Banned Book Club
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- Create Date：2021-04-28 11:56:16
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Kim Hyun Sook
- ISBN：194582042X
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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。
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。
Reviews
Giovanna Forsyth
，
Hmm。 I like the themes in this book of activism and the exploration of censorship。 I just found that the start of the book is a little muddled。 Like maybe it needed better exposition rather than trying to have the characters explain a complicated political history in small blurbs。
Rachelle
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Extreme Book Nerd Challenge 2021 - Category #26Challenge Topic: A book from the 2020 NPR Book Convierge list。This was a very well written book。 Telling her own story and the fear she had， the challenges， and the friends she made。 Going to college in North Korea when it was a scary time。 People disappearing for speaking their own opinions。 How she overcame and learned and then stood up for what she really believed in。
Rachel
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The history in this story is valuable， especially for Americans， as we tend to not be aware of world events。 I hope a lot of people read it and learn about the student social movement against government repression in South Korea。That said， I wasn't good at telling who was who in the artwork， which made it hard to understand who each character was and the relationships between them。 And， while the main character evolved from clueless to radical， it was shown only by events; I'd have liked to see The history in this story is valuable， especially for Americans， as we tend to not be aware of world events。 I hope a lot of people read it and learn about the student social movement against government repression in South Korea。That said， I wasn't good at telling who was who in the artwork， which made it hard to understand who each character was and the relationships between them。 And， while the main character evolved from clueless to radical， it was shown only by events; I'd have liked to see more about her thought processes。 。。。more
Ame
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Wild， I didn't know about any of this！ Vital takeaway from this is that the road to progress is long and we all have a responsibility to make that trip happen。 Wild， I didn't know about any of this！ Vital takeaway from this is that the road to progress is long and we all have a responsibility to make that trip happen。 。。。more
Jennifer
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An important and very timely read。 The illustrating is excellent and it provides history that is not very well known in the US， currently。 I would say beware that some of the art is very violent but not gratuitous， there is a point。
Amanda Gonzalez
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Graphic Novel Memoirs are quickly becoming a favorite of mine。 The art style is great and the story is even better。
Marcela
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Great book， great story and now I want to read more books about that time in South Korea。
Catherine
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Author: Kim Hyun Sook & Ryan EstradaIllustrator: Ku Hyung-JuAge Recommendation: High SchoolArt Style: Black & White ComicTopic/ Theme: Political activismSetting: Anjeon， South Korea， 1983。 Banned Book Club is based on a true story with names changed and stories chopped and changed a little to protect anonymity。 Every step Hyun Sook takes on her journey from quiet student to activist is logical， to me that is the sign of a good biography。 Even though no everything can be included the skeleton is Author: Kim Hyun Sook & Ryan EstradaIllustrator: Ku Hyung-JuAge Recommendation: High SchoolArt Style: Black & White ComicTopic/ Theme: Political activismSetting: Anjeon， South Korea， 1983。 Banned Book Club is based on a true story with names changed and stories chopped and changed a little to protect anonymity。 Every step Hyun Sook takes on her journey from quiet student to activist is logical， to me that is the sign of a good biography。 Even though no everything can be included the skeleton is there。 I did like how it was written even if the last chapter felt odd。 There is a true universalness to this。 It is likely that most readers will see themselves in one or another of the characters。 This is written with a focus on humanity in a part of history not looked at or spoken about in the West。 But it is relevant in a way。 The warning signs of a dictator or autocrat are fairly universal。 The section where Jihoo is reading North Korean propaganda was particularly good for that。 I really liked Jihoo and his whole life， it would not have been easy， it would have been hell。 But that was an important story to include。 Including the creep of a teacher was welcome too。 Thank all things good （awful？） for that slight bit of normalcy。 The art style is perfect。 It shows the emotion of the moment well， not just in the face but in the wider cell。 Shading especially for Agent Ok was spectacular。 Okay， so Banned Book Club mentions the Gwangju rebellions。 Purely because of this I want to share SPEED's duel music videosThat's my fault and It's over。 They deal with that， they are dark but really well done， combined their length is about 25 minutes。 Yes， it's kpop but this is South Korea if they can't advocate for the memories of those who died who can？ 。。。more
