Ekin H.

I really enjoyed the beginning and middle of the book. I learned a lot about the history of Koreans in Japan and all of the discrimination that they had faced. However, once the book reached the Etsuko, Solomon, and Hana arc, it became a chore to read. I couldn't relate to any of the more “modern” characters and wished that Mozasu's friend Haruki had more of a story of his unique struggle.

I wanted to like this book so badly because I think the premise was very interesting. Unfortunately, the execution was so-so for me and I found myself bored the majority of the time. Despite my boredom, I still pushed forward to finish the book. Toward the end, I got a bit confused and was thinking maybe Shibata really was going to have a baby. Overall, this had potential to be much better.

I really enjoyed this book. Yeonmi gives an interesting viewpoint through her past experiences. While some areas I felt she was contradicting herself, like when she was talking about how capitalism is what makes this country so great and what keeps it going. However, when she laments about how the elite won't go against China due to their investments... I couldn't help but think, “Well, that's due to capitalism.” Overall, it was a good weekend read.

I really enjoyed this book a lot because it presented current times in mainland China through the eyes of a regular journalist. Smith doesn't seek to villainize China nor does he want to take anyone's side. He just talks about what he observes in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. I enjoyed this read, especially parts where he shared his own coming-out story in Asia, which gives the book a more human touch rather than just a retelling of history.