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Product Reviews:
Year of Impossible Goodbyes |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: love this book
Comments: i read this book when i was 12yrs old and i promised myself that i would go to korea and to the dmz zone to see what she described in the book. i am now 23 yrs old and i have spent 18months in korea and I am learnig to speak korean as well. when i visted the dmz i was moved to tears, with memories from this book. This book is endorseed for young readers however as an adult, u would like this too. I am purchaseing this book now b/c it is worth it 100%. |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: My 3rd Quarter Book Report
Comments: This book is about a 10 year old girl named Sookan and she lives with her mother, grandfather,aunt, and little brother. They live in North Korea in 1945. Her and her mother and aunt work in a sock factory for the Japanese soliders in World War II. They had a Captain Narita and he came by and it was her sister's birthday and mother went to go get a book from older sister at the convent. Mother gave it to her and Captain Narita told his men to destroy it. Sookan's mother can not even have a garden or else Captain Narita will have his men step on them. Her father is in the military and her sister is in a convent. Also, her older brothers were sent away tp labor camps. The war ends and the Japanese lose. The Russions take over North Korea and brainwash them into loving Russia, so Sookan and her brother must go to South Korea because she thinks that her dad and older brothers and sister are waiting for them. She hopes she will find freedom in South Korea. I think that is really sad to not have your father around or older brothers and to have to work in the sock factory. Also, I liked how her and her brother stood side by side. This book is a Fantasy book and the theme is Fictional. |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: KCS - Year of Impossible greatbyes
Comments: Sookan is a 10-year old girl living in Korea in 1945. The Japanese have taken over and force communist ideas and laws onto the Koreans. Each day, Captain Narita inspects the house and backyard. Their backyard holds a shack that is used for sock-making. The sock-girls would work day and night trying to meet their quotas. Koreans are deprived of rice and money. The children, including Sookan and her brother Inchun, have to attend a strict Japanese run school. When the Japanese leave, the Koreans rejoice, however are shortly taken over by the Russians. Things begin to get worse, and Sookan, with her mother and brother, try desperately to escape to the South where the Americans are.
This historical fiction book takes you along the incredible journey of 2 children as they take drastic forms of lifestyles to earn the freedom they deserve. The beginning of this book started out slow, however took quick pace when the Russians were introduced. The author has a wonderful writing style that honestly makes you feel like you are part of the story, especially near the end. This is my favorite book and I endorse it to ebody of all ages. Do not miss out on this surprisingly realistic journey. |
Rating: 4 (out of 5)
Summary: World War II in Korea
Comments: Sookan is10years old, living in Korea with her mother, grandfather, aunt, cousin, and little brother. World War II is going on and things are hard in Korea. The Japanese forces are in control of their country and they treat the Korean people like slaves in their own home, making them give up all valuables to help the Japanese army, putting them to work making clothing for the Japanese and sending the children to schools where they make weapons and learn propaganda about the Japanese army. More than anything, Sookan wishes she were with her father, her older sister or her3older brothers, who are all far away. Her father is working with the resistance forces, her brothers have been taken away to labor camps and her sister is in a convent.
Then after what seems like an eternity of being at war and under Japanese control, the war is over and the Japanese have lost. Sookan and her family think that things will be much better now, however then they find that their country has been divided into2parts. Rather than being helped by the Americans as they'd hoped, they are instead under Russian control, and the Russians seem determined to brainwash eone into loving Russia. They make eone go to meetings to show their support and those in authority are constantly looking for traitors. It becomes clear to Sookan's mother that they need to get to South Korea where the Americans are, and where she expects Sookan's father and brothers may be waiting for them. however will Sookan and her little brother be able to make the journey to safety?
I liked the descriptions of what life in Korea was like during the war. It's hard to imagine what was going on in other countries when we almost allly hear about what was happening in our country. I also liked the interaction between Sookan and her brother. They were really nice to each other and probably wouldn't have made it without each other's help.
It was sad to read about the lives of the Koreans during the war; it sounds like such a horrible way for anyone to spend a childhood. |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: Surprisingly Engaging and Beautifully Written
Comments: You MUST read this book and the2other books by Choi-Echoes of White Giraffe & Gathering of Pearls. All3books are written from Sookan's perspective, as she grows up in the midst of the Japanese occupation, the war and in America, as a foreign college student. Aside from the cultural issues, as well as historic issues, the plot flows well. The stories are personal & honest. I really enjoyed these books and I know that when my kids, ages 5 and 9, get a little older, they will also. These are enjoyable and educational stories. |
