First published 2002
Sun-hee and her brother Tae-yul live under Japanese rule in Korea during World War II. The occupation forces have banned Korean names, so Sun-hee must answer to Keoko while her family burns their Korean books and hides their traditional stories. Their father secretly buries the Korean flag in their garden. At school, Japanese teachers demand loyalty to the emperor and force students to speak only Japanese. The children watch their neighbors disappear for resistance activities. Tae-yul faces pressure to volunteer for the Japanese military while Sun-hee struggles between survival and preserving her identity. The family tells forbidden folktales in whispers and clings to memories of their language. As the war intensifies, they must choose between safety and the courage to remain Korean. This story captures a family's determination to protect what makes them who they are when everything familiar faces destruction.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, world-war-ii, asian-american
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, found-family
Setting: Korea, Japan
Period: World War II
110 pages · ebook · Clarion Books
Content warnings: colonialism, war