I can definitely see myself choosing this book as a book club pick! The characters are interesting, the plot is engaging, and I think younger audiences would be highly attracted by the title and cover. I can think of so many discussion topics and projects that my book club would be able to engage in after reading this book! I highly recommend!

Based on a true story, Banned Book Club tells of Kim Hyun Sook, a South Korean woman who finds herself joining an underground banned book club in the 1980's. During this time, the political climate in South Korea consisted of a corrupt government that banned Western literature and a military regime that obtained power through censoring, torturing and murdering protesters that were involved in consuming such content.

We see Sook come into college with the mindset that she's only there to study, learn and read. Soon enough, she finds out that it's not all that simple as she's exposed to the realities of the environment she's around. I enjoyed seeing her growth. In the beginning, she starts off closed off and blinded to the ideologies of the protesters and members of the BBC but as she uncovers and finds out the truth, she understands the power of having a voice, taking action and being part of something revolutionary.

The book brings up a great discussion about censorship-- Why do people ban books? Is it purely because of the content? Do they see danger in the authors that create the content? Or is it because there's a possibility that they see themselves in the "villains" or characters of the story and they're too ashamed to admit it?

I loved the ending message. Progress isn't just a straight shot. It's filled with twists and turns but in the end, that doesn't mean we should stop fighting for what's right.

My only gripe with this book is that it moved too fast for me, in a way that felt as if I was missing information. There were so many characters thrown at once that it felt hard for me to distinguish between each of them at times. It's not easy to condense history and real-life events into a certain format, especially in graphic novel form so it's understandable.

Although marketed as YA, I would definitely recommend this book for adults who enjoy reading nonfiction graphic novel memoirs as well. I think this book would also be great reading material for Banned Book Week.

Thank you to Netgalley and Letter Better Publishing Services for providing me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

‘Banned Book Club’ is the Daring Memoir That Comes Once A Generation

Banned Book Club from Iron Circus Comics caught my eye from the beginning. I love reading about places I’ve never been, about historical events involving folks people who don’t look like me, speak the same language as me or worship the same way I do. I love comics from the Asian diaspora, especially manwha. Banned Book Club presents the true story of a South Korean woman’s student days in college in the early 1980s. Under an authoritarian regime she found — through the rebellion of reading — her purpose and learned how powerful a tool censorship can be.

There is this wonderful thread in the narrative on art, on literature and the political nature of it all. My friends, let me assure you it is one of the best turning points for both Kim Hyun Sook and the reader. Our girl just wants to exist, and moreso try her hand at making a life for herself. We can’t fault her. So she reads her assignments, goes to her classes, joins a club, and tries to keep up. Yet at every turn, she is hella surprised when she is confronted with the fact that nothing is apolitical — from the tried and true plays of William Shakespeare to more traditional Korean art forms like the stories connected to Korean mask dances. It is a startling turning point for Kim Hyun Sook and a brilliant reminder for the reader as we can all turn a critical eye to all the media we consume now. From fairy tales and folklore from days of old to AAA video games we buy and heatedly discuss and debate on the internet.

The artist, Ko Hyung-Ju, illustrates the adventures of Kim Hyun Sook and her ragtag band of friends effortlessly. Banned Book Club visually shines with a stark, black and white color scheme. What comes across the best are the emotions. We see nervous smiles on faces of girls entering bookstores looking for forbidden, banned books, the look of fear echoed in someone’s eyes when a government authority turns their sly grin their way in an interrogation room.

The fast pacing of the book is enhanced by Hyung-Ju’s art with big, bold action sequences. Grittiness and softness both have their place in this narrative across the pages. That Ko Hyung-Ju? He has THE RANGE. I’ve always loved manwha, often placed second to Japanese Manga for years. This is a great representation of it to share with someone who is looking to get a start in reading it.

Hi, I'm an ignorant American who was raised in the American public school system. I'm not dumb, and I try to learn on my own via reading books, magazine articles, web-based news (with a grain of salt) and watching various videos/documentaries online, but there are HUGE gaping holes in what I know. This graphic novel exposed one of those areas of lack of knowledge to me.

I had NO IDEA that South Korea wasn't magically a democracy after the Korean War. I had no clue that there was a dictatorship and that the people of South Korea had to fight and revolt for democracy. I just assumed they always were democratic after the war.

You know what I think would be a good high school/college class? One about democracy around the world and how the people had to fight for it, and the places where they are still fighting for it. This book would be required reading for that class.

