When My Name Was Keoko facts for kids
2011 edition cover
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| Author | Linda Sue Park |
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| Cover artist | Carol Chu |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | World War II |
| Genre | Asian historic fiction |
| Published | 2002, Clarion Books |
| Media type | Print, ebook, audiobook |
| Pages | 199 pages |
| ISBN | 978-0618133352 |
| OCLC | 47092263 |
| LC Class | PZ7.P22115 Wh 2002 |
When My Name Was Keoko is a historical novel from 2002. It was written by Linda Sue Park and first came out on March 18, 2002. The book tells a story set in Korea during World War II. At that time, Japan had taken control of Korea. Japan was trying to change Korean culture. The story is told through the eyes of two Korean siblings, Tae-Yul and Sun-hee.
Contents
Story Summary
This book takes place in Korea in the 1940s. The story is told by two main characters. They are a sister, Sun-hee, and her brother, Tae-Yul.
New Names for Koreans
During this time, the Japanese government made a new rule. All Korean citizens had to take on Japanese names. Sun-hee's family chose "Kaneyama" as their new last name. This name means "geumsan" in Korean, which is a county in South Korea.
For their first names, each family member picked a Japanese letter. This letter would be the first letter of their new name. Sun-hee chose the letter K, so her name became Kaneyama Keoko. Tae-Yul chose N, and his name became Kaneyama Nobuo.
Life Under Japanese Rule
As the story goes on, we see different parts of their lives. Sun-hee, now Keoko, goes to school. She spends time with her friend