Pick #5: Memoirs of a Comfort Woman
The atrocity of war devastates women's lives.
Grass tells the true story of Okseon Lee, a korean woman during the Japanese occupation of Korea in WWII. “The term “comfort women” [is] controversial, distorting, inadequate – a euphemism that misrepresents the sexual slavery endured by Korean girls and women during the Second World War at the hands of the Japanese military. Grass tells the story of one of this system’s survivors, revealing the horrific realities that the term “comfort woman” occludes.”—The Globe & Mail
Keum Suk Gendry-Kim conducted interviews with Lee, that form the framework of the book. She emphasizes Lee's strength in overcoming the many forms of adversity she experienced. But this is an emotionally ROUGH book about war and suffering and survival, and ulitmately about the importance of non-violence and peace.
So if you want to let in all the emotions, this is our pick for you.
