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Summary: Great Book
Review: I thought this was a great book. It has some suspense, action, and you learn about a different culture at the same time. I'm glad my friend told me to read this book.
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Summary: This was an excellent book. I recommend.
Review: I would like to recommend this amazing book to both young and old. This is an excellent view from the eyes of a child during the Japanese and Russian occupation of N. Korea following WWII.
To cross the 38th parallel as a child is quite a feat, and Sook, the Heroine, did this in a very heavily guarded area during a rough time. If you would like to learn more about this time in history, you will find this book very informative and exciting.
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Summary: A very powerful and well written book
Review: In my 6th garde language arts class we read the book "Year of Impossible Goodbyes". Although I have read many WWII books, i had never read anything about the korean/ Japanese situation. I wasn't sure if i would like the book at first, but within the firts few chapters, it was hard to put the book down. Choi really had me captivated in her book with use of emotion and suspense. I liked this book so much, I am now reading the sequel," Echoes of the White Giraffe'. Although very sad, this book was very good, and i definetley reccomend it.
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Summary: WOW! It moved us!!
Review: Oh my gosh. This book blew us away with the touching story of Sookan and her family trying to flee from their country.Winning the war against the Japanese didn't free them. The new battle came into town shortly after the Japanese left; the Russians craved the power over Korea. The impact of winning a war and then again sucked back to square one was devastating. The cruel velvet hammer that fell upon the Koreans just broke our hearts. There is no way out. The tears of emotion stained our face. The touching moment of freedom caught our eyes. We are so thrilled to read The Echoes Of The White Giraffe next, and the rest of Sook Nyul Choi's books. P.S. We wish we could give 10 stars. From, Kristen and Stephanie Rm. 14 5th grade Hilltop Elementary
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Summary: A great book to read...
Review: Taking you back into the time when the Japanese ruled Korea, the book Year of Impossible Goodbyes written by Sook Nyul Choi leads you on to an adventurous story. The author describes events in such a detail that the book seems so realistic that it is confused to be a nonfiction book, when it is fiction. This story takes place in 1945, when the Japanese ruled Korea. The story is set on this one particular family of a ten-year-old girl named Sookan, and the rest of her family members. The situation that this family is in clearly shows the harsh life of the Koreans. Sookan¡¯s father was working secretly for freedom while her brothers and sisters were away, forced to serve the Heavenly Emperor. Her mother was ordered to take care of the sock factory where the ¡°sock girls¡± worked to produce socks for the soldiers while Captain Narita tried to destroy everything of the family. Then finally, the war ended, but the family was faced by another challenge. The Russians, who had been attempting to gain power over the Koreans came and the same life of when the Japanese were there, reoccurred. Not being able to stand the everyday routine of the cruel Russians, the family decided to go down to South Korea, where Americans were. From this point, not knowing what they were about to face, the family risks their life on a journey to the other side of the country. Told in the view of first person, the author describes the events so well that sometimes it makes the reader feel like it is happening around them. Also, the author uses some Korean words written out in English so it helps the reader to be familiar with the words and to feel like they know more about the Korean culture. There are so many conflicts occurring within the story that it is even hard to remember them all. One of the main conflicts is the person verses person between Sookan¡¯s family and captain Narita. Captain Narita tries his best to ruin the family¡¯s life by sending the ¡°sock girls¡± to the soldiers to give ¡°pleasure¡±, taking away the most precious things in the family, cutting down the tree that the family loved, and finally taking part in killing Sookan¡¯s grandfather. Another example of conflict in this book is the person verses herself. Sookan has to fight herself to take care of her brother without her mother while they are trying to go to South Korea. She faces many challenges and thinks of giving up, but she keeps on reminding herself that she is an older sister so she should care for her brother. Person verses society between the people of Korea and their environment is another example of conflicts in the story. Being controlled by the Japanese, people suffer by being taken away from their families and giving up their lives for the people of Japan. Then they are abused by the Russians right after the Japanese leave. All these examples of conflicts add more flavors to the plot of the story. I consider this book as one of my favorite book. One of the reasons might be that the story, in many ways, relate to my family background and the life I have. I could truly understand the situation that the family was in while reading the book and felt so comfortable reading the book because it contained many familiar Korean words. I also enjoyed very much of the author¡¯s writing style of her vivid description of every single event and her magical power of putting the pieces of the story together like how you sew a quilt together with different pieces. The story flowed as I read and glued me on to the book that I couldn¡¯t stop reading. There were some vocabularies that I didn¡¯t know, but overall, the level of the vocabulary and story seemed to be perfect for me. This book was similar to a book I read, also written by a Korean author. Because the main characters were Korean in both books and the style of the two authors were similar, I was able to relate the two books in many ways. The challenge that the two main characters were facing because of racism was the most similar thing out of all the others. I enjoyed both books very much and the two books made me want to read another book written by a Korean author. If I were to give a rating from 1 through 10 of this book, I would give it a 9. Although almost every part of the book was enjoyable, there were some parts that I wanted to fix like how I feel towards all the other books I have read. Personally, I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Korean history and it¡¯s background and would guarantee that this book will be considered as one of their favorite books like how it was for me.
