I really liked this graphic novel set in South Korea before the impeachment of one of their leaders. It was set during the student protests to try and bring Korea to democracy and followed a group of friends in college who were involved in the movement. I love the way the graphic novel made it easier to understand and see the struggles they went through, and the government that opposed their movement. I also liked the last chapter of the novel being held at their reunion when they were older. Great story telling and art work.

I received this book via Netgalley and appreciate the opportunity to review this book.

Recounts Kim Hyun Sook's time in university and involvement in a student protest movement against the South Korean government. While enjoyable, I am only vaguely aware of Korean political history, so the book was lacking in some context and not always easy to follow in terms of the political actors. Still a timely book, but it would have been more impactful to me with some more details.

This is a stunning, visual example of how books can be the beginnings of change; teaching readers that not everything in the media or government is true and to look for the truth and fight for it.

I am not generally a fan of historical fiction in any shape. But. This book is amazing. This book deals with a militaristic regime in 1983. A small group of university students has a book club where they discuss banned books and foreign news that isn't shown on the television in South Korea. They have to be very careful of the police and the secret service that are always on the lookout for Communists or other people that don't fall in line. I won't post any spoilers but I highly, highly recommend this book. It is so good and I learned a ton of information that I didn't know about previously.

I know little about the history of our Asian neighbors, and every time I read about it I feel the need to learn more.

“Banned Book Club” is set in 1983, when South Korea was under the rule of President Chun Doo-hwan, who came into power through a military coup d’état. Main character Kim Hyun Sook has just started university, where she becomes involved in a book club that is part of a movement protesting against the authoritarian government. Those suspected of being a part of the group are tortured by police to inform against their peers. It is uncanny how similar their experiences were to those of Filipinos during Martial Law.

My only gripe was the art, which made it a challenge to distinguish between different characters. Nevertheless, I recommend this graphic novel to people, especially fellow Asians, interested in South Korea beyond what we usually see in K-dramas. We have many things to learn from each other’s journey as a nation. 3.5 of 5 stars. (Thank you NetGalley and Iron Circus Comics for the ecomics!)

"Funny how if you were reading his dystopian scifi novel with a minor subplot about fascist ruling Korea, you'd be jailed.

So you gotta wonder. Do they ban books because they see danger in their authors, or because they see the selves in their villains?"

This book really hit close to home. I understood Hyun Sook's situation and have even harbored her thoughts before. In a way this book felt like a love letter to me because of how it really resonated. The fight is indeed not yet over. I will be eternally grateful for reading this book in this crucial year.

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for the gifted copy, all thoughts are completely my own

I really wanted to love this, it seems like so many people loved it. I found it extremely disjointed and disengaging.

I tried multiple times to read it but sadly it was a dnf. I'm not sure if it's the format it's written in or what but it didn't make me feel the need to keep reading.

1.5 **

Immensely enjoyable with its beautiful illustration, interesting characters and story. It emphasised the importance of dissent and fighting back against tyranny. How it becomes a part of everyday life unless we resist. I really liked the importance it put on student protests and how dangerous the higher-ups think they can be. I loved the fact that it showed how you can find friendships and love even at the backdrop of resisting against fascism because life happens when we least expect it.

I found this book' to be beautiful and succinct in its commentary. It manages to cover so many aspects of so many things through its powerful illustrations and simple dialogue. I especially loved the epilogue because it shows that the fight against fascism is one that is neverending; and that the evil takes many shapes, so we must recognise and resist it.

Loved this graphic novel. It was about a history I was not taught in school. It forced me to do some extra research while I was reading. The premise is good, the character development is good too. I enjoyed this a lot.

This is one of those books that should be essential reading, especially in our current political climate. Hyun Sook's story is one that repeats over, and over, and over, and is showing its face once again very soon all over the West. Governments that are overreaching, book bans, have been a common theme of dystopia novels throughout the age, and this follows tradition with one noble exception. This isn't dystopic. This is a true story, one that's been occurring for decades across the world. Which, in all honestly, lowkey makes it even more dystopic in a way. I'm recommending this to literally everyone; the art is great, the message is strong, and the characters are amazing.

I learned so much from this book!

In this graphic memoir / history text, the author Kim Hyun Sook tells the reader about her experiences in college in South Korea during he early 1980s. The country was struggling with internal problems, where the government was suppressing freedoms and college students were protesting the brutality of the regime. Books were banned. People were being arrested, interrogated and tortured. And the young adults were seeking equitable treatment and open discussion and thought. The author was a student of literature and finds herself slowly and quietly joining the movement. The story was completely new to me. I even visited South Korea with the American military at that time, and had no idea.

My biggest complaint is with respect to the artwork. For me the characters were not distinctive. They tended to look like one another with no distinctive markings, clothing or looks. And all of the characters appeared angry at all times. For me it distracted from the moments when they would actually be angry.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Iron Circus Comics for my digital ARC in exchange for my review.

Banned Book Club is a moving graphic novel/memoir about the fight for progress and democracy under an authoritarian regime. It's a relevant read in today's political climate and I can't wait to recommend this book to almost everyone I know. <3

Many thanks to the publisher for the ARC of Banned Book Club. I was a teensy bit nervous going in to reading Banned Book Club, having seen it on so many lists, but let me tell you that the book is in no way over-overhyped.

