A history I don’t know, but should. Relevant to all of us. Can’t wait to share this with students.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2937068620

This book surprised me. I wasn't sure what to expect going into it but I was immediately drawn into the main character's discovery of antiestablishment politics. It paints a brilliant picture of student revolutions and leaves the reader feeling hopeful, despite perceived setbacks in progress. The only critique I have is that there were one or two too many characters and they were difficult to keep track of.

This graphic novel blew me away! I am shocked by the amount of history and knowledge I gained from these pages. A large expanse of South Korea's political history appears in the text and with such compelling images. This story rings true for any time period and any country.

A well-done first-person primer of the political unrest in the South Korea of the 1980's, and how a shy, naive college Freshman got caught up in an underground revolutionary student movement centered around the reading and distributing of banned literature.

A quick but very affective read! Banned Book Club is a manhwa (Korean comic) memoir following Kim Hyun Sook, who began attending university in South Korea in 1983 intending to stick to studying, but got drawn into political protest through a banned book club instead.

Not knowing much about Korean history, all of the events contained in this book were new to me, but the authors did a great job of explaining the key points to understand the plot. The Korean political climate as shown here reminded me a lot of the stories of the 1960's in the U.S.; I was specifically reminded of The Strawberry Statement by James Kunen. I really appreciated the attitude of all the Banned Book Club members, who understand that protesting is dangerous but remain upbeat about their purpose. Knowledge is the enemy of authoritarianism, and censorship is its tool.

Banned Book Club is a timely narrative with important themes of resistance and hope.

TW: police brutality, off-page rape, torture

I enjoyed this manga-esque book told from a Korean perspective. It made me appreciate the freedoms I have in my country when it comes to content consumption. This book would be a great one to incorporate in a Banned Books Week display (for obvious reasons)!

I would consider this an important and relevant read about anti censorship, specifically where books are concerned. I loved the premise and as a librarian, it is so important to make sure children and adults alike know about their right to read what they would like to read.


This graphic novel fell a little flat for me. Although there were many parts where I laughed and thought the true story aspect was very interesting, I did not connect with the characters like I wanted to. I also am not sure if I would recommend this to any school library, middle or high. I am not sure if it would resonate with any of our readers.


Radical, political read with progressive messages that we all need reminders of, but not a buy for my library.

Banned Book Club was a truly remarkable graphic novel memoir. It’s about the 1983 protests lead by college students in South Korea against the military regime who censored, tortured, and murdered protesters. It is based on a true story. This story brought back a lot of memories from the few years I lived in South Korea because I literally remember my older teacher colleagues telling me about the country’s history of protests. This graphic novel depicted what I learned, and it felt surreal reading it again. I love how simple the pictures were and how easy it was to follow the author’s story. What made an even bigger impression on me is that the story is based on the author’s own story. I will definitely add this to my classroom to expose students to Asian history and show them the importance of freedom of speech and how easy it is to lose it - such an important lesson in today's political climate. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this eARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Banned Book Club is a graphic novel based on actual political rebellion that took place in Korea. Hyun Sook is eager to go to college and learn new things. She is shocked by the abundance of political protests that occur on campus. She attempts to stay out of the politics, but soon realizes that the political struggles run deeper than she ever imagined. Hyun Sook is invited to join a book club and is eager to participate because she is a literature major. Only after she arrives does she realize that the club is a banned book club and she could be arrested for participating. Although she is initially resistant to the idea of participating in the club, after a discussion in one of her literature classes, Hyun Sook decides that the political themes addresses by the banned book club are important to her.

This book will appeal to young readers that are interested in politics, particularly global politics. In addition, the graphic novel/comic format will draw readers that prefer this format.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

#IronCircusComics #NetGalley #BannedBookClub

I love when graphic novels teach me about things I didn’t know, and that’s exactly what this one did. The manga art style worked seamlessly with the plot. I didn’t necessarily need the final chapter, but I enjoyed this a lot.

I really liked this book a lot. It strikes the perfect balance of educational and entertaining; I learned more South Korea's history and found myself really drawn into both the story and the characters. Though it covers a historical period in another country, there are a lot of parallels to be drawn to the situation in the United States today, and it's an excellent to talk about both the past and the present. What's more, there's some great gay representation, which is always a pleasure to see. I'm looking forward to getting this for my library when it's published.

Very interesting and enlightening perspective on censorship and the importance of books and education. There were bits where I was just a bit confused but I'm definitely willing to do a reread to get some clarity. 3.5 out of 5 wine glasses.

