About this title: In this classic tale, Richard Kim paints seven vivid scenes from a boyhood and early adolescence in Korea at the height of Japanese occupation, 1932 to 1945. The book is at once a loving memory of family and a portrayal of life in a time of anguish.
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Binding: Paperback
Publisher: University of California Press
Date Published: 1998
ISBN-13:9780520214248ISBN:0520214242
Description: Good. A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact (including dustcover, if applicable). The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "from the library of" labels. read more
Description: Very Good. Great condition for a used book! Minimal wear. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Very Good
Publisher: University of CAlifornia Press, CA
Date Published: 1998
ISBN-13:9780520214248ISBN:0520214242
Description: Very Good. No Jacket. Softcover Softcover book in very good condition with no markings, creases, rips, tears or writing to book. In this classic tale, Richard Kim paints 7 vivid scenes from a boyhood and early adolescence in Korea at the height of the Japanese occupation, 1932 to 1945. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Univ of California Pr
Date Published: 1998-06-01
ISBN-13:9780520214248ISBN:0520214242
Description: NEW. Softcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780520214248. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: University of California Press
Date Published: 1998
ISBN-13:9780520214248ISBN:0520214242
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: New York: Praeger, 1970
Description: Cloth. Fine/Good. Edition Not Stated. Signed by Author. Octavo. Some minor water stains at head of jacket spine. Some wear on jacket spine hinges. Half-inch indentation from pen mark on front jacket. Sigened by Kim in English and in Korean characters. Binding is tight, text is clean. read more
Edition: 1st U.S. Ed.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Praeger Publishers
Date Published: 1970
Description: NF in VG+ jacket. Hardcover, first American printing, book is flawless except for a large but faint "X" written in blue pencil on the first blank page, dustjacket has some rubbing but no major flaws, the original price (5.95) is present and a professional (removable) mylar cover is included, consists of seven vivid scenes drawn from the author's early childhood and adolescence that convey the anguish of the Korean people during World War II. read more
Description: Good. GOOD with average wear to cover and pages. We offer a no-hassle guarantee on all our items. Orders generally ship by the next business day. Default Text. read more
"Lost Names is the story of a people who have lost control of their destiny. It tells of the Japanese occupation of Korea as a series of snapshots into the way Koreans defied their Japanese oppressors on a daily basis in their everyday lives. Despite their best efforts, the most striking theme is just how little control the characters in the book have on the outcome. Korea is unable to overthrow Japan; only when outsiders come in to save the day are they freed. Some of the characters in Lost Names give in and simply accept what happens to them. Others fight back, but the fighting is largely symbolic. In this way, Lost Names frames the conflict of the story not as a battle against the Japanese, but rather as a internal conflict of Koreans against themselves, deciding what to do in their predicament.
The story is a bit slow, focusing a lot more on painting a picture than on action. It succeeds in painting that picture, but those hoping for an exciting plot will be disappointed. The ending is known from the beginning by anyone who studied World War II - and this book does not alter it. Lost Names does, however, offer a bit of hope to anyone who believes the world is stacked against them. As it follows the main character growing up, we come to see (along with him) that although we are unable to write all of our own destiny, we are able to rise up to prepare for it whenever it arrives."
"Not a difficult read. Presented the war from a non-American view point, which I found very interesting. I am not a history buff by any means but I found this book extremely enjoyable."
"The title is accurate, this sparse narrative is a collection of scenes from the point of view of a young boy who lived in Korea during the Japanese occupation. These vignettes are very moving and tell about a chapter in Asian history that most Americans do not know about."
"Reconstructed autobiographical account of a young boy growing up in annexed Korea from 1932 to 1945. The book's title stems from a chapter where all the Koreans in the boy's town are forced to take on Japanese names. That chapter includes a vivid scene where the townspeople troop to the cemetery to wail and prostrate themselves before their ancestors in shame at what they have just done to survive.
The material was worthwhile, offering an intriguing glimpse into this strange, often Kafkaesque period in Korean history. However the style was noticeably flat for the most part. When he does try to spruce things up, he winds up going for baroque, as in: "The sun seldom ventures out into the dark heaven, as if it, too, finds repugnant the dreary sky". You gotta give the guy credit for being able to write a decent book at all in a second language, given that he first came to the US when he was in his twenties. Still, it's pretty uninspired writing. Mostly it's the intrinsic drama of the depicted events that saves the book."
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