Illustrated by Ko Hyung-Ju
3 stars
A semi-autobiographical tale set in 1983 during South Korea’s Fifth Republic. When book-loving Kim Hyun Sook starts college, she has big dreams of classes, learning, and campus life. But when she’s invited to join an unconventional book club, her whole world changes. She soon finds herself within a world of violence, censorship, activism, and protest.
An interesting story with powerful messages.
I found this one a little hard to get into. While I appreciated the story, the pacing felt off, at times moving too quickly for the reader to fully connect with the material. The book is relatively short so a lot happens in the span of a few pages.
I really enjoyed the artwork. The black-and-white style works well for the tone of the story and the visuals nicely blend humorous interactions between club members and the intensity of fighting against a military regime and a corrupt government. I did enjoy seeing how much Kim Hyun Sook’s character grew from a naive freshmen to an crucial member of the banned book club.
Overall, a good read that promotes continuous learning, thinking critically about institutions, and not being afraid to speak out against injustice.