So Far From the Bamboo Grove, by Yoko Kawashima Watkins

I began this book with a preconceived idea about the Japanese in Korea, based on the book I had just finished reading: Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi (see previous post). I was angry.

The author of this book shows her readers that it was difficult for both groups during this time in history (WWII). I finished this book with yet another new understanding of the conflict. Although the Koreans were controlled by many groups because of the prime location of the country, communist Japanese and the "Korean Anti-Japanese Communist Party" being among those who sought to control Korea and it's people, many of the Japanese in Korea had experienced a considerable amount of ridicule and unfair/violent treatment.

Comparing the books is extremely eerie, in that the two young girls from conflicting national backgrounds, experienced MANY of the same hardships. For instance, both experienced constant travel, running, hiding. The loss of loved ones, death. Hunger, thirst, and fighting for survival. Loneliness, sadness, hopelessness. Even the task of crossing the railroad tracks across the quick moving river was an experience that the two girls shared.

It is interesting to see how the young Yoko transforms in this novel. We see her living comfortably in the beginning with many luxuries, I think "feisty" is a word I have heard her described as, and it works well (that kid on the video in my Child Lit class used that term). She is feisty. In the beginning, her "Honorable brother" tells to be thankful for the carrots that she doesn't like. He says, "You should be grateful that there is food on your plate." Little did she know that she revisit these very words in her own future, and understand what it feels like to have a gnawing in you stomach because you haven't eaten for days and your feet are raw and bloody from travel. And to just wish you could find a raw wild carrot to munch on slowly.

Also in the beginning Yoko sees her "Honorable sister" cast her a discriminatory "spoiled brat" gaze. In the end we see her revisit her past objectively as she thinks about the "spoiled brats" in her new school. Yoko comes to understand what her Honorable sister meant by the gaze, and ultimately came to realize - through devastating and traumatic circumstances - the errors in her previous ways of thinking.

I was angry when I began, but as the characters in the novel transformed, so did I. I became emotionally attached to the sisters. I was so sad when they were "orphaned." I was constantly fearful for their "innocence" and their lives. The author has a real gift in creating a captivating experience for her readers. Although difficult to read, I NEEDED to know if they would be okay in the end.

Experience can inform anyone's preconceived ideas about history, so can good literature written and read in many different viewpoints! Intriguing!

Year of Impossible Goodbyes, by Sook Nyul Choi

Oh. That was really an eye-opening account of an extremely tragic and dark time in the history of Korea.

The main character, a young Korean girl Sookan, paints a vivid picture of what life was like in the country that was no longer the country it once had been... (did that make sense?) Themes of loneliness, embarrassment, and loss are represented well in the novel through the author's representation of the character Sookan.

I was depressed through much of the story. I wondered, "How is it that children should have to go through such difficult and traumatic events? It isn't fair! It isn't right!" I imagined what it must have felt like for Sookan and her brother - at one point in the story they were all alone, sick, weak, and scrounging for scraps of food. I had a hard time imagining what it must have felt like for them in these moments of their lives. I have never had to feel the intense pain and loneliness that were felt by the children in the novel, I realized that I COULDN'T imagine it - I hoped that I never would. I cried for them.

How can children develop a self identity and a clear understanding of the world, if they are constantly having to change their name, communication, and beliefs? How can they develop an identity when they constantly worry about their well-being, about their survival? This should be a foreign concern for children! Too bad this is not the case in many parts of the world. I suppose it is much closer to home than I had imagined. Children have real-life problems too.

I think I may have smiled once or twice, when a small glimpse of hope was offered. Other than that, I just felt sad and concerned - uneasy - as I HESITANTLY read the novel. It seemed like every time things couldn't be any worse, they were. I didn't want to turn the page.

On another note: The religious representations were interesting to examine in this book. Sookan seemed to mesh the religions of her Mother and Grandfather into one coherent "way of knowing" that was somehow comforting to her...

Despite the strong feelings of sadness the book provoked, I was enlightened by the author's viewpoint and appreciate the details and emotions she shared. Seriously eye-opening, and leaves a reader wanting to learn more.