The Korean American Dream

For more than half a century, retired Los Angeles Times business columnist James Flanigan wrote for some the nation's most esteemed publications, incluidng Forbes (where he was assistant managing editor and bureau chief), the Herald Tribune in Paris and New York and the New York Times.  After retiring from the LAT, he has written a book titled Smile, California, You're the Center of the Universe--the Economy and People of a Global Region (Stanford University Press).  A resident of Rancho Palos Verdes, he has covered the economies of countries stretching from Europe to Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.  A sought-after speaker (including once being the graduation speaker for Marymount University), Flanigan is a graduate of Manhattan College in New York. 

Partly as a tip of his hat to Palos Verdes Peninsula's vibrant Asian communities, and partly because Flanigan's latest book is The Korean American Dream, we have asked him to talk to the club about the economic miracle known as the Republic of Korea. The publisher's (Univirsity of Nevada Press) synopsis says:   "At fewer than two million, Korean Americans are a relatively small group compared to new Americans from China, the Philippines and India. But with energy and drive, they are building landmarks in New York as well as Los Angeles, lobbying for causes in Washington, founding businesses, heading universities and hospitals and holding public office in all parts of the United States. Flanigan’s compelling narrative, told largely through personal interviews, provides a front-row seat to the economic, business and cultural developments of the Korean American community. At a time of spirited debate about immigration, their energy and ambition serve as a ringing reminder of the promise of the American mosaic."

A great way to start your day this week at Rotary.  He will be introduced by Jim Hartman.  Bring a guest!