When My Name Was Keoko

Newbery Medal-winning children's author Linda Sue Park, whose A Single Shard chronicled the adventures of a young potter's apprentice in 12th century Korea, turns here to the story of Korea under Japanese occupation, drawing partially on her own family background for material, and producing a powerfully moving tale of identity, cultural oppression, and family love. Opening in 1940, as Korea struggles on under an increasingly repressive regime, one which forbids the use of the Korean language, and the teaching of its history and literature, When My Name Was Keoko is told from the alternating perspectives of two young children, sister and brother Sun-hee and Tae-yul Kim, who find (the latest edict from Tokyo being handed down) that they show more must henceforth refer to themselves as "Keoko" and "Nobuo Kaneyama."

Outwardly conforming to these new restrictions, the Kim family carries on being Korean, with Omoni (mother) hiding her last Rose of Sharon tree - the national symbol of Korea, all Rose of Sharon trees were, by imperial edict, to be destroyed - in the family shed; Uncle becoming involved in dangerous underground activities that involve his printing shop; and Sun-hee eventually deciding that she would like to learn Hangul - the traditional (and banned) writing system of Korea. After all, she reasons, words must be terribly important, if the Japanese go to such trouble to proscribe them: "How could an alphabet - letters that didn't even mean anything by themselves - be important? But it was important. Our stories, our names, our alphabet. Even Uncle's newspapers. It was all about words. If words weren't important, they wouldn't try so hard to take them away." With danger on every side, and disaster never far away, the Kims struggle to survive the hardships that come to them, with Uncle going into hiding, and Omoni working to create meals from a shrinking supply of food. Tae-yul, caught between his admiration for his boisterous Uncle, and his impatience with his scholarly father, who seems disinclined to oppose the injustices of the occupation, finds that the only way to stay true to what he believes, is to appear to betray it; while Sun-hee, wracked with guilt over her role in Uncle's disappearance, turns to words (always words) for solace, recording her thoughts in a journal.

Emotionally gripping and intellectually engrossing - I found myself moved to tears on more than one occasion, and searching for additional reading material on various topics, at others - this is a marvelous book, one that will expose young readers to an aspect of WWII that is often neglected in the pages of children's literature. I cannot count the children's books I have read and seen that are devoted to the experiences of Europeans - and, to a lesser extent, Americans - in the Second World War, but those detailing the experiences of the people of Asia during this time period are far fewer. For that alone, When My Name Was Keoko is worth picking up. Fortunately, it is also worth picking up for its own sake, as a moving story of one close-knit family caught up in the horrors of occupation, cultural imperialism, and war. Highly recommended! show less

While kind of a niche, historical books that take place during WW2 are a genre that have always fascinated me. Books like this one which follows the different experiences of it's characters are always an interesting read as well. WW2 was a war that encompassed many different nations and cultures. Thus, there are thousands of different interpretations of how it took place, and what it's impact was. It is more than just one side vs the other, but the hundreds of nations and millions of people on both sides of the war that experienced things differently. All in all, this book's perspective on the war was a truly engrossing one. Few American schools focus on the Japanese side of the war aside from Pearl Harbor and the bombs that were show more dropped. While I did know that Japan was fighting China at the time of the World War, I was unaware that Japan's influence reached to Korea as well. The book's use of different viewpoints between the brother and the sister was very interesting and kept me captivated. Often they experienced things separately but when they did go through the same event, it was interesting see both of their point of views. Sharing different perspectives with others is something that I believe is important to learn. In addition to having multiple perspectives within the book, the book itself is just one perspective in the millions of other views and experiences of WW2. One last reason why this book is pretty amazing is that throughout all the suffering and strife in this family's life, they persevere. Even when the Japanese take away their very names, even when they believe that their only son has died, they stay strong. Overall this book is about the love of family and about telling one's story. The theme of perspectives is apparent throughout and makes this story a very strong and memorable one. show less

“If words weren’t important, they wouldn’t try so hard to take them away” (pg. 107). When My Name Was Keoko has a strong central theme of loss: names, traditions, language, family. Everything has been taken away except for the words shared between those who believed in them. Secret messages, letters, and even thoughts slipped through the cracks and played a part in Sun-hee and Tae-yul’s lives during the Japanese occupation of Korea. With loss there was also the survival of little things such as the rose of Sharon tree and the dragon brooch, small pieces of hope when it seemed as though the loss was far too great. The point of view changed between the siblings constantly. However, the changing point of view was done when show more necessary in order to further emphasis the different perspectives that could be held in the same family and the importance of their overlap. At the beginning, the shift was confusing, as it was unexpected to me. show less

