Year of Impossible Goodbyes by: Sook Nyul Choi

Ages: 10+

It is 1945, and the Japanese are ruling Korea. 10 year old Sookan lives with her mother, younger brother Inchun, her grandfather, and her Aunt Tiger in the northern part of Korea. Her father is away with the resistance movement, her three older brothers have been forced into labor camps in Manchuria, and her older sister has joined a convent. Sookan’s mother runs a sock factory, where the sock girls work to produce socks for the Japanese soldiers. Finally, the war between the Japanese and Korea ends. The Koreans were overjoyed to be freed from the Japanese. However, this happiness does not last long. The Russians have taken rule over the northern part of Korea. Sookan and her family must flee to the southern part of Korea, below the 38^th parallel. Sookan, her mother, and younger brother Inchun begin the dangerous journey to cross the boarder. At one point along the way, Sookan and Inchun get separated from their mother, and are left to fend for themselves. At a train station, an old man with a broom gives Sookan and Inchun information about how to cross the boarder to the American-ruled southern part of Korea. Will Sookan and Inchun make it safely across the boarder? Will their mother and the rest of their family make it safely to the other side of the 38^th parallel? Find out in Year of Impossible Goodbyes.

Year of Impossible Goodbyes was an enjoyable book. It was a quick read, and I couldn’t seem to put the book down. There was so much going on, and I wanted to see if Sookan and her family would make it safely over the 38^th Parallel boarder to the southern part of Korea. I like the fact that it was written from the point of view of a 10-year-old girl. This will help children relate to Sookan better. Children will see what it was like for a girl about their age during the war. The text in the story is very detailed and descriptive. The events of the book are described so well that I was able to make mental images of what was happening. There are also many facts about Korea and the war. The reader will learn a great deal about what was happening during this point of history. I like that the author included some Korean words that she then translated to English. This helps teach the reader more about the Korean culture. The characters in the book are developed well. I felt like I knew characteristics and the personality of most of the characters. There were so many events that occurred during the story, however the author was able to link them together very well. This book was very emotional. There are emotions from happiness to devastation. Sookan and her family went through so much, and I cannot imagine going through some of the things they went through. Sookan’s family was forced to give up family treasures. I cannot imagine giving up the most important and precious things to me. Also, Sookan, Inchun, and their mother had to endure periods of starvation and horrible living and traveling conditions. All the events and struggles they went through are unimaginable. The worries I had when I was 10 years old are incomparable to the worries and struggles that Korean families had to endure. I was amazed at how brave Sookan was during this time. She went through so much and was forced to “grow up” fast. Sookan and her family had great determination to cross the 38^th parallel to safety. This book gives the reader insights to the struggles faced in order to gain the freedom they were striving for. This book portrays the incredible love Sookan’s family had for one another. Overall, I thought this was a great book. I would recommend Year of Impossible Goodbyes to any reader looking for an informational and adventurous book!

Reading Year of Impossible Goodbyes right after So Far From the Bamboo Grove was beneficial for me as a reader. I appreciated how both authors were able to captivate their experiences during war. Reading from both the Japanese and Korean perspectives helped me understand the struggles both sides went through during the war. I learned so much about the war, and about both the Japanese and Korean cultures. Both books emphasized family. I think this is wonderful, because family is very important especially in the time of war. This shows what is really important in the long run in life. Both books also talked about courage and bravery. I don’t think any of the characters would have gotten through the struggles they faced without courage and bravery. These books were very powerful, and I would recommend reading them together. It is wonderful to be able to compare the two different perspectives of people who lived through the war, but from the two different sides of the war. These books show a point of view of a large piece of history that not many have experienced. I believe that students would be able to get into rich discussion about these books. I would highly recommend reading Year of Impossible Goodbyes and So Far From the Bamboo Grove.