Whitney Shissler
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I think it was very well written 4。5 :）
Vicky
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What does it mean to live through censorship？ How can yo find your voice when everyone around you is telling you not to use it？In Banned Book Club， Kim Hyun Sook addresses these issues – that can feel so detached from our reality but truly do have weight for a lot of us。 The book is based on Hyun Sook’s life experiences as a South Korean woman in the 1980s， loving through South Korea’s Fifth Republic， which was a military regime with intense notions of censorship which limited protests & circula What does it mean to live through censorship？ How can yo find your voice when everyone around you is telling you not to use it？In Banned Book Club， Kim Hyun Sook addresses these issues – that can feel so detached from our reality but truly do have weight for a lot of us。 The book is based on Hyun Sook’s life experiences as a South Korean woman in the 1980s， loving through South Korea’s Fifth Republic， which was a military regime with intense notions of censorship which limited protests & circulation of books deemed dangerous。 We follow a group of fresh college students， including our protagonist， who is initially wholly uninterested in the protests and wants to get through with the least amount of trouble as possible。 Her friends， however， have a newspaper and hidden ways that they circulate information among students。 They also have a banned book club， where they meet each week to discuss the text that they’re reading。 Through the influence of her friends， Hyun Sook begins to learn just how much the wrongs of authorities have been hidden from her。 She also begins to feel the burden of being an activist in a country where activism is punishable by law。 One of the things that I love the most about this book， however， is that this is balanced with humor from the central characters。 We fall in love with the leading players in the story， and the ways that they look at a situation of intense injustice and still find moments where they can quip a joke or stand directly in opposition to authority。 I feel this book holds a lot of relevancy in modern times despite being a story about the 80s， especially given that it handles a lot of questions that have been burning on my mind for the past years about the sacrifices that oppressed individuals have to make when they advocate for their lives。 This book really explores the idea that there is a tangible cost to oppression – injustice places a burden upon those who speak up， and upon those who remain silent while being oppressed。 Given the amount of judgement I have seen aimed at people fighting for Black lives – particularly when the people standing up are Black - Banned Book Club really stood out to me in the ways that it addressed the cost of standing up for what is right。 The book is a graphic novel， which really increases its readability in a lovely way。 I got through it in two settings， and really， the difficult part for me was choosing to set the book down because I was in such a state of “WHAT’S GONNA HAPPEN NEXT I NEED TO KNOOWWWWWW” I think the visual elements are particularly salient because a lot of what happens in this text centers around authority being held over people – and we get a lot of images that convey this through the way that characters are framed in a scene。 We get a visual representation of who holds the upper hand by force。 Really， the only thing I didn’t love about the text was the epilogue – and that’s mostly because I’m not a fan of that Harry Potter style future jump， especially when I get super attached to characters。 I really fell in love with these characters， so getting the kind of “years later” retrospective didn’t feel like the ending I wanted for such passionate， in the moment characters。 I strongly recommend this story – especially among people who want to know more about censorship & its impact and want a more nuanced look at the reasons why individuals protest。 I also recommend this book to comic lovers and people who want a break from their usually structured reads。 This book warmed my heart， excited me， and left me at the edge of my seat as I wondered how the characters would get through the lived experiences of living under a totalitarian regime。 。。。more
Jenna Flick
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I really like how different this book is， plus I think there should be more of an integration of graphic novels into regular readings and classrooms because they can be very useful tools。
Kali Burks
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I wish I had more background knowledge of Korean history to really enjoy this story！ It felt rushed， but as a graphic novel it progressed well enough。
Molly Engle
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I don't often read graphic novels; this one grabbed me because of the title。 That is was about South Korea made it all the more interesting during one of the most repressive periods。 I don't often read graphic novels; this one grabbed me because of the title。 That is was about South Korea made it all the more interesting during one of the most repressive periods。 。。。more
Maddie