I absolutely loved the concept of this graphic novel, and it was so easy to read. The traditional art style that was used in this definitely made it so much more enjoyable to read. The characters (inspired by real people) were so complex and interesting and I found myself wanting to know more about each and every one of them.

This was a really nice graphic novel about a point in history/topic I hadn't really heard much about before! I liked the artwork a lot, and the narrative choices the author took to tell her story. I don't think it really had much lasting impact on me, but I could definitely see others getting a lot out of this story.

What a lovely way to experience history. This book takes multiple real life stories to give the reader a fictionalized “true” version of the protests in 1983 lead by college students. Most of it is the story of the author, but for privacy reason has changed many names and consolidated some stories.

It all starts with the government banning certain literature. Particularly Western literature. Kim wants to read these stories. She wants to study literature. But her mother is not happy. She should be working and finding a husband. If anyone is going to go to school it should be her brother. But with help from dad, Kim goes to classes, and learns about things outside her little home world. While she loves to read she never realized that people could be thrown in jail for what they read. And for what they right. No one pressures her to join any resistance movement, they just say “hey why don’t you read what those in power don’t want us to read”. It’s eye opening. And while trying to stay neutral, she actually ends up joining protests, and helping lead more people to this literature that the government says is bad for people.

I have to give snaps to the author for the ending. We never get a clear picture of what all happen. We follow Kim though her getting involved, and then jump to 2017 where she reunites with her friends in modern protest for their land and their government. The reader gets snippets of what the characters when through, like jail time, being teachers, evening staying involved in politics to make their world a better place.

Overall I really enjoyed this story and learned quite a bit. There are parts that are a bit confusing, but I think that is from taking a long and varied history and converting it to graphic novel form. I think this book isn’t only interesting to read, but to discuss. I think it should appear on banned book lists, even if it itself has not been banned. It opens up a wider discussion on why people and governments police what others read.

#BBRC #AuthenticVoice
#ReaderHarder #journalism
#GondorGirlGNChallenge.

I really enjoyed this book and it opened up my eyes to this oppressive regime in a digestible manner. The drawing and story-line drew you in and had a great pacing. I really like the use of this medium for serious topics and I stayed up to finish it. Recommended!!

I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I just want to start by getting this out there... this was a great book on a topic I knew nothing about! It would pair really well with "Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood" to look at oppressive regimes and the actions youth take to fight their oppressors.

As far as format, the pictures in this graphic novel were beautifully drawn! So, so, so much of the story was truly told by the pictures. At times I found myself not reading the speech & thought bubbles, just reading the pictures - that's how detailed and informative they are. (Of course, I always went back and read the text! Didn't want to miss anything!) I also appreciated the layout of the panels. The panels were quite varied in size and number. This kept the pages interesting. But, the layout was always very easy to follow - something I struggle with in other graphic novels.

And the story being told is just amazing! I will admit, at the beginning, I had trouble keeping characters straight. But once I got into the story, I truly couldn't put it down. The plot is fast-paced and full of tension; the risks these young adults took to get books outlawed by the government are just astounding! The fear of discovery and the consequences is tangible on every page.

I can't wait for this to come out so that I can share it with students. I'm also thinking I may need a class set to use next year during National Banned Books Week!

Banned Book Club sheds light on a fascinating and obscure part of South Korea's history, and shows how censure continues to be a popular tool of oppression and control. This graphic novel had an eerie, bizarre vibe to it that I could never fully enter into. This adequately reflects the themes of the book and the inner tension of the protagonist, but at the same time made it hard to connect with.

"Banned Book Club" by Kim Hyun Sook is a wonderful graphic novel that blends both a story and history. The storyline is engaging and helps readers understand a bit more about the politics of South Korea and where censorship/banned books helped to shape political protest. This would be a perfect read to celebrate ALA's Banned Book Week or showcase with other censored books in a display.

Banned Book Club is definitely a story of our time while being told about the past. In the political climate of today's world this is an incredible look back to a time of censorship and fascism in Korea. Hyun Sook is invited to join a banned book club and while apprehensive at first she realizes over time that being apathetic about politics can be more detrimental than not. Her and her friends use her colleges tools and clubs as means to secretly defy the government while hoping not to get caught.

This story discusses things like corporal punishment (we see Officer Ok beating boys for information), rape (also committed by Officers), and women's rights.

While this story went by quickly in my opinion, it's refreshing to see people continuing to write about corrupt government as an act of defiance against them. Hyun Sook delivers a beautiful monologue at the end, telling her younger self not to give up hope and to continue to fight. That there will always be corruption and progress isn't always linear but it will always get better. If there is one thing you can take away from this story it would be ...read banned books! Can't wait for the pub date to come so I can add this to my personal and professional collection!