This rousing novel is a perfect mash-up of real historical events and fiction. I started reading When My Name Was Keoko solely because I had to. However, I finished it because I genuinely wanted to. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to end and would not mind reading it again sometime in the future. This book opened my eyes to the impact of the World War 2 in Asia, whereas before I mainly focused on what the devastating war did in Europe. I feel slightly ignorant for not previously recognizing that the war did have a great impact in Asia but I am indeed thankful to Linda Sue Park for this great book that has allowed me to get a different perspective on the war. tWhen My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park was copyrighted in 2002 and is an engrossing historical fiction book that tells the tale -through the perspective of a brother and sister- of how a family in Korea struggles, and deals with many of the issues that came along with the Japanese occupation. It is set during the time of World War 2 when Korea was under the rule of Japan and we see the trials that many families in Korea would have experienced during this time.tThe author comes from a family that had actually experienced many of the things that she talks about in her book. Her family told her stories of Korea as it was a part of Japan and she incorporated many of those stories into her book. Just as her parents passed down those stories to her, I believe that she wrote this book to pass them down to others. The stories in the book reflect the history of Korea and how the nation has evolved. The struggles that Korean families went through during the Japanese occupation and how they suffered through all the trials to get their nation, and culture back is an important part of Korean history. I believe this book was written so that the struggles the Koreans went through would not be forgotten. This book shows us the raw and genuine pride the Koreans had for their nation even in the face of so many trials; I think that is what the author wanted to depict in her book. I can tell by reading this book that the she strongly believes in the ability of Koreans to overcome hardship together, as a nation. tThe book is alternately narrated by Tae-yul Kim and his younger sister, Sun-hee. Both of these characters provide us with more personal views on events that are going in Japan. They also allow us to better understand how the war would have differently affected a boy and a girl as both genders had very different roles in the society at that time. With this writing technique, we are able to clearly see how each character develops throughout the story. tThe book begins with the Kim family being forced to choose Japanese names. The Japanese Emperor had passed a new law which required Koreans to give up their Korean names and adopt Japanese ones; this is how Sun-hee becomes Keoko. Throughout the book it is clear how the Japanese tried to eradicate Korean culture and replace it with the “superior” Japanese culture. The book depicts this very well by showing how students are forced to learn Japanese while the teaching of Korean language, or history in school is banned. While Sun-hee enjoys learning the Japanese alphabet and shows much skill in it, her brother does not take on the same interest in his academics. He does, however, show much interest in mechanics and in aeroplanes. One thing that they both enjoy is spending time with their light-hearted uncle who is the jokester in the family. Through all the hardships, their uncle is always able to crack a silly joke and bring smiles to their faces. Unfortunately, their uncle is forced to flee town because he is an adamant supporter of the Korean resistance movement, and therefore; the Japanese are after him. Things continue to go downhill after their uncle leaves and the war worsens. The family experiences major food shortages and the Japanese confiscate many of their valuable items because they say that they are needed to aid Japan with the war. Tae-yul then enlists in the Japanese Imperial Army because he learns that families of the army volunteers receive much better food rations and are treated better. During the training he overhears Japanese officers speaking derogatorily about Koreans in relation to a volunteer mission. They view the Koreans as too cowardly to volunteer for such a dangerous mission and upon hearing this, Tae-yul immediately volunteers. He soon discovers that he has just volunteered to become a kamikaze - a Japanese suicide pilot that made deliberate crashes into enemy targets. However, when the time comes for his mission, the weather makes it impossible for the pilots to fly and Tae-yul escapes his fate. He returns to base with the other pilots where they are all arrested for their failure on their mission even though there wasn’t anything that they could have done about the weather. A few months later, it is announced that Japan had lost the war to the US and korea is now free. Tae-yul returns home and his family is overjoyed; things start to look up for them with Korea now finally freed from Japanese rule.tI think this book is well worth reading because not only does it keep you entertained, it teaches you something. I was able to learn even more about Korean culture and history because of this book. It also explains kamikaze pilots very well. Reading about them through the perspective of Tae-yul - who was a kamikaze - I was able to get a much better understanding of what it would have meant to be a kamikaze at that time. Being a kamikaze was the most honourable sacrifice one could have made for Japan - they were Japan’s last hope during the war. The Japanese had the utmost respect for those who volunteered to become a kamikaze and I now understand that more clearly because of this book.tOne of the author’s opinions expressed in this book that I really agree with is that on mistakes. As Linda Sue Park writes in When My Name Was Keoko, “A mistake made with good on your heart is still a mistake, but it is one for which you must forgive yourself.” I completely agree with this quote and could not have said it any better. I have made many mistakes in my life so far but I have learned to forgive myself especially for those mistakes I made with good in my heart. In the book Sun-hee makes a mistake which results in her uncle having to flee the town and she beats herself up over this mistake. However, as the story goes on we see her grow as a character and she finally forgives herself for her mistake. She realizes that her mistake was not one she made deliberately, but because she thought she was protecting her uncle. I loved seeing how Sun-hee developed as a character and came to that realization.tI would definitely recommend this book to others, especially to those who enjoy historical fiction. If you are seeking a different perspective on the World War 2, this might be just the book for you. However, if you do not want to read about the effect the war had on korea through the perspective of two kids, then this might not be the book for you as it is completely narrated by two children - a brother and a sister. Besides that, I think reading this book will be a good experience for everyone. This book did a great job reminding me of the value of freedom and I think it will do the same for anyone else that decides to read it.