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A memior of Kim Hyun Sook's time in college in 1983 South Korea where she joined a banned book club and fought against the government。 I learned so much from this book and I think the graphic novel format really works for this story。 Recommended for teens who are interested in non-fiction， graphic novels or lesser known history。 A memior of Kim Hyun Sook's time in college in 1983 South Korea where she joined a banned book club and fought against the government。 I learned so much from this book and I think the graphic novel format really works for this story。 Recommended for teens who are interested in non-fiction， graphic novels or lesser known history。 。。。more
Ora Solomons
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Very interesting - although oddly paced， you could tell it was fragments of different people's stories at times。 The content itself was very insightful。 Very interesting - although oddly paced， you could tell it was fragments of different people's stories at times。 The content itself was very insightful。 。。。more
Katherine
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This book was recommended to me by a librarian friend。 What I love about graphic novels is their visual and literary medium has the ability to convey strong themes and nuanced emotions that may become too repetitive or harsh in the written word， or too violent and romanticized if it's just a visual。 The book follows a young woman in her college years during the oppressive rulership of President Park in South Korea in 1983。 I don't know much about Asian Politics， so this brought a lot of events a This book was recommended to me by a librarian friend。 What I love about graphic novels is their visual and literary medium has the ability to convey strong themes and nuanced emotions that may become too repetitive or harsh in the written word， or too violent and romanticized if it's just a visual。 The book follows a young woman in her college years during the oppressive rulership of President Park in South Korea in 1983。 I don't know much about Asian Politics， so this brought a lot of events and history to light for me that I wasn't previously aware of。 The story follows through with students who， among other things， are part of a banned bookclub and participate in pro democracy riots at their college。 Throughout the story， you learn some of the means， and motives of the students。The drawing and panel design flows well with particular attention to the faces and the angles one would have if one was taller than any of these students， looking down upon them or at them from a second story window。 This visually reinforces the risk the students take of being found out or reported on my faculty， government agents or fellow students。I found it showed the sometimes circular nature change can take。 It had a very heartfelt ending。 I definitely recommend for anyone looking to pick up a good graphic novel on a sunny afternoon。 。。。more
Dustin Holden
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I’ll be honest， the political aspect kept me from reading this for a moment but I’m glad I went ahead and dove in。 It was so much more than the story of protests and resistance。 It was really about being young and discovering who you are， how to use your voice。 It’s very much a coming of age story at the core。
Nathan Bartos
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Read for my Library Materials for Young Adults class。I learned information about South Korea that I didn't know， for sure， but I feel like the story overall was a little weak for me。 I get it's based on true stories， but it's also an amalgamation of many people's stories， so I think the narrative could've used a little work。 I liked seeing them all 30-ish years later， but the dialogue felt especially stunted in that section as she was trying to fit so much information in。 Overall， this was good Read for my Library Materials for Young Adults class。I learned information about South Korea that I didn't know， for sure， but I feel like the story overall was a little weak for me。 I get it's based on true stories， but it's also an amalgamation of many people's stories， so I think the narrative could've used a little work。 I liked seeing them all 30-ish years later， but the dialogue felt especially stunted in that section as she was trying to fit so much information in。 Overall， this was good but not great。 Definitely not what I expected but in a good way。 。。。more
Janet
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I vaguely remember much of this from the news in the eighties。 I should have paid more attention。 Students save democracy for the south Korean nation。
Leanne
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I loved the themes in this book and feel like it is a really important topic to discuss with teens。 I gave it three stars mostly because I don't feel like a graphic novel is the best format for this story。 It was too brief and so much of the story was rushed because of the length。 The art could have also been stronger。 I loved the themes in this book and feel like it is a really important topic to discuss with teens。 I gave it three stars mostly because I don't feel like a graphic novel is the best format for this story。 It was too brief and so much of the story was rushed because of the length。 The art could have also been stronger。 。。。more
Wendy
