Published: 2021
Series: N/A
Author: Kim Hyun Sook, Ryan Estrada
Illustrator: Ko Hyung-Ju
Genres: Graphic Novel, Historical Fiction, Memoir, Biography, Nonfiction
Audience: Grades 10–12
Number of Stars: ⭐⭐⭐
Goodreads Link: Banned Book Club
Triggers: Violence, Protesting, War, Government Oppression, Censorship, Torture
Review By: Heather Kent
Publisher’s Summary:
When Kim Hyun Sook started college in 1983 she was ready for her world to open up. After acing her exams and sort-of convincing her traditional mother that it was a good idea for a woman to go to college, she looked forward to soaking up the ideas of Western Literature far from the drudgery she was promised at her family’s restaurant. But literature class would prove to be just the start of a massive turning point, still focused on reading but with life-or-death stakes she never could have imagined.
This was during South Korea’s Fifth Republic, a military regime that entrenched its power through censorship, torture, and the murder of protestors. In this charged political climate, with Molotov cocktails flying and fellow students disappearing for hours and returning with bruises, Hyun Sook sought refuge in the comfort of books. When the handsome young editor of the school newspaper invited her to his reading group, she expected to pop into the cafeteria to talk about Moby Dick, Hamlet, and The Scarlet Letter. Instead she found herself hiding in a basement as the youngest member of an underground banned book club. And as Hyun Sook soon discovered, in a totalitarian regime, the delights of discovering great works of illicit literature are quickly overshadowed by fear and violence as the walls close in.
In Banned Book Club, Hyun Sook shares a dramatic true story of political division, fear-mongering, anti-intellectualism, the death of democratic institutions, and the relentless rebellion of reading.
Review:
“Banned Book Club” left me feeling a bit confused. This graphic novel delves into the tumultuous political climate of 1980s South Korea, where censorship and oppressive government control were the norm. The story is seen through the eyes of Kim Hyun Sook, a college student who joins a secret book club at her university. While the book club serves as a symbol of resistance against the authoritarian regime, I found it challenging to follow the plot at times.
The artwork is visually striking and conveys the characters’ emotions and the era’s tension effectively. However, the narrative can be a bit challenging to grasp, as it jumps between characters and events, making it harder to fully connect with the story. I feel that students would require some background information about struggles that the young people of South Korea faced during this time period to make it meaningful to them.
Classroom & Curricular Connections:
- Social Studies / World History / Government:
- This memoir provides a powerful lens into South Korea’s Fifth Republic and can support lessons on authoritarian governments, censorship, democratic movements, civil rights, and political activism around the world.
- Extension Activity / Library Application:
- Students can research a historical example of censorship or banned books from another country and compare it to the experiences depicted in the graphic novel. The book also pairs well with Banned Books Week discussions and intellectual freedom programming.
- Diversity & Representation:
- The memoir offers an important Korean perspective on political resistance, student activism, and freedom of expression, helping broaden students’ understanding of global history and diverse lived experiences.
Readalikes:
- March by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell
- Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
- They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker
- Maus by Art Spiegelman
