Ana María Rodríguez

Here is an excerpt of The Iron Butterfly of the time her family returned to South Korea after spending years in Japan:

"They arrived on the mainland dripping wet, seasick, and scared.

They had lost everything they had brought back home to start a new life.They had no money, no clothes, no utensils, no furniture, nothing. Going back home turned out to be much harder than they had anticipated.

They traveled back to Koje Do and lived with Mom ’s family for a while. Once again, Mom used her diving expertise to bring money home. There were many other haenyo like Mom trying to make a living from harvesting what the sea provided, but this was not a problem. Sea food was abundant in Koje Do; there was plenty for all the people in the village....

Things went well for a while until Dad took a wrong turn with his life. He went back to his old habits. He became demanding and impatient... The situation slowly grew out of hand. Mom felt trapped."

 Read More 

Very few stories are about women who quietly achieve great things. These women believe their stories are not important to others, maybe only to her immediate family and friends. They do not believe that they have achieved outstanding milestones. They believe their patience and perseverance was simply blessed with luck.

Sometimes, these women are ashamed of what they had to go through in life and do not want others to know. But when an outsider learns about what they have done, how they have done it, and the immense dedication and resolution these women must have within to achieve a better life, then outsiders are in awe and wonder. What would I have done if I had been in her shoes? When the outsider is a writer, then she must write these women's stories.

Lucky I was the day I met one of these outstanding women. She is Choon-Ok Harmon, the martial arts instructor of my sons. She did not want her personal story to become public. She did not want anybody to know about the endless obstacles she had to overcome and her most traumatic personal secrets. But one day, after much prodding from her daughters, she agreed to place her concerns aside and tell me her story.

We have written a book together, The Iron Butterfly.

She is living proof that 'when there is a will, there is a way."

"Giving up is not an option."

 Read More