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A graphic novel， so it's a quick read， but it's well done （except that genders are often ambiguous in the illustrations。 I thought the male professor was a woman for 2/3 of the story， and it was hard to tell with some other characters as well）。 The story was both engaging and timely。 I appreciated learning more about Korean history and politics， but the themes of family， friendship， critical thinking， and social justice are also universal。 A graphic novel， so it's a quick read， but it's well done （except that genders are often ambiguous in the illustrations。 I thought the male professor was a woman for 2/3 of the story， and it was hard to tell with some other characters as well）。 The story was both engaging and timely。 I appreciated learning more about Korean history and politics， but the themes of family， friendship， critical thinking， and social justice are also universal。 。。。more
Sam
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This book made me want to do a deep dive into Korean history。 Full of allusions to real media， books， and political figures， and yet it's the characters' wills to struggle for truth and reform that really changed my perspective。 In a world where information is so widespread， Kim Hyun Sook's dedication to information and literature reminded me of my responsibility to use my media privileges wisely。 This book made me want to do a deep dive into Korean history。 Full of allusions to real media， books， and political figures， and yet it's the characters' wills to struggle for truth and reform that really changed my perspective。 In a world where information is so widespread， Kim Hyun Sook's dedication to information and literature reminded me of my responsibility to use my media privileges wisely。 。。。more
Mike
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Loved the art and enjoyed the characters， but from a plot and accessibility standpoint， this one was tough for me to connect with。 It captures the spirit of protest well， but without the larger framework of context and resolution， I'm going to find it a hard book to easily recommend to our readers。 Students with an understanding of South Korean history will have the best chance of success with this book。 Loved the art and enjoyed the characters， but from a plot and accessibility standpoint， this one was tough for me to connect with。 It captures the spirit of protest well， but without the larger framework of context and resolution， I'm going to find it a hard book to easily recommend to our readers。 Students with an understanding of South Korean history will have the best chance of success with this book。 。。。more
Alwynne
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Banned Book Club’s based on Kim Hyun Sook’s experiences as a student in South Korea during the early 1980s when the country was controlled by a totalitarian-style， military regime。 The text’s co-written by Kim’s husband Ryan Estrada and illustrated by Ko Hyung-Ju whose simple， realist， black-and-white design scheme draws on Manhwa conventions - traditional Korean print comics。 Ko's visual style works well with the verbal elements， creating an impression of immediacy and authenticity that adds to Banned Book Club’s based on Kim Hyun Sook’s experiences as a student in South Korea during the early 1980s when the country was controlled by a totalitarian-style， military regime。 The text’s co-written by Kim’s husband Ryan Estrada and illustrated by Ko Hyung-Ju whose simple， realist， black-and-white design scheme draws on Manhwa conventions - traditional Korean print comics。 Ko's visual style works well with the verbal elements， creating an impression of immediacy and authenticity that adds to the impact of Kim’s story of political awakening， further enhanced by the incorporation of material taken from interviews with fellow activists from the period。Hyun Sook， the daughter of struggling restaurant owners， scrimps and saves to afford a university education。 Once there her contacts unexpectedly lead her to an underground circle of students， their club discusses banned political books – from Marx， Chomsky and Che Guevara to de Beauvoir and Betty Friedan - and participates in South Korea’s growing student opposition to their repressive government。 Hyun Sook’s involvement is further complicated by her growing attraction to another club member Hoon。 The club’s activities are perilous， there are people within the student body spying on the government’s behalf and anyone even suspected of subversive activities risks being detained and brutally tortured - the penalties for women are particularly harsh。 Although the way the story’s told could be more effective， it feels a little rushed in places and overly-didactic in others， it's still a fairly compelling depiction of a significant chapter in South Korean history， as well a moving， accessible， tribute to the ordinary students who risked their lives to bring about change。 。。。more
Shelly
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3。5 stars Admittedly， I know very little about Korean history， so for me， this book was informative and eye opening about a country I know little about。 The author did a good job building unique characters and making evident some very dark parts of Korean history。 However， I think the important story got lost in frenetic story telling and art。 I think this book could have used one more round of editing to smooth out the story and clean up the art a little so things were easier to follow。I still 3。5 stars Admittedly， I know very little about Korean history， so for me， this book was informative and eye opening about a country I know little about。 The author did a good job building unique characters and making evident some very dark parts of Korean history。 However， I think the important story got lost in frenetic story telling and art。 I think this book could have used one more round of editing to smooth out the story and clean up the art a little so things were easier to follow。I still recommend this book。 The story is an important one and it is still a good read that hooks you in。 。。。more