Let's start with the artwork. The linework is bold and active. No spoilers, but I didn't expect a graphic novel about a book club to be so dynamic, from Hyun's family steak restaurant to the masked dance club at her school, this is one of the most alive black-and white graphic novel's I've read. The level of detail feels considered in a really skillful way--it's neither overly minimalist and spare, or super intricate, but there is a lot of shading and shape used to represent indoor spaces in a way that conveys their vastness or crowdedness effectively. I found the characterization really excellent--all of the characters are easily distinguishable, which is something I sometimes struggle with in manga-influenced artwork.

Hyun is an innocent literature major starting out as a first-generation university student in South Korea in 1983, and the perfect foil for readers who may have little grasp of South Korean history. The invitation to a bookclub takes her down the rabbit hole into the world of the threatening protesters out front of her university demanding the country's president step down. Hyun's culture clashes with parents, skeevy literature professor/tutor (I couldn't quite figure out the western equivalent), burgeoning romance, and awakening feminist sensibilities all find a satisfying place within the larger narrative of her eyes being opened to the political state of her country, where the price of dissidence is high. This view of repressive and semi-totalitarian South Korea is such a helpful mirror for those of us in countries we consider as democratic as I had previously thought post-Korean War South Korea was.

"Are you surprised that after all that, we still have to fight the same fights?" a group of teens ask Hoon, one of the OG bookclub members, but he reminds them that progress is never a straight line in a way that's experienced and hopeful. Also, Suji is my hero--extracurriculars are feminist club and punching cops. Same. It's so meaningful to see college students for whom activism wasn't a phase, but shaped their life's trajectory. These characters are such a profound example for teens who care deeply about things but often get beaten back by adults who treat activism and protesting like it's a phase. I think this graphic novel will help teen activists feel seen. Put it in your library. Grades 9+

5 word review: excellent, timely, action-packed, confusing and unsettling.

Banned Book Club
By: Kim Hyun Sook, Ryan Estrada and Hyundai-Ju Ko
4.3 / 5.0

I was never confused when reading this novel. I understood which character was which. This graphic novel shows that political change is not always a straight line. If you think something isn’t fair, then stand up for justice. You won’t be alone. There is always someone else who thinks the same way you do. This book also shows how resilient the younger generations are. Each new generation will see more things that need to be fixed and stand up for them. Change is possible, even with a dictator controlling a country.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Banned-Book-Club-Hyun-Sook/dp/194582042X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Banned+book+club&qid=1592158605&s=books&sr=1-1


Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/banned-book-club-kim-hyun-sook/1134897444?ean=9781945820427

This review will appear on my blog on August 11, 2020.

This book taught me a lot about the history and situation in South Korea. I think it’s really important for people to learn about these things.
Sometimes I found this book quite confusing though. At times I had trouble with seeing who was who in the story and who said what.
Overall, it was really interesting.

The intentions in this historical fiction graphic are impressive.
The illustrations are not as exciting as I wold have liked, but it almost seemed on purpose...
whether it was or not...don't tell me.
Despite this taking place in Korea, the content is highly relevant to North America right now.
Give it a whirl and get down with some Korean revolutionaries.
Thanks to NetGalley & Letter Better Publishing Services for my DRC.

My Review: Honestly, when I first picked up this book, I did because of the title, having not read the synopsis. I had no idea how much politics were going to be in this book, but it wasn't a bad thing. It is amazing how this true story still has a connection and an impact today. This turned out to be a very timely book to read. I had no idea how much of an impact protests and young generations of university students had on the political climate in South Korea. I did enjoy the art style but with some of the smaller frames it was difficult to identify the various characters. Overall, this was a really good graphic novel and, like I said earlier, a very timely one.

My Rating: I found this to be a really interesting and eye opening read. It was not a graphic novel you pick up and just power through in a single sitting, it takes more time to absorb. I give it a rating of Three Paws and a Stump Wag.

Thanks to #NetGalley for a copy of this graphic novel.

I really enjoyed this memoir styled graphic novel that give insight into the political unrest in South Korea in the early eighties. During this time college students were protesting the Police Force and corruption in the government. Hyun Sook studies literature at university, where a fellow student invites her to join a banned book club. She reluctantly joins the club, despite some of the consequences. The black and white perspective of the graphic portion of the novel was brilliant . Both text and graphics told an insightful story of Hyun Sook's university days. A part of history many will not know or recall the facts of the oppressive ruling class.

I really enjoyed this Graphic novel and highly recommend it

I think this was the perfect medium for this story and it was such a wonderful reading experience. Graphic novels can be so powerful and I really enjoyed this one, I think mostly because of the medium and particularly the art style, which was amazing. My only thing would be that I do prefer graphic novels that have colour, either full colour or just some colour. I think, for me, it provides a better reading/viewing experience, but altogether it didn’t detract too much from the overall experience. Highly recommend.

This is such an important graphic novel. The experience of the young and the fight and the fear in young boys and girls makes you realise the power youth has in its hands. It's always been the young and the energetic that brought about the change and 33 years later everywhere I see even if it's my own country it's the young who are voicing and raising their voice for the betterment. Hyun sook shows us her story through an innocent yet evolving character that the graphics keep you engrossed and make you feel the same emotion the graphics portray in the comic book. You got to read it. Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.