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There are currently 24 member reviews
for The Young Will Remember
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Jennifer B. (Oviedo, FL)
The Young Will Remember
I grew to appreciate this story of war gradually as I read it. The character development was strong if slightly slow to grab me. Kudos to Eve J. Chung for bringing attention to a largely "forgotten" war. The use of an American woman journalist in the midst of the fighting was ingenious. It was a well crafted method to bring the abuse of Korean persons, especially women, to the attention of readers. I personally feel the need to read more of this historical period after reading The Young Will Remember.
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Mary K. (Borden, IN)
A Powerful Look at an Overlooked War
The Young Will Remember is a complex story with strong character development, an engaging setting, and an honest historical context. The characters are nuanced and presented through multiple points of view. I especially appreciated the emotional journey Ellie experiences throughout the novel. I haven't read much historical fiction set during the Korean War, particularly one that includes perspectives from North Koreans, Chinese, Chinese Americans, and Americans.
My main critique concerns the inclusion of telegrams from U.S. politicians and letters from Emma and Ella. While I understand the intent to include the perspective of U.S. military leadership, these sections didn't add much to the story or move it forward and could have been handled differently or omitted.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book and highly recommend it to readers interested in historical fiction about an underrepresented time period with complex characters.
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Kathryn T. (Geneseo, NY)
The Korean War From a Human Rights' Lens
Although The Young Will Remember is a work of fiction, it reads like non-fiction. Many of the women in the book were human rights defenders and worked tirelessly to find victims of sexual abuse and slavery. The plight of "comfort women" was shared vividly. That cruel aspect of war was brought to the forefront in the book. "The old will die, but the young will remember." is a hopeful statement by the author to frame her book.
In the opening chapters, I was confused about what was happening and why an American correspondent - let alone a female - would have such freedom in a combat zone without military protection. A map of the country in its relationship to China and Japan would have been helpful, too. Once I got further into the book and other characters were introduced, I became engaged with the story. Ellie found her voice and compassionately supported Emma as she searched for her daughter, Yun-Hee.
The Korean War is complicated from the standpoint of the Asian countries involved and their histories together. As an American, I do not fully understand the Korean War, and this book made a good effort to educate me, especially on the human rights issues of women. The Author's Note and Acknowledgements clarified a lot.
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