This was another eye-opener about South Korea. I had no idea that they'd gone through so many dictatorships and attempts at dictatorships in recent hiThis was another eye-opener about South Korea. I had no idea that they'd gone through so many dictatorships and attempts at dictatorships in recent history. This book is set in the early 1980s, when there was a lot of censorship from the political regime in power at the time. Hyun Sook ends up going to college and accidentally stumbling into a lot of knowledge she didn't previously have. For one thing, the campus was constantly full of people protesting, and it turned out that everything she joined was politically charged. Being interested in literature, she joined a book club, only to find that it was a banned book club. She learns a lot here, including about all the subversive messages that have existed for centuries on end as various people have dealt with regimes that tried to keep the people down.
鈥淲hy do you think Shakespeare wrote about long-dead kings? Because he could get away with making points about the people he wasn鈥檛 allowed to condemn directly. And many people still use Shakespeare that way today.鈥�
So many things here seem so relevant to what's happening in the world today.
"How can Chun trick everyone? How do people not see what's happening?"
"He doesn't care if we believe him or not. He created such a divide between the people who believe his lies and those who don't that the country is too torn apart to come together and properly oppose him."
"Our parents have been hiding this from us?"
"Worse. They just got so beaten down by all of it for so long, they got tired of talking about it. It became normal. That's why we protest. That's why we have events like this. That's why we read books we're not supposed to.鈥�
Sound familiar?
Anyhow, this explains why Korea鈥檚 protests were so quick to put down dictatorial coup aspirations in December of 2024. They鈥檝e been there before and they don鈥檛 want to live in a world where their books are banned and people are paid or given scholarships to infiltrate groups as spies, looking for people who are being subversive.
I鈥檓 not sure we have the recent history to see what鈥檚 happening to us and realize that we don鈥檛 want to live in a society where we have to meet in secret in banned book clubs....more
This was more eye-opening than I'd expected. It gives a little bit of Korean cultural insight that I didn't previously have that explains some of my cThis was more eye-opening than I'd expected. It gives a little bit of Korean cultural insight that I didn't previously have that explains some of my conversations with Korean students over the years.
Robin grew up in South Korea as the child of an unmarried beautician. But that's a fact she had to hide all her life because of the extremely judgemental reactions people had to unmarried women with children. The story starts in 1995 when Robin and her mom move to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where her mom marries a man she's only known briefly. Robin has a rough time in high school because nobody but her English teacher really tries to befriend her, and there are no ESL classes. Having been in high school in 1990s Alabama, I really feel for her, as it was never a friendly place for outsiders or anyone "other" in my experience. Eventually, she moves to Virginia and fits in better once she is in a less homogenous high school and has an ESL class full of other English learners. But, she always is in the "other" category: not really feeling Korean anymore, still not feeling American, and not fitting in with those Korean-Americans who grew up in the U.S. either.
Anyhow, it's an interesting look at otherness and makes me really wish more people thought about others and were friendly. Sadly, those people are few and far between. ...more
This book shows just how different the U.S. is from how it once was. A Japanese kid gets shipped off to the U.S. by his dad in the 1950s and somehow mThis book shows just how different the U.S. is from how it once was. A Japanese kid gets shipped off to the U.S. by his dad in the 1950s and somehow manages to go to high school and work a job that allows him to afford and apartment and a car -- all without seeming to have the immigration hurdles he'd have today. I'm sure I was supposed to take away something else from this book, but that's what really got me....more
I'm struck by how lucky Ruth Asawa was. Even though she was moved into Japanese detainment camps during World War II, she still had options to go to cI'm struck by how lucky Ruth Asawa was. Even though she was moved into Japanese detainment camps during World War II, she still had options to go to college (even with her family back in camps), get scholarships, and even go to Mexico. It gave me a very different view of what was happening in that era....more
I went into this book mostly interested in the scientific side of tuberculosis, but that's not what this is. Instead, it's more about the personal, huI went into this book mostly interested in the scientific side of tuberculosis, but that's not what this is. Instead, it's more about the personal, human side of it. It's not a disease most people in the first world really thinks about because it feels like something that belongs to another era, but that's a "privileged" view of it. It's the oldest known contagious disease, going back so far that other hominids were likely carrying it around, not just homo sapiens. It's "killed around one in seven people who've ever lived," and it's still around even though it's curable now if you happen to be in a country with easy access to treatment and diagnosis tools. The fact that not everyone lives with that privilege means that a million people died from it in 2023.
The book is called "Everything is Tuberculosis" simply because of how much the disease has its tendrils in everything. For example, one of the Western images of beauty comes from the thin, white waif with rosy cheeks who was wasting away from tuberculosis.
