So Far From the Bamboo Grove

I really enjoyed this book. The author (Yoko Kawashima) wrote it beautifully about her own experience. It was impossible not to feel the emotion she had when she wrote this story. At many points, I could almost imagine it happening. The suspense built up, almost to the point where I couldn't take it anymore. Then the family was reunited and the story came to an end. I thought the story ended too quickly. For example the author skipped the falling action and resolution (two parts of the plot) and went straight from the climax to the end. That is the only part where I think the author could have extended the story further.

Overall, however, this book seems to be an argument against war. It was a window into a time when war was destroying countries. It showed that when war happens, many innocent people from all sides can die because just a few people started the war. It reminded me of the Yuan Dynasty in China (period of Mongolian rule). The Mongolians invaded China and massacred many innocent people. The native Chinese were discriminated and treated cruelly. In the end, the Chinese overthrew the Mongolian power in the same way the Koreans overthrew the Japanese. It was a lose-lose situation: both Japanese and Korean civilians were killed even though they were not soldiers.

Overall, this book is very good. The story told us we need to be strong and brave to survive in the harsh environment. It also tells us how cruel a war is to everyone. I think we should also read books about how the Koreans and Asian people suffered when the Japanese invaded their countries to get a full picture about the history.