This is an interesting manga. The subject matter is intresting and important, but the story was a little flat for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this E-Arc of The Banned Book Club that I was provided in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I really liked this graphic novel and hated to give it a 3/5. In reality, it was probably between 3 and 4, but the things I didn’t like pushed it closer to three than four.

It was really great in terms of providing a context for what life was like for protestors during the early 80s in South Korea. The images worked well to emphasize the violence, fear, and control. The main character, Hyun Sook, a timid and shy young girl just starting college, worked perfectly to show these risks because she was able to capture the naivety of a young girl who thinks things are as they appear. Watching her wake up to the atrocities of the world was eye opening and enjoying.

The part I didn’t like was the ending. I won’t give spoilers; let me just say it was far too abrupt. I didn’t feel like there was a real ending so much as an abrupt stop that was neatly tied with an epilogue. It felt very lazy.

This book was okay, fine. It assumed a lot of prior knowledge on Korean history and the illustrations often skipped around in a way that made it hard to follow. I also wasn't that invested in the characters and felt like I couldn't really differentiate their personalities until the very end.

Graphic memoir was a really good medium for this story about students fighting against oppression in south Korea. It had an inspiring message and unique, interesting characters that really drove the story forward. Stories about speaking truth to power are particularly important right now and I appreciated the style and voice of Banned Book Club.