Reviews

Banned Book Club by Kim Hyun Sook, Ryan Estrada

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saramdeuri's review

3.75

a greatly important account of what it was like on the ground during the student protests in the 80s in Korea - and not just Seoul. translated well. the illustrations are pretty good too! incredibly heartwarming to see queer rep too. many more popular accounts tend to lack that sort of rep, and I'm very sure the queer community was actively participating in these protests.

my only issue with this was just how on the nose the final chapter was... I understand the idea of what they wanted to do but it felt so rushed and crammed in it's pages that it just lacked the impact it should've had. still, I'd recommend this to anyone who has any interest in Korea at all, both north and south. fuck the fascists 💜

kristyreads's review

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emotional funny informative reflective fast-paced

4.5

4.5 stars. I really enjoyed this and loved how this showed the power of protesting and that the fight for justice is long and slow. Very inspiring, funny, and informative!

kdahlo's review

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4.0

Really unusual and cool book about organizing in South Korea during the author's college years. The narrator comes across as quite wide-eyed and naive, and gives a tour of various activist apparatus. My impression is that the story is based on truth, and it fits with my own experiences of how quickly your world-view can change when getting involved in activism. It also has a great representation of the types of people you are likely to meet in activist circles. While there are parts of this book that portray violence and allude to sexual violence, I would say it's overall appropriate even down to middle school age, mostly because the tone and detail stays pretty light and the outlook is very positive.

dembury's review

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5.0

I learned so much about the political landscape of 1980s South Korea and the Fifth Republic from this, and that alone made it a deeply worthwhile read! “Banned Book Club” is high stakes, inspiring, and also deeply relevant. Highly recommend for both young adult and adult audiences, especially those interested in reading as rebellion, as well as making change.

katieeigenfeld's review

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challenging hopeful informative inspiring tense fast-paced

4.75

stbookreaper's review

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

This book was great to read! Learning about Korean history from a students point of view gave insight into the events that took place in a relatable and real way. I feel inspired to be active in my community and fight for what I believe in!