Scan barcode
thechanelmuse's review against another edition
5.0
Wow...A riveting, heart-wrenching, chilling collection of poems.
brice_mo's review against another edition
5.0
I think this is one of the most heartbreaking books of poetry I've ever read, finding continuity between personal and historical pain in so many meaningful ways.
For readers who are unaware of the history of "comfort women," it's a brutal lesson in how the past seeps into the present, as well as how we are never as far from cruelty as we might like to believe.
Even so, Yoon writes with what might be considered gentleness; she shows so much care for the fragile histories of her subjects, and it feels like the only way to appropriately honor suffering.
For readers who are unaware of the history of "comfort women," it's a brutal lesson in how the past seeps into the present, as well as how we are never as far from cruelty as we might like to believe.
Even so, Yoon writes with what might be considered gentleness; she shows so much care for the fragile histories of her subjects, and it feels like the only way to appropriately honor suffering.
chillcox15's review against another edition
4.0
Emily Jungmin Yoon presents a striking collection of poems of testament and remembrance for the Korean 'comfort women' forced to be sexual slaves to Japanese soldiers. Yoon does a lot of important historico-literary work here, and the poems meet the ethical and aesthetic demands of the subject material. I do wish that they maybe telegraphed their intent a little less directly, so it felt like there is a bit more to dig into, but that's a smallish complaint in the grand scheme of things.
jessicaps's review against another edition
4.0
These poems center on the “comfort women” of Korea during the Japanese occupation in WWII, the sexual violence committed against them and its legacy. A heavy topic. I got lost with some of the poems, but loved others. Powerful and well-written.