When My Name Was Keoko (Jane Addams Honor Book (Awards)) [Hardcover]

Linda Sue Park (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Jane Addams Honor Book (Awards)

Sun-hee and her older brother, Tae-yul, live in Korea with their parents. Because Korea is under Japanese occupation, the children study Japanese and speak it at school. Their own language, their flag, the folktales Uncle tells them—even their names—are all part of the Korean culture that is now forbidden. When World War II comes to Korea, Sun-hee is surprised that the Japanese expect their Korean subjects to fight on their side. But the greatest shock of all comes when Tae-yul enlists in the Japanese army in an attempt to protect Uncle, who is suspected of aiding the Korean resistance. Sun-hee stays behind, entrusted with the life-and-death secrets of a family at war.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Inspired by her own family's stories of living in South Korea during the Japanese occupation in the years preceding World War II, Newbery Medal-winning author Linda Sue Park chronicles the compelling story of two siblings, 10-year-old Sun-hee and 13-year-old Tae-yul, and their battle to maintain their identity and dignity during one of Korea's most difficult and turbulent times. In alternating first-person chapters, they relate their family's troubles under the strict fascist regime. The Kim family is stripped of their cultural symbols, only permitted to learn Japanese history and language, and forced to convert their names to Japanese. Sun-hee, now Keoko, struggles to reconcile her Korean home life with her Japanese school and friends, while Tae-yul, now Nobuo, attempts to convert his growing anger into a more positive passion for flight and airplanes. Both are worried for their uncle, whom they discover is printing an underground Korean resistance paper. When Sun-hee inadvertently puts her uncle's life in danger, she sets in motion a chain of events that results in her brother volunteering as a pilot for the Japanese near the end of WWII. While Sun-hee and her parents wait in breathless uncertainty to hear from Tae-yul, the war rushes to a close, leaving Korea's destiny hanging in the balance. This well-researched historical novel is accompanied by a thoughtful author's note that explains what happened to Korea and families like the Kims after WWII and a bibliography to entice interested young readers into learning more about a topic largely unknown to American audiences. (Ages 10 to 14) --Jennifer Hubert

From Publishers Weekly

A brother and sister alternate as narrators in Newbery Medalist Park's (A Single Shard) well-constructed novel, which takes place from 1940-1945 in Japanese-occupied Korea. The Japanese government forbids the Korean language to be spoken and the country's flag to be flown, and even forces Korean families like Tae-yul and Sun-hee's to change their names (Sun-hee becomes Keoko). Through the use of the shifting narrators, Park subtly points up the differences between male and female roles in Korean society; and the father's process of choosing the family's Japanese name speaks volumes about his strength and intelligence. As the war intensifies, each family member asserts his or her individuality, from Sun-hee, who continues to keep a journal after a soldier calls it "a crime against our Divine Emperor," to her uncle, who prints a revolutionary newspaper in hiding, to Tae-yul, who joins the Japanese army to avoid helping the military police capture his uncle only to be chosen as a kamikaze pilot. The son comes to an understanding of his father rather abruptly at the novel's close, and some readers may wonder why Tae-yul was not labeled a chin-il-pa ("lover of Japan" ). But, in the end, telling details provide a clear picture of Sun-hee and Tae-yul and their world. Readers will come away with an appreciation of this period of history and likely a greater interest in learning more about it. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books; None edition (March 18, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618133356
• ISBN-13: 978-0618133352
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,206,593 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Linda Sue Park is the author of the Newbery Medal book A Single Shard, many other novels, several picture books, and most recently a book of poetry: Tap Dancing on the Roof: Sijo (Poems). She lives in Rochester, New York, with her family, and is now a devoted fan of the New York Mets. For more infromation visit www.lspark.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a different kind of history lesson ..., October 10, 2004

By 

Yumi (United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: When My Name Was Keoko (Paperback)

When I was younger, my mom told me her older sister was a girl during the time when Japan occupied Korea. I never gave it much thought until I read this book. My aunt also had to change her name and learn Japanese in school. As a Korean-American who was born and raised in the US, I can't even begin to imagine the hardships they had to endure.

The story is simply written but may be a little difficult to follow for younger readers because of the flip-flop narration between the brother and sister. But it is a beautiful story. What I loved most was that while the story is from the point of view of 2 Korean children, the author did not villanize the Japanese. In a world that is consumed by hate, it is refreshing to read a story that is about family, friends, and hope, instead of hate and revenge.

I love this book so much I have bought a copy for my school library.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When My Name Was Keoko, July 25, 2005

By 

Drama/English teacher "RD" (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When My Name Was Keoko (Paperback)

I am a middle school Language Arts teacher from Florida where WHEN MY NAME WAS KEOKO is among the 15 books selected as Sunshine State Young Readers recommended books for the 2005-2006 school year. Having read all 15 books this summer, a few stood out as being worth a 5 star rating; WHEN MY NAME WAS KEOKO is one of those books and, in my humble opinion, the best of the all.

Were I to be asked to teach character using a young adult (YA) novel, I would certainly choose this book from this list (which also includes the excellent YA titles: GRANNY TORELLI MAKES SOUP, SAHARA SPECIAL, THE UNSEEN and AL CAPONE DOES MY SHIRTS -- I would also highly recommend the superb SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson). The beauty of this historical fiction is that it seems so real a story because it seems to treat its characters with such enormous respect and clarity of voice. I was particularly impressed as it told a story of a time in history that I am not familiar with (and yet I felt I should have been). Perhaps that revelation makes me more enraptured of the story within. I felt honored to be allowed to see such an intimate portrait of two characters who (by their society's standards) would be more naturally private in their thoughts.

I cannot recommend this book more.

[I will not reveal any more of the story than other commentators already have as I feel that the joy of the reading is in discovering what comes next.]

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Educational and Fun Read, May 27, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: When My Name Was Keoko (Jane Addams Honor Book (Awards)) (Hardcover)

The book When My Name Was Keoko, by Linda Sue Park, was a good book. I read it for a 7th grade English class, and enjoyed reading it. This book is about a painful chapter in Korean history. This book takes place in Korea, in 1940, and is about a Korean family, named Kim, who have to survive in despite of Japanese discrimination during World War II. The young girl in the family, Sun-hee is ignorant and doesn't really understand everything the Japanese do, while her brother, Tae-yul, almost does. Tae-yul joins the Japanese army, and becomes a kamikaze pilot in order to show the strength of the Korean people. The rest of the family has to stay home, and fight for their equality.
I liked this book because it taught many lessons, but wasn't too much of a "school book." Most books we read about World War II talk about the war's affect on the US, but this book shows the war from a whole other perspective. The story kept me reading, but I have read better books. The most enjoyable part of this book was the fact that, every chapter, it switched from Sun-hee's point of view too Tae-yul's point of view. This made the book more interesting because you would read about things from both people's point of view. Reading a book like this allowed me to have a deeper understanding of some themes, problems, and lessons, such as fighting against discrimination. I liked the way Linda Sue Park was extremely descriptive, because it allowed me to see the characters, and feel the hardships of the Kim family. For example, even on the first page, one of the main character's personalities is shown. "I wasn't supposed to listen to men's business, but I couldn't help it...the longer I stayed in the room, the more I heard." This shows the character Sun-hee, and the ways she wanted to know information. I highly recommend this book to young adult readers because it is truthful, teaches lessons, and is a good read.