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Summary: Year of Impossible Goodbyes
Review: The "Year of Impossible Goodbyes" is a book featuring a ten-year-old girl named Sookan living during the time of World War II, 1945. Sookan's dad is with the resistance movement in Manchuria. Her three older brothers were taken away to Japanese labor camps. She and her mother, aunt, grandfather, and little brother are left in North Korea. They are making a living by working at a sock factory. They go through a lot before the Japanese leave. Shorly after the Japanese leave the Russians take control of North Korea.
When the time is right Sookan, her mother, and her little brother try to escape to the south. Along the way Sookan and her little brother lose their mother and have to escape past the 38th parallel to be free.
This is an interesting book that is a real eye opener about people living in North Korea during time of the Forgotten/Korean War. They suffered a great deal from both the Japanese and the Russians. This book would be great for children ages 10-14. If you like this book you might also like "The Bread Winner","Parvarnona's Jorney","Mud Town","Echoes of the White Giraffe","Yang the Second and her Secret Admirers","Yang the Third and her Impossibel Family",Or So Far From the Bamboo Grove".
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Summary: One of the greatest books I ever read
Review: The first time i picked this book up was in 5th grade. I started it, but wasn't able to finish it before I had to turn it into the library. Anxious to read the entire story of a young girl named Sookan, I checked it out again the following year. This time, i couldn't put it down. I finished the book with tears in my eyes. It was so sad, but so powerful. I just wished there were more. Then, a year or two later at a public library near my house i saw the sequel and immediately checked it out. I was again immersed into the hardships the family had to face just to survive. After doing several book reports on this novel, i decided to base a project on it in my 8th grade literature class. We had to research an important time in history to write a diary about. Well, i realized that there is little information in the encyclopedias about this time in Korea. I searched through every book about Korea in the school library and not one discussed the North Korean struggles with Japan and Russia. So, i turned back to Year of Impossible Goodbyes. It provided me with so much before, and didn't let me down with this one. I love this book so much. Easily my favorite, along with the 2 follwing, Echoes of the While Giraffe and Gathering of Pearls. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to read a wonderful story. I loved it, and I'm sure anyone else who reads this book will too.
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Summary: Year of Impossible Goodbyes
Review: The story takes place in North Korea in the city named Pyung-Yang in the town of Kirimni. The Japanese occupied Korea during World War II. The story deals with issues like liberty and freedom. Kisa and Aunt Tiger are killed by the Japanese army thinking they were traitors. The family tries to escape the to South but are caught many times and are punished every time.
As soon as the Japanese left, the Russians conquered and the family once again are under oppression. Sookan, the ten year old girl along with her brother Inchun, runaway to the South and are reunited with their father. The book Year of Impossible Goodbyes talks about many Universal Human Concerns like, Liberty and Freedom which the author shows and explaines. I highly recommend this book for it's multicultural richness.
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Summary: great story, yet sad and touching.
Review: This book has a great plot and is so descriptive that you feel like you are right there with her. This story is quite sad though, I must admitt. If you don't like sad stories, don't read it. Otherwise, GO FOR IT!
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Summary: great story, yet sad and touching.
Review: This book has a great plot and is so descriptive that you feel like you are right there with her. This story is quite sad though, I must admitt. If you don't like sad stories, don't read it. Otherwise, GO FOR IT!
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