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Banned Book Club

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

A Junior Library Guild Selection

"Highly recommended for readers passionate about activism." — SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, Starred Review

"Sure to inspire today's youthful generation of tenacious changemakers." — BOOKLIST, Starred Review

"The messages of hope are universal." — PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, Starred Review

"A timely read about friendship amid chaos." — NPR

"It's hard to imagine a world where Banned Book Club could be more relevant than it is right now." — A.V. CLUB

When Kim Hyun Sook started college in 1983 she was ready for her world to open up. After acing her exams and sort-of convincing her traditional mother that it was a good idea for a woman to go to college, she looked forward to soaking up the ideas of Western Literature far from the drudgery she was promised at her family's restaurant. But literature class would prove to be just the start of a massive turning point, still focused on reading but with life-or-death stakes she never could have imagined.

This was during South Korea's Fifth Republic, a military regime that entrenched its power through censorship, torture, and the murder of protestors. In this charged political climate, with Molotov cocktails flying and fellow students disappearing for hours and returning with bruises, Hyun Sook sought refuge in the comfort of books. When the handsome young editor of the school newspaper invited her to his reading group, she expected to pop into the cafeteria to talk about Moby Dick, Hamlet, and The Scarlet Letter. Instead she found herself hiding in a basement as the youngest member of an underground banned book club. And as Hyun Sook soon discovered, in a totalitarian regime, the delights of discovering great works of illicit literature are quickly overshadowed by fear and violence as the walls close in.

In BANNED BOOK CLUB, Hyun Sook shares a dramatic true story of political division, fear-mongering, anti-intellectualism, the death of democratic institutions, and the relentless rebellion of reading.

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      December 16, 2019
      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.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
Kindle restrictions

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:3.5
  • Interest Level:9-12(UG)
  • Text Difficulty:2

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