This historical fiction chapter book chronicles the trials and tribulations of a Korean family in Japanese occupied Korea during World War II. In my opinion, this is a very good book. I feel that the readers of this book are obligated to think about what it is like for people to have their identities taken from them, and to be treated like second class, or worse, citizens. A good example is when the family learned that they would have to take new Japanese names. This may not seem very bad, especially when considering other atrocities that war can bring, but the feelings expressed over this oppressive act gets the reader to really think about it. I also like the author’s use of foreshadowing, especially as a prelude to Tae-yul’s show more stint as a Kamikaze pilot. A good example of this is when Tae-yul talks about a neighborhood accounting during which the block leader boasted of the Japanese Special Attack Unit known as Kamikazes. Tae-yul’s reaction was, “Pilots! The Special Attack Units are pilots who fly airplanes!” Finally, I like how the story is told from the point of view of a Korean brother and sister, emphasizing how the Korean culture’s hierarchical views of men and women affected their thoughts and actions. One way this is displayed is when Sun-hee is putting away dishes, which she does as slow as possible, in order to hear conversations that only the men, including her brother, were supposed to be a part of. show less

This book introduces us to the Japanese occupation of Korea by telling the stories of Sun-Hee and her older brother Tae-Yul, Korean schoolkids who are growing up in their ow occupied country. Father is a school teacher, mother is a housewife, and their beloved uncle is a newspaper printer with a poorly hidden revolutionary streak. As the siblings grow up, the Japanese close their fist ever tighter around Korea, going so far as to change the family’s Korean names to Japanese ones. Then WWII breaks out, and the family find themselves making difficult decisions that will change not only their home but the future of their country. ⠀
While reading this there were things–the theft of names and language, enforced systematic inequality, show more the power of community conspiracy, and the need to fake subservience while revolution bubbles and smokes in your heart–that resonated very strongly with stories from my own Black American background. Other things were wholly new to me and I found the final act of the story equal parts surprising, fascinating and, well…incredibly cheesy. Whatever, it’s a kid’s book so it gets a pass. Overall, it’s a well-written, sympathetic and enlightening read.
(For an in-depth review, visit my blog at https://equalopportunityreader.com/2020/05/13/when-my-name-was-keoko-by-linda-su... ) show less

"When My Name Was Keoko," is a heart-warming novel that shows the struggles of Korean cultures during WWII. I loves this book because the author utilizes many literary devices in order to enhance the writing. For instance, Park uses a lot of imagery throughout the book. She writes, "The expression on her face was like a bitter wind." This quote among others shows how Park uses a lot of imagery in the novel. In addition to that, the author also does a good job portraying the major theme of Korean culture and loss of identity. I loved how the book started off with the two main characters changing their names in order to fit Japanese culture. This was a really effective strategy and the author gained my interest from the start. Adding to show more that, I also loved Sun-hee's poem about uncertainty on page 180. The author does a fabulous job writing this poem and it shows the how her uncertainty which is expressed in the poem is both simple and complex. Overall, this is a really good book and I think it would be a great addition in my future classroom. show less

The main message I got from the book is to be proud of your culture and heritage, even when others try to erase who you are. Two things I liked about the story had everything to do with who the narrators were. I've never been a huge fan of alternating narrators, because it makes it harder for me to follow the story. That being said, the book made a smart move in having two narrators. By having both a male and a female's voice, the reader can get a good grasp on how gender affected one's experiences during the Japanese occupation. It's good for children to get different perspectives to get a better understanding of the era by getting different points of view. The second thing I like about the narrators is the choice to pick children to show more be narrators. The students reading the book might have a harder time with an older character, because of how children and adults see the world differently. A younger student may not be able to find similarities between themselves and the adult. For instance, both Tae-Yul and Sun-Hee are in school, and the book focuses on their experience being in school. A student may be able to connect with Tae-Yul not being the best in his class, or Sun-Hee bein the best in her class. show less