Review of Thousand Lucks
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Bertha Jackson
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Review of Thousand Lucks
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Thousand Lucks" by Diana Yu.]
Thousand Lucks: A War Survival Story of a Thirteen-Year-Old Girl by Diana Yu is about Yu Hyun Jung after northern communists took over Seoul, South Korea, on June 25, 1950, forcing the residents to flee south. Ten days later, amidst the sounds of cannons and gunfire, Hyun Jung and four older students at the Ewha Girls' Middle School started walking away from the city to take refuge further south in Korea. After a boatman helps them across the Han River, they join the many people trying to escape from the communists. Why did the girls wait 10 days before leaving? Where were their families? How will these five girls survive traveling through mountains and battlefields where their enemies are?
The one aspect of this book I enjoyed the most was learning about Korean customs and traditions. For example, to speak about dying in front of your parents is considered disrespectful, and there is no furniture in their bedrooms. Although I liked Hyun Jung's mother's saying about "thousand lucks," which is part of the title of this book, my favorite saying was about thinking clearly while a tiger drags you away because this is applicable in all of life's situations. I admire Hyun Jung's and the other girls' courage in their journey, as the author explicitly describes the many dangers they faced and their emotions during those times. There is some repetitiveness in the book, but it was necessary to demonstrate how monotonous their journey was by seeing the same thing every day.
I was initially disappointed that many of the Korean words in the book were not translated, and I had to look them up. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find a list of Korean words at the end of the book. I recommend that the author move this list to the front of the book so readers know about it before the end.
I gave this well-written and professionally edited book 4 out of 5 stars, deducting one star due to the negative aspect I discussed above. Not knowing about the list of Korean words at the end of the book disrupted my reading flow as I had to look them up to understand what I was reading. As evidenced by the positive aspects discussed above, I found no other reason to deduct any stars.
Anyone interested in the war between North and South Korea will enjoy reading this book. Sensitive readers should be forewarned that there is some gory content, as there is in many other war books. It is evident throughout the storyline that the characters believe in God, but nothing in this book preaches or promotes any particular religious belief.
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Thousand Lucks
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Thousand Lucks: A War Survival Story of a Thirteen-Year-Old Girl by Diana Yu is about Yu Hyun Jung after northern communists took over Seoul, South Korea, on June 25, 1950, forcing the residents to flee south. Ten days later, amidst the sounds of cannons and gunfire, Hyun Jung and four older students at the Ewha Girls' Middle School started walking away from the city to take refuge further south in Korea. After a boatman helps them across the Han River, they join the many people trying to escape from the communists. Why did the girls wait 10 days before leaving? Where were their families? How will these five girls survive traveling through mountains and battlefields where their enemies are?
The one aspect of this book I enjoyed the most was learning about Korean customs and traditions. For example, to speak about dying in front of your parents is considered disrespectful, and there is no furniture in their bedrooms. Although I liked Hyun Jung's mother's saying about "thousand lucks," which is part of the title of this book, my favorite saying was about thinking clearly while a tiger drags you away because this is applicable in all of life's situations. I admire Hyun Jung's and the other girls' courage in their journey, as the author explicitly describes the many dangers they faced and their emotions during those times. There is some repetitiveness in the book, but it was necessary to demonstrate how monotonous their journey was by seeing the same thing every day.
I was initially disappointed that many of the Korean words in the book were not translated, and I had to look them up. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find a list of Korean words at the end of the book. I recommend that the author move this list to the front of the book so readers know about it before the end.
I gave this well-written and professionally edited book 4 out of 5 stars, deducting one star due to the negative aspect I discussed above. Not knowing about the list of Korean words at the end of the book disrupted my reading flow as I had to look them up to understand what I was reading. As evidenced by the positive aspects discussed above, I found no other reason to deduct any stars.
Anyone interested in the war between North and South Korea will enjoy reading this book. Sensitive readers should be forewarned that there is some gory content, as there is in many other war books. It is evident throughout the storyline that the characters believe in God, but nothing in this book preaches or promotes any particular religious belief.
******
Thousand Lucks
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Bertha R. Jackson 
Book Reviewer at OnlineBookClub.org
Book Reviewer at OnlineBookClub.org
Latest Review: Damned Yankees by Ray Deptula