Cassie
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*This book was a book choice for a college course。Synopsis:Kim Hyun Sook weaves together personal accounts from her network of friends into a single narrative in 1980's South Korea。 The military has secured its power through censorship， torture， and murder。 Kim goes to school to read her favorite books and learn。 She inadvertently joins a banned book club that also organizes protests。 She ends up learning the truth of her country's government and why certain books have been banned。Personal React *This book was a book choice for a college course。Synopsis:Kim Hyun Sook weaves together personal accounts from her network of friends into a single narrative in 1980's South Korea。 The military has secured its power through censorship， torture， and murder。 Kim goes to school to read her favorite books and learn。 She inadvertently joins a banned book club that also organizes protests。 She ends up learning the truth of her country's government and why certain books have been banned。Personal Reaction:I think I read this at the perfect time because I had to read another novel for a censorship study。 I loved the perspectives and insights shown through this character's story。 Things move quickly， but it gives the reader more time to research on their own。 After reading a story where the government feeds you its own information to keep its status and power， I think there's a lot of power in that！ The drawings and emotions were amazing as well。 Content Warnings:TorturePolice BrutalityProtestingInappropriate advances from a professor towards studentPolitical themes 。。。more
Maia
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This is a wonderful graphic novel， an engaging look at the student-lead activism in South Korean in the early 1980s。 Kim Hyun Sook is a first year University student studying literature。 She is shocked to discover that campus is regularly overtaken by riots in which police beat and tear-gas students who protest President Chun， an unelected military general who controlled the country from 1981-1987。 At first， she doesn't understand what motivates the protests。 Then she joins a book club which rea This is a wonderful graphic novel， an engaging look at the student-lead activism in South Korean in the early 1980s。 Kim Hyun Sook is a first year University student studying literature。 She is shocked to discover that campus is regularly overtaken by riots in which police beat and tear-gas students who protest President Chun， an unelected military general who controlled the country from 1981-1987。 At first， she doesn't understand what motivates the protests。 Then she joins a book club which reads exclusively book which have been banned by the government- The Motorcycle Diaries by Che Guevara， Counter-Revolutionary Violence: Bloodbaths in Fact and Propaganda by Noam Chomsky， Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire， A Song That Cannot Be Erased by Kim Jeong-Hwan， For the Independent Peaceful Reunification of the County by Kim Il Sung。 Hyun Sook's eyes are opened， and she begins working with a group of students who organize via the school newspaper and the masked dance troupe。 It's very dangerous and multiple members are arrested and tortured by the police but the book doesn't lose it's hopeful tone that protest is effective and change is possible。 It's a needed message for our current times。 The book is based on one of the co-author's real life experiences， though the story has been condensed down from reality。 。。。more
Sadie
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I learned so much while reading this book。 I can't say I was particularly fond of the art style， but the plot moved well and it was a subject matter i previously knew very little about。 I enjoyed reading it and feel that this is an important piece of history。 I learned so much while reading this book。 I can't say I was particularly fond of the art style， but the plot moved well and it was a subject matter i previously knew very little about。 I enjoyed reading it and feel that this is an important piece of history。 。。。more
Emily
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South Korea， the 1980s。 Student Activists。 Intellectual Freedom。 University Life。
Alexis McAdams
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Excellent graphic novel about a period of South Korea's history that I didn't know much about at all。 I really enjoyed the message and the art style！ Excellent graphic novel about a period of South Korea's history that I didn't know much about at all。 I really enjoyed the message and the art style！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Banned Book Club
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Banned Book Club&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Banned Book Club&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0