Look at this picture and think of the feelings that it evokes. Compare the concept of our American childhoods to that of a child in a war-torn country.
A map of the area the book takes place in. Think for 30 seconds what you know about the country of Korea. Can you find important places on a map? Think about what life was like during the Japanese occupation of Korea during 1910-1945. What kinds of things were happening?
This conflict was (and is) a very controversial topic. What is your opinion of Japanese rule in Korea? Think about if you were a Korean child living during this war--how would it effect you?
Professor Emeritus Han Seung-Jo (한승조) of Korea University wrote, "The colonial rule of Korea by Japan was actually a stroke of good fortune, and instead of hating them for it, they should be thanked. There is no reason to rebuke, denounce or make criminals of the pro-Japanese activities of 35 years of cooperation without opposition." He also said in a later interview, "At the time, if Japan hadn't taken over Chosun, Russia would have, and if that had happened the Korean people would have been scattered under Joseph Stalin's racial dispersion policy." Furthermore, he states, "I see the colonial rule by Japan as having been not a bad thing, but instead an opportunity for the strengthening of the Korean people's awareness."[79] (Wikipedia)
I love this book, as a kid I was grateful for what I had thanks to reading this book. My grandmother was alive during the war, she was in South Korea when the soldiers arrived and her father had to hid under their house in order to stay and feed them. Her sister was killed in front of her but she survived and the stories she told me were incredible!
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