I picked this graphic novel because the name stood out to me at first. The idea that books or reading could be banned is very intriguing and I wanted to learn more about this situation. Banned Book Club is by Kim Hyun Sook, a woman from South Korea, who had a love of books, and decided she wanted to get a higher education and go to college. She thought that the act of reading would be a harmless, easy thing to do, but she was mistaken. South Korea had control over the country, partaking in censorship and other dictatorial events. So, Sook was not able to read what she wanted to. I thought that the book told her story well, showing her devout bravery of fighting back towards the government for her love of books. It was a cute and fun read and the graphics were very aesthetically pleasing. I thought it got the point across well about what was going on in South Korea in a very simple and enjoyable way. Going into it, I did not know anything about South Korea or the Fifth Republic, so this graphic novel was a good educational tool to learn about this further. Overall, this book was very informative as well as a fun and entertaining read!
—Olivia Smock, CMRD101 Fall 2020