A Pine Tree in a Bamboo Forest: Five Years in Japan & South Korea

Brendan Magone deftly captures the experience of immersing oneself in vastly different cultures- a pine tree among bamboo, a young man from Montana in Japan and then South Korea.Teaching English in the far east, he compellingly describes the experience of living day to day in foreign lands, adapting to strange customs, learning to eat and enjoy exotic foods, and finding friendship, even love, among the natives and other transplanted Westerners.This book is a must-read for anyone contemplating giving in to wanderlust and spending serious time in a part of the world so alien. Perhaps most riveting is his unflinching account of succumbing to the addiction of online gambling. What starts as an innocent way to find comfort in the familiar by connecting with others over virtual hands of Texas Hold 'em ends up costing him thousands of dollars.Never boring, always insightful, Magone, like all great writers, tells it like it is, inspiring us to get outside the proverbial box of what we know and experience what truly must be lived to be known.-Gregg Hamm

Brendan captured the essence of being a foreigner, a stranger in a strange land, and documented numerous new sights and customs around him. While I am sure much has changed since the time he was there, many of these experiences are probably timeless as well, and reflect some poignant aspects of the Japanese and Korean soul. The book is also an honest work of self reflection, of both stumbling and getting back up, and using travel as both mirror and educator. I look forward to his next book!

As a teenage boy I enjoyed this book. It was introspective, calming, and an interesting read. I would recommend it to anyone who needs a book to zoom through on a Saturday morning with a cup of tea. Definitely would follow this guy's career.

This book was awesome from beginning to end. It gave you a window into the eyes of an Expatriate and living in Japan and Korea. The author put me right into his flat and schools like I was in there with him. This is a must read for fellow travelers.

I enjoyed reading Magone's narrative of life as a teacher in Asia. His way with words makes the story come alive so that I felt as though I was experiencing the markets and local people in person. As a teacher and Montanan myself, I found this account inspirational and I often found my mind reflecting on the cultural differences between the Pacific Northwest and life in Asia. I can't wait to visit some of the places he describes!