The Pine Song: A Korean-American Journey We live in a death-denying and -defying society. With baby boomers growing older, we are seeing an explosion of efforts to live longer. Live longer for what? This question has guided Heok Kim Smith since her father’s death in 1982. As an immigrant from South Korea to the U.S. in her early 20s, she had no time for death and dying. In 2001, she finds herself in Korea retracing her ancestors’ footsteps, spirits, and her own past. The changing world in the first half of 1900s becomes the root of her family’s epic journey. Her grandfather’s valiant fight against the Japanese occupation of Korea sees her family in China and the U.S. The Pine Song interweaves family history, immigrant life, contemplation on life and death, belonging, remembrance, and finally, grace and gratitude. In the circle of life, this memoir reflects on larger issues stemming from one family’s experiences.