, and live in. because of this, my heart is with these countries. My occupation is with the culture and history of these two places. Because of this, I have endeavored to write about Taiwan

and Korea, and try to make these two places better known to an American audience.