Anyhow, this is a book that will make you angry that inequalities like poverty and race still play a factor in who lives or dies from a treatable disease like tuberculosis. We've gone so many steps forward, but it's not enough....more
Frieda McFadden books fly off the shelves at the library. So, I had to see what all the fuss was about. She does set up an interesting and unexpected Frieda McFadden books fly off the shelves at the library. So, I had to see what all the fuss was about. She does set up an interesting and unexpected scenario for sure. And I have to admit to turning the pages pretty quickly after about the halfway point. Is she the best thriller writer ever? Nah. But I think she's probably a good bet for entertainment and page turning action.
The premise here is that the new live-in housemaid and nanny falls into a familial situation that seems normal at first, but her new boss lady doesn't seem to have a firm grasp on reality. There are a lot of hints about what's really going on here, starting with the maid's quarters that only locks from outside and has windows that are painted shut. There are several twists here you probably won't see coming, which is what likely endears this book to so many readers. ...more
This is a deliciously gothic story from the beginning. When Evander's billionaire guardian is poisoned, suddenly Evander is free to learn the secrets This is a deliciously gothic story from the beginning. When Evander's billionaire guardian is poisoned, suddenly Evander is free to learn the secrets of the mansion and its gardens. He's been locked up in his room for as long as he can remember, and now he's able to explore. With his dying breath, his guardian told him to stay out of the garden, which is full of poison plants. But it seems that the garden holds some other secrets as well, and Evander is determined to discover them. Unfortunately, greedy relatives are now after his inheritance, and he doesn't know whether or not to trust Laurie, his guardian's true grandson, to whom he's obsessively attracted to and repulsed by.
I'd give this more stars except that I found all the relationships abusive and the romance bit cringey because it romanticized abuse. Although, I did enjoy the gothic and forbidden garden bits. ...more
Esme grows up in the scriptorium, where her father is working on the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. From an early age, she starts colEsme grows up in the scriptorium, where her father is working on the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. From an early age, she starts collecting discarded words that aren't polite enough to be included in the dictionary. Then, she goes on a quest to find other words that the dictionary rejects that exist in common speech but aren't verifiable in written format. Thus, she meets all sorts of people who influence the course of her life and her personal philosophies, including becoming part of the women's suffrage movement.
It's a thought-provoking and important book. Plus, it's full of all sorts of lovely word nerdiness, including common usage of "vulgar" words. Because I needed to read every word and couldn't just skim along, it was a slow read, but I wouldn't trade a moment of it. ...more
Maybe I've read too many Billy Collins now to continue to be impressed? There were a few that hit just right, but I was out of the mood by the last haMaybe I've read too many Billy Collins now to continue to be impressed? There were a few that hit just right, but I was out of the mood by the last half. That doesn't mean they were bad. It's just me....more
A man wrecks down an embankment and onto a highway traffic island with no rescue in sight. This is his story of survival, which takes on some unexpectA man wrecks down an embankment and onto a highway traffic island with no rescue in sight. This is his story of survival, which takes on some unexpected twists. And some of the plot points are only really likely in its setting when it was written in the 1970s.
Enjoyable, but wow is this guy despicable. By the end, you barely feel sorry for him anymore....more
I'm not really sure how to convey how lovely this book is. If I tell what it's about, it doesn't sound nearly as interesting and atmospheric as it is.I'm not really sure how to convey how lovely this book is. If I tell what it's about, it doesn't sound nearly as interesting and atmospheric as it is.
When he fails his exams, Kyo moves out of Tokyo to live with his grandmother and study in a small Japanese town. Being the mother of his late father, he barely knows her, and she's tough on him because she doesn't want to repeat the same mistakes she made with her son, but she seems to be making the same mistakes again. And there are all these family secrets that Kyo doesn't know how to ask about, but he desperately wants to know.
Through reading, you enjoy life in small town Japan, climbing mountains, going to public baths, eating in cafes, taking trains, drawing, and meeting the one-eyed cat Coltrane.
The way the book is written is unique. It's framed as a story about an English speaker translating a book (Kyo's story) from Japanese to English. The author himself has been a translator in Japan. It's such a pleasant read that I'll certainly be reading anything else this author writes. ...more
Wow. This one was dark and depressing. So, Kino goes to 2 new countries, and in both places, the laws are absolutely barbaric. They're laws take everyWow. This one was dark and depressing. So, Kino goes to 2 new countries, and in both places, the laws are absolutely barbaric. They're laws take everything to the extreme to try to solve problems. It just kind of makes you think humanity is doomed. I'm hoping Kino meets some better people in the next country they visit. ...more
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