Honestly, I think it should be required reading for all Americans in the school system. When I went to school at least, we didn't get a lot about other countries, at least, not that I remember. To be fair, that was a while ago. Also to be fair, I don't recall most of what I learned back then. Or at least I can't differentiate it from what I just "know" and don't know where I picked it up. Maybe from school, maybe from a book, who knows?

So, back to the book. It was amazing and terrifying and I can't imagine living in fear of the Government and having to fight for basic rights like voting and reading what you want to read. Yes, America has it's issues, but I'm not afraid I'm going to be dragged to prison by the police, beaten to give up my friends and locked up without due process because I was seen reading 1984 or the Handmaid's Tale.

America isn't perfect and it is always possible to go in the reverse re: human rights, but I think there are a lot of people who are extra vigilant about making sure we don't lose our rights, so we haven't back-slid to dystopia, yet.

This book is a good way to keep us awake and aware and not take our rights for granted. Yes, they got violent. I'm not pro-violence at all, but I am not judging what they did to get the freedoms they deserved as human beings. I think they were immensely brave and they did things I don't know I would be able to do if I was in that situation.

So thank you Kim Hyun Sook, for sharing this with the world. It needed to be said and shared and I am glad that I was able to read this book. This is one I will be recommending to everyone. 5, life isn't always how we think it is and sometimes we need to fight for it to be the way it should be, stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Letter Better Publishing Services/Iron Circus Comics for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

3.5
Graphic novels are a great formate for learning about events you aren't familiar with such as the political events in South Korea addressed in this book through the combination of multiple true stories put together.

*Received via NetGalley for review*

An interesting look into South Korea in the 80's, a time period I'd never really thought about. Kim starts off as an ideal daughter (almost), obedient and hardworking, but with a passion for learning and exploring her boundaries. When she goes off to college, she's quickly swept up in the political fervor around her.

My only complaint is that all of this seemed to happen: 1) too fast (a cute boy just randomly decides she'd be a good fit for his subversive book club? And then she's all in VERY quickly) and 2) TO Kim. She's always just kind of swept up in everything that's going on, rather than making the decisions head-on.

Otherwise, a worthy addition to the great trend of political graphic novel memoirs that are popping up today.

Interesting story about early 80s South Korea and the culture of university protests. I used to live in Seoul in the early 2000s and the spring and summer were known for student protests in Seoul. I didn't understand it at the time, but now I have a greater clarity at the tradition of protesting in South Korea.

This is a great read. I learned some South Korean history that I'd been completely unaware of before. Attention-grabbing and moving.

I loved this book, it was an exciting story with so much heart and put me so perfectly in the mindset of the characters and a perspective that I knew of but hadn't really followed to all of its implications. The ending really blew me away too, that there is not resolution or solution in politics, we can only keep pushing for better and better and to stay vigilant. An excellent book and an important book, can't wait to start handing it to teens and adults.

Really good depiction of severe government unrest and censorship in South Korea in the early ‘80s. The story feels a bit disjointed at times and hard to follow, but the artwork is good and the message is conveyed well.

I really didnt care for this book as much as I thought I would like it. It honest just wasnt my cup of tea. The author did a really good job.

I'm so happy I got to read this. It was a fantastic short read that really packed a punch. It's scary how this fight still goes on— the fight for democracy and the fight for what's right. The artwork is fantastic and I can't wait to own a copy when it comes out.

I was given an ARC of this Graphic Novel by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting read about how a group of students stood up against an unjust and corrupted government. A government aimed at keeping their population ignorant and under their thumb. Where people in power, even teachers, abused it. How parents can be fearful of new opportunities for their kids that they did not have. How encouragement can shape a child's future. How friendship and a sense of community can break down walls. How the younger generation needs to have a voice to invoke change. It offers and easy to read history lesson for people who need graphics to make things more interesting and understandable.

As someone who does not read graphic novels often, I really enjoyed this and will be looking into the genre more often.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Letter Better Publishing for providing me with a free E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Ok. Let’s first just talk about the front cover and the title. The bookworm in me could not resist. When I read the summary I was intrigued. However, I must admit before reading this amazing graphic novel I knew very little about South Korean politics.

This nonfiction tale follows Hyun Sook as she leaves home to pursue her dream of attending college, against her mother’s wishes. After arriving at college she quickly realizes that the atmosphere and environment isn’t quite what she had envisioned. Although she tried to stay away from the student protestors, it became increasingly clear that wasn’t going to be possible. So Hyun joined the school book club in hopes of reading some of her favorite western literature. Unbeknownst to her she had just joined a book club that was ran by student protesters who read and discussed books that had been banned by the government. Initially terrified of what she had gotten herself into, Hyun soon learned that the protestors weren’t yelling to just cause a ruckus. They truly had something to say and deserved to be heard. In this realization she decided, she wanted to be on the frontlines to help ensure they were heard by the masses.

