Review by Booklist Review
Busan-based wife-and-husband team Kim and Estrada mine Kim's young adult experiences to expose a chilling period of recent Korean history so antithetical to the globally addictive entertainment of K-dramas and K-pop currently synonymous with South Korea. In 1983, Hyun Sook is a college freshman, determined to get the education her mother resents but her father, thankfully, supports. Her campus arrival is met with a student riot in progress calling for the dismissal of President Chun Doo-hwan over his totalitarian dictatorship. Hyun Sook manages to slip past police blockades and arrive at class, further determined to keep her head down, study, and stay out of politics! As an English literature major, she's thrilled to be invited to a book club, but what she enters is anything but a cozy circle of tea-sipping groupies. Hyun Sook attempts to flee but not without hearing first that she has some waking up to do. Despite lingering reluctance, Hyun Sook's quest for truth and understanding is on even as she fights her justified fears. In recreating such difficult history, artist Ko finds a remarkable balance of humor and bleakness, of youthful tenacity and growing cynicism. From joyous mask dances to bored classrooms to tortuous jail cells, Ko affectingly captures Kim's activist-as-a-young-student journey with an affecting resonance sure to inspire today's youthful generation of tenacious changemakers.--Terry Hong Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
South Korea, 1983--the height of military dictatorship and three years after the infamous Gwangju Uprising. Against this backdrop of political oppression, bookish Hyun Sook defies her parents' wishes and attends Anjeon University, a hotbed of student protest. Initially ignorant of government propaganda and terrified of attracting the attention of authorities, Hyun Sook's views are slowly challenged after she joins the Banned Book Club and befriends a group of student activists. Her transformation into a pro-democracy activist mirrors the real-life experiences of the author. Kim and Estrada bravely address a period of history little-known outside of South Korea and depict the often-violent consequences of defying an authoritarian regime. Less successful are the moments of levity, which feel jarringly sandwiched between scenes of violence and tension; Ko's gritty style, marked by deep shadows and sinister rendering of characters' expressions, also feels incongruous with humorous moments. Certain cultural and historical references may be lost on readers less familiar with Korean history, yet the messages of hope are universal, as are the poignant reminders that change can happen when people are willing to speak up. Ages 14--up. (Feb.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up--It's 1983 in South Korea, and Hyun Sook is on her way to her hard-won first day at college. Excited to study literature, she dodges her mother's arguments about the safety and necessity of schooling, but at school, she's greeted by violent demonstrations. Though she tries to ignore the students protesting President Chun's totalitarian regime, Hyun Sook starts to realize that the art and literature she loves are hardly apolitical. When she accepts an invitation to attend a seemingly benign book club that turns out to focus on banned books, her political awakening begins and she becomes involved with the underground student rebels. Husband and wife team Kim and Estrada walk readers through a complicated story, based on Kim's experiences as a young activist. Intermittent scenes of friendship and romance lighten a heavy narrative that features several depictions of police interrogating and torturing students. While the text is didactic at times, the superb storytelling and artwork keep pages turning. The black-and-white line artwork pairs deftly with the text. Ko plays with proportions, panel size and spacing, and overall style, moving seamlessly from cartoonlike to serious, detailed executions to suit the many moods of the tale. VERDICT Highly recommended for readers passionate about activism or political history, or for those who are simply looking for an excellent comic book.--Darla Salva Cruz, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
In 1983 South Korea, Kim was learning to navigate university and student political activism.The daughter of modest restaurant owners, Kim was apoliticalshe just wanted to make her parents proud and be worthy of her tuition expenses. Following an administrator's advice to avoid trouble and pursue extracurriculars, she joined a folk dance team where she met a fellow student who invited her into a banned book club. Kim was fearful at first, but her thirst for knowledge soon won out. As she learned the truth of her country's oppressive fascist political environment, Kim became closer to the other book club members while the authorities grew increasingly desperate to identify and punish student dissidents. The kinetic manhwa drawing style skillfully captures the personal and political history of this eye-opening memoir. The disturbing elements of political corruption and loss of human rights are lightened by moving depictions of sweet, funny moments between friends as well as deft political maneuvering by Kim herself when she was eventually questioned by authorities. The art and dialogue complement each other as they express the tension that Kim and her friends felt as they tried to balance school, family, and romance with surviving in a dangerous political environment. References to fake news and a divisive government make this particularly timely; the only thing missing is a list for further reading.A tribute to young people's resistance in the face of oppression. (Graphic memoir. 14-adult) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
