Title: Banned Book Club
Author: Kim Hyun Sook
Publisher: Iron Circus Comics
Publication date: May 29, 2020
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Summary
In 1983, Kim Hyun Sook started college, ready for what the world had to offer. Little did she know that her first literature class would open her eyes to the reality of living in South Korea. While on the surface, reading seemed harmless, it turned into something that was a life or death struggle.
Hyun Sook was in college during South Korea’s Fifth Republic who had total control over the country. Through censorship and torturing and killing protesters. It’s in this climate that Hyun Sook learns to find her voice and finds a cause worth fighting for. Books are her refuge; but they are also her means of enacting change. If she’s able to find the courage to do it.
Review: Banned Book Club
Thanks to Net Galley and Iron Circus Comics for a copy of this to review! I’m always in the market for graphic novels that open your eyes to new things, and this one definitely does that. I’ll admit that I don’t know much about South Korea, so this book taught me a lot. Plus, the young adults in the book band together with books in order to change their circumstances. Because we all know that books can change the way people think.
One of the things I most appreciated about this was the formatting. To me, it mimicked the Japanese manga style of art, making it a more immersive experience. Facts about South Korea were also cleverly included throughout the story, meaning that the information didn’t overtake the story itself. In a time when there’s a lot of political upheaval in our own country, I think a lot of teens will take to this story and inspire them to enact their own change.
Apparently, informational graphic novels are the the thing this year, like Displacement which I reviewed a few weeks ago. Banned Book Club is an important story featuring a time in history that is often forgotten. Definitely a great book to add to your classroom library.
4/5 stars
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