Among Hibiscus and Roses : A Retired Nurse?s Memoir

A few years ago, Sun-Hae Kim met a female student at a British museum who was studying medieval women's social activities. She was unable to find information from women at that time because they didn't leave much in written form. She then looked around for some nurses' autobiographies and again found very little information available, even by Florence Nightingale. In response to this lack of personal writing from nurses, she presents Among Hibiscus and Roses, an account of her years as a nurse.

She tells of the challenges of being an army nurse and of the fun times with her fellow nurses. She approached each new challenge with expectation and the hope that she would be helping more people. When she immigrated to the United States, she faced new cultures, languages, and social life; she met many new and interesting people. Throughout her transition, she was filled with wonder and excitement for her new life.

Most importantly, she recounts the challenges and rewards of being a nurse for over thirty-seven years, in both South Korea and the United States. She lived proudly a life that was not old fashioned and yet still proved she could be happy and healthy without indulging in drugs, alcohol, sex, and gambling.

Sharing the too-often-unheard story of a nurse, Among Hibiscus and Roses describes a unique and out-of-the-ordinary life journey.

Sun-Hae Kim was born in 1941 in South Korea. She immigrated to the United States in 1971. During her thirty-seven-year nursing career, she worked in South Korea, Chicago, Detroit, and New York before retiring in 1997. She spent six of those years working as a South Korean army nurse.