Year of Impossible Goodbyes

Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi is a true story told from the perspective of a young Korean girl in 1945. She lived during a time when the Japanese military occupied Korea followed by the Communist Russian troops occupation of North Korea. This was a really good book that grabbed my attention after the first 40 pages or so. I eagerly read more to find out when this poor girl and her family would be finally be free. I was so relieved for Sook Nyul and her family when the Japanese finally left and they were given a huge bag of rice. I can’t imagine not being able to have plenty of food for my next meal. The Koreans were practically starved by the Japanese during this time. It makes me so sad to hear stories like this, I can’t imagine treating other people this way. It must have been terribly disappointing when the Communist Russian troops took control of North Korea right after the Japanese had left. It must have been hard to celebrate being free and then all of a sudden have to go back to living a controlled life again. I was worried about their trip to the border. I had a bad feeling about their tour guide when Sook Nyul mentioned that she thought he was just a greedy farmer. I can’t believe he left her and her brother all alone after promising to get them safely to the border. Sook Nyul and Inchun, her brother must have been frightened to be on their own. I was relieved when they made it to the border and reached the red cross tents. Thankfully, their mother made it across the border months later as well. I was worried that she had been killed. I was so happy for their family when they were finally reunited but sad that the aunt and Kisa had been killed. I wish this story would have had a happy ending but that is just not always the case in real life, especially during a war. I would definitely recommend this book and I plan to use it in my own classroom one day.