WHEN MY NAME WAS KEOKO

By Linda Sue Park
ISBN: 9780618133352

Bibliography:
Park, Linda Sue. 2002. When My Name Was Keoko. New York: Clarion Books.

Plot:
When My Name Was Keoko takes place in Korea during World War II, and is told from the perspective of two young Korean siblings. Sun-hee and her brother, Tae-yul, describe what life is like living in Korea as they are forced by the inhabiting Japanese soldiers to abandon all ties to their Korean culture, which includes changing their Korean names to Japanese names.

Sun-hee’s parents quietly rebel against the occupation in their own ways while her uncle is much more vocal about resisting. Sun-hee’s uncle, who works for the resistance, is forced into hiding when Sun-hee misunderstands a tip given to her by a Japanese friend. The guilt of this mistake haunts her throughout the story and changes the family dynamic. The story intensifies as Tae-yul makes a brave and self-sacrificing decision to join the Japanese army in order to protect his family. When the war is finally over, the family strives to regain normalcy.

Analysis:
Park carefully tells this story from two perspectives addressing both male and female roles in the Korean culture during this time. These complex characters must make difficult, self-sacrificing decisions in order to keep their family safe. Sun-hee struggles to make sense of it all as family secrets are hidden from her, and she lives with the guilt of mistakenly sending her uncle away: "After Uncle left, I couldn't trust myself to speak. It seemed that my mouth and heart were all connected. When I opened my mouth, my eyes would fill with tears. To keep from crying, I had to close my mouth, so I didn't talk much."

Tae-yul struggles to find his place in a world that has been turned upside-down and deals with anger toward his father for not openly resisting the Japanese. Readers will relate to issues regarding feelings of guilt, duty, honor, respect, and loss. The setting is extremely tense as Japanese soldiers force families to abandon their Korean culture, punishing those that resist. As the characters deal with the new imposed rules, tensions mount as characters choose to conform or resist. Readers will relate to themes of patriotism versus conforming to imposed rules in order to keep the family intact.

Review Excerpts:
Horn Book: “In alternating chapters covering the years 1940 to 1945, two Korean siblings describe their lives during the Japanese military occupation. Tae-yul admires their uncle, who works for the resistance; younger sister Sun-hee is more like their father, subdued and introspective, rebelling in quiet but significant ways. The novel provides an accessible introduction to this painful history.”

"A brother and sister alternate as narrators in this well-constructed novel, which takes place from 1940-1945 in Japanese-occupied Korea," wrote PW in a starred review. "Through the use of the shifting narrators, Park subtly points up the differences between male and female roles in Korean society and telling details provide a clear picture of the siblings and their world."

Connections:
*Other books by Linda Sue Park:
The Kite Fighters ISBN: 9780395940419
A Single Shard ISBN: 9780395978276
Project Mulberry ISBN: 9780618477869