But When My Name Was Keoko isn't about the United States' involvement in WWII, it's a about a little-known period of Korean history, when Korea was ruled by Japan. So complete was Japanese rule that nearly everything Korean was banned - the Korean language, Korean traditions, Korean hairstyles, and even Korean names. And so, the title character of the story is a Korean girl names Sun-hee, who has been forced to adopt the Japanese name Keoko.
What makes the book particularly interesting is that it is told from the perspectives of two different characters. Sun-hee/Keoko and her older brother Tae-yul/Nobuo take turns narrating the story in the first-person. We follow both of their lives through the ever-increasing dominance of the Japanese occupiers. As the war drags on, Japan is more and more determined to subjugate their Korean colony. But Sun-hee's uncle is a member of the underground resistance - a fact that puts the entire family in danger.
Shockingly, as it becomes more and more evident that Japan is destined to lose the war, Tae-yul voluntarily enlists in the Japanese military, to become one of the notorious kamikaze pilots - whose tactic was to crash their planes into enemy targets, sacrificing their own lives in the process.
When My Name Was Keoko is a very powerful story of identity, perseverance, and survival. The members of the Council all gave it a resounding thumbs-up. Not only did we enjoy the story, we learned a lot about Korean culture and history as well!
The next work of historical fiction the Council will be reading is The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg, by Rodman Philbrick. It's a gripping story set during the American Civil War. Come join us for discussion and friendship on Friday, November 20 at 4:00 p.m. (please sign up at the Ask-Me desk). Hope to see you then!
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