“So you gotta wonder. Do they ban books because they see danger in their authors, or because they see themselves in their villains?”

I highly recommend this novel for any collection. It truly is an amazing non-fiction graphic novel. The art, done in all black and white, made this an even more enjoyable reading experience. As I said in the beginning I went into this book with little to no knowledge on this subject but I left it feeling much more informed. Although this did not happen in the United States, it is still important to have knowledge about history outside of your own. Not to mention, what everyone can relate to in this novel no matter the country for which you live, is to fight for what is right and never stop believing in progress. “Progress is not a straight line never take it for granted.”

2.5

I thought this was just okay. The art was fairly basic with a story that had a lot of importance, but took some time to get into. I found it to be quite jagged and difficult to feel engaged.

This graphic novel reminded me again about our past, present and uncertain future in regards to being able to speak your mind. Freedom of speech should never be something we take for granted because sometimes history repeats itself. The story of Hyun Sook was a scary one, but also an important tale about reading what you want, saying what you want and living the life YOU choose for yourself. I read this in one sitting and will be recommending it to many students when it comes out. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

1983: Kim Hyun Sook's college experience isn't what she thought it would be. As soon as she arrives at her Korean college, she is shocked to see students protesting. Hyun joins what she thinks is an innocent book club, but is terrified when she discovers it's a BANNED book club. She runs away, afraid of losing her scholarship or disappointing her father by being arrested or kicked out. But her curiosity gets the better of her and soon she's down a rabbit hole learning things that shock her about her own government and country (Korea). She attends an illegal news screening and helps to create and distribute flyers of banned writing. Many of her friends are captured and beaten for information.

The book is based on real events and real people (names changed for protection). The book ends with a history lesson on the events that happened to overthrow a corrupt politician in Korea in '16 and '17.

This is a strong historical memoir of a girl trying to keep her head down and get a university education in a Korea that does not value women or free-thinkers, and seemingly torn apart by riots. Pulled in two different directions by her traditional mother and her new school friends she must step carefully as she follows a path that leads to a more democratic Korea.

This is a Young Adult title, with talk and images of torture and hints of rape as a form of torture. This is not a book for everyone, but to the right audience, it is a perfect addition to a liberal arts library, or to expand an inclusive world-view collection. I would not put it in a middle or elementary school library - it has mature themes on more than on occasion. Librarians should read this book for themselves before deciding to put it in their collections.

As a graphic novel, I found it a bit confusing because there were not enough differentiation between some of the characters in the early chapters. There were a lot of characters introduced very quickly and I found the personalities as well as the physicalities hard to distinguish. Once the main events started to happen I found myself looking back to the introductory pages to see which character was involved. The black and white drawings did not help add detail, although it did compliment the 'historical' feel of the book.

As for the plot and storytelling: I wanted more detail about the parents, but that was simple and sort of thrown away. I wanted to see what happened with the professor, but it was never resolved. I wanted to know the actual facts of some of the time between the memories and the reunion - and the final chapter seemed a bit too simple for the excellent story detail and tension in the rest of the book. It seemed too quick, with not enough purpose. I left the book feeling a bit let down - as if I had been rushed out the door after an excellent lecture.

Graphic memoir was the perfect medium for this. The art style was beautiful and flowed so well from page to page. I think this is a great introduction to contemporary South Korean history, especially for audiences that are ignorant of the country's history of protest and oppression. The present day tie-in was also really well done, and it managed to maintain a feeling of hope while still being realistic. Given the political climate that it happening in what seems to be every single country these days, the topics discussed in this graphic novel are all too poignant and timely. The power of protest, censorship, propaganda, government-sponsored corporal punishment, and active surveillance are all messages that need to resonate with readers today--and not just a young adult audience.

I received a free copy of this graphic memoir from the publisher via #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I’m not normally a fan of graphic novels but this one quickly pulled me into this true story. The story had a good pace and the illustrations really fit with the story.
I had spent some timing living and working in South Korea so I had some background knowledge on South Korean history. But this graphic novel had me searching the internet looking for more information on the events in the book.
The messages in this book are relevant to everyone. Even though this book is set in 1983, the message of censorship, the importance of books and the importance of education still holds true today. Every reader can find some connection to make with this story and these characters. #IronCircusComics