Writing reviews is like skipping a flat stone across a lake. At least for me. Sometimes the rock whirls like a Frisbee and I'm excitedly counting out loud each skip along the surface. Other times it hits the water with a thunk and sinks immediately with me quickly releasing another one to cover up my fuddy-duddy toss. Writing can be like that for some authors. A hit or miss. Then there are others who are so good at their craft they just fling rocks like Frisbees in rapid succession. I would put Linda Sue Park in the latter category. Her books are terrific.Ten-year-old Sun-hee lives with her parents and brother in Korea during World War II with the Japanese occupying their land. The Koreans cannot speak their language, hold positions of power, grow the national tree in their yards, fly the Korean flag, etc. As World War II progresses, more is taken from the Koreans and they can no longer get rice or meat. Sun-hee's brother joins the war knowing the family will get more food, but an unexpected turn puts his life more in peril than being directly in battle.Linda Sue Park alternates between two main characters points of view: Sun-hee uses first person past tense, while her brother, Tae-yul, uses first person present tense. Sun-hee begins with complaints of not being told anything because she is a girl. She views her brother as being disrespectful for not answering her questions but in the next chapter Tae-yul writes from his point of view, saying his sister is annoying with her questions and we find out that he doesn't know the answer which is why he says disrespectfully, "It's none of your business." The alternating viewpoints give multiple perspectives allowing the author to go out of the narrow confines of writing in first person that allows for only one person's thoughts. Using both viewpoints gives a more complete picture of their family and the war situation.The tense shift mirrors the personality of the characters. Sun-hee is quiet and reflective and writes in the past tense which is more introspective; she's looking back at her experience. Whereas, Tae-yul is more impulsive and the present tense adds to the drama and action of his story. Sun-hee's uncle has gone into hiding and she keeps a journal that she wants to give to him when she sees him again. I went back and read only Sun-hee's chapters and they do stand alone, telling most of the story. Tae-yul fills in the blanks as to what happened to uncle and himself in the war. The journal shows how Sun-hee changes from an insecure young girl who is jealous of all the attention her brother gets for being a boy to a sister who is a confidante and trusted with Tae-yul's motive for volunteering to fight in the war. At the end, she even entertains Tae-yul's idea that she become a scholar. Tae-yul's story gives supporting details and depth to the story but isn't complete like Sun-hee's. It adds depth and rounds out the story.I kind of wanted Tomo's viewpoint. The story is slanted toward the Americans and the Japanese are one-dimensional except for Tomo. He shows them as real people. Tomo is Sun-hee's best friend in the beginning but then they go to middle school and they no longer hang out. I missed his presence. There is a propaganda movie that is shown in middle school and afterwards Tomo and his friends are pretending to kill the Americans. Tomo shows some humanity or boundaries by saying they wouldn't kill babies, but if we could have gone into his mind it could have shown his turmoil at having a best friend who is Korean and thoughts on war. Later, Tomo tries to warn Sun-hee but it is cryptic and she struggles to decipher his meaning. Tomo seems like a decent kid and his father probably was too. Perhaps more of the Japanese family would have balanced it out. Or perhaps Tae-yul should have had a Japanese friend. Park does show at the end that there are no winners in war. The plot has some interesting twists such as Mrs. Ahn. The only loose end is answered in the Author's Note so make sure you read it. The characters all change from the father and mother to the children and made me engrossed in the storyline. I did wonder about the father and how he got the articles to the uncle. It seemed to contradict that no one knew where uncle was hiding and I would have liked an explanation regarding it.Obviously, I'd like to skip stones more than sink them and this only takes practice. I decided to keep track of how much I read and write per month. In the book, Outliers, it says something to the effect that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert. If I go by that number it will take me 40 years before I get good at this thing. Better up the writing time or you won't get an excellent review until I am in my 90s. Reading Level 5.0Fountas and Pinnell: Y
What do You think about When My Name Was Keoko (2004)?
This book falls into a category of books to which I have referred several times in the past: enjoyed post-book club. When I read it through, my initial reaction what that it was nice; it was a nice story about a girl, her brother, and how her family coped with the war. It was only after I attended the book club discussion that the intricacies of the story came to life. The discussion helped me to understand in my heart what I already understood in my head (thanks ladies).This story focuses on “the other side” of WWII; it focuses on the conflict between Korea and Japan. I was fascinated by the views and struggles that this young girl had and endured and how they could be similar to many which I can have today…in New Mexico. This just goes to show that people are people: we all try do to the best we can and make decisions which we feel are the best for us at that time. And in life, for what more could you ask?
—Nichole
The Japanese were terrible - they terrorized all of Asia and Southeast Asia... Philippines... China...etc... awful. It's sad that they are so able to sweep it under the rug in the eyes of the world.
—Jessica
"When my Name was Keoko" by Linda Sue Park was a very good book. This book is in the historical fiction genre. I thought that it was a very interesting book about the World War II, but with the point of view from two Korean kids. Sun-hee and Tae-yul were two kids that were forced to learn Japanese literature and Japanese culture when Japan took over Korea. The Japanese were treating the Koreans like slaves. Many Koreans were very angry at the Japanese, and Sun-hee’s Uncle was part of an underground resistance group. The author really did a good job depicting the Koreans and Japanese during World War II. This story was also told in the point of views of the siblings. Sun-hee was 10 years old, and Tae-yul was 13 years old. I like how I was able to learn about the war, and the experiences that Sun-hee had. Her brother had to go to the Japanese military where he was trained to be a soldier. But then he volunteered for a job like kamikaze, where pilots target their planes right into their enemy, or also known as suicide missions. It was also a really emotional book. You can really get an idea of how you would feel as a kid in a time period where there was war, and your home country was being invaded and conquered. You could no more learn your language, but a new language, and even forced you to change your name to Japanese. It was a really devastating time period in Sun-hee’s life. I would recommend this to chidren ages 9 and up, and even to adults because if you are a person that is interested in history, then this might be a good book for you.
—Michelle Zheng
