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| Trampled Blossom |
Fiction. Young Adult. Women's Studies. Asian & Asian American Studies. A young adult novel recounting the devastation of a victim of Japanese military sexual slavery. The first young adult novel to paint a vivid and realistic depiction of the "comfort women." The story of the young girls whose bodies and souls were trampled in their blossoming youth as they were dragged from their hometowns across foreign lands from Inner Mongolia and Shanghai, China, to Leyte Island in the Philippines.
Many are familiar with the history of the "comfort women," the victims of Japanese military sexual slavery, but how much do they really know? Few fully understand exactly why and how the girls came to be "comfort women," the scope of the assault they endured at the "comfort stations" set up throughout regions colonized by Japan including Korea, and how they lived out their lives after they returned Korea post-liberation. There are limits to how much of the truth can be exposed to children and teens due to the sensitive nature of the subject, which is why previously published children's and young adult novels that have attempted to address this tragedy fell short of capturing the actual extent of the damage and suffering. Simply acknowledging the tragedy as a historical fact and fully portraying the depth of reality and pain of the victims are vastly different propositions, which makes the publication of TRAMPLED BLOSSOMS, an honest and vivid depiction of the victim's accounts of sexual slavery under the Japanese military, all the more meaningful.
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Title: Trampled Blossoms
Author: Moon, Young Sook
Published Year: November 2019 (English version)
Original Language: Korean
Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult
I was on the streak read Korean literature nowadays. I think it is because (maybe) this is my last year staying in Seoul so I want to read Korean Literature as many as possible. Additionally, reading Korean Literature with the ambiance of Korea Metropolis is an added value.
I think almost all foreigners staying in South Korea know a glimpse of how the relationship between two neighboring countries, South Korea and Japan, some of them understand, some of them just didn't pay much attention. But rarely really know the reason why their relationship is so complicated.
Trampled Blossom is one of the books to start your understanding of the deep scars of Korean people towards Japan.
Didn't really have the sentiment toward those countries? that's fine, we can just enjoy it as a book.
Trampled Blossoms is a story about three generations of women living in Seoul in the present day.
Yu-ri is just graduated from middle school when she received a strange call from an institution that she never heard of. The call was informing Yu-ri that her grandmother-which has been missing in the last 3 years, passed away.
Yu-ri's mother was frantically going to Gwangju, to confirm that's really her missing mother.
Back from the funeral, Yu-ri's mother starts to act strangely that pique Yu-ri's curiosity to dig down about her Grandmother's past.
Yu-ri easily irritated by grandmother when they were living together. The Grandmother's overprotective act has made Yu-ri's friend called her The Glass-Princess.
And when Yu-ri read the late grandmother's oral writing, she just opened a pandora box that will change her perspective towards her grandmother, woman, and history of her country.
Since this book is dedicated to Young Adult just like Yu-ri's age, the language and explicit content described in the book is quite bearable. Even though it still left the horror in my mind how can a woman no..a girl able to survive in the worst conditions that woman can endure.
Seojenpi is the call name of the woman that used as a sex slave during World War II. During that time, Korea and part of China are under the occupation of Japan government.
Deploying millions of men into the battle, they create such as 'stress release booths' for the troopers to vent their libidos. The booths itself located in the middle of nowhere, somewhere in the Manchuria, in the ruins of Shanghai, even hut in the middle of Filipina's forests.
During one day, one woman can serve about 40 men. When they were pregnant, they did hysterectomy, removing uterus from the woman. They are abused, burnt, beaten, left cold, hungry, malnourished. Most of all, they were a child when they start to serve adult men.
This book is hard to put down. Since they dedicated to Young Adults, the diction is flowing, the plot is easy to understand.
But since it is YA and stressed to the historical side, the emotions of each character are less exposed. But even that, we can sense the broken heart and desperation for the story. When I read about the hysterectomy part, my throat is choked up.
As a woman, even I don't have any tied with both countries, I felt a sudden pang in my heart. The fact that those women can survive after an experience such a horrible hellish life, only a miracle can do that.
Well, it is emotional read for sure. Of course, there is a lot of debate, pro and against the story of comfort women. Because based on this book, many countries also experienced the same thing such as Filipina, Singapore, Indonesia, China, etc.
I remember ever read about a (historical?) fiction book that similar to Trampled Blossom in Indonesia back when I was in high school. The book title is Kembang Jepun ( Japan Flower) and up until now, it is my top favorite book.
I have a mixed feeling recommending this book because yes it will leave a gloomy feeling for quite long even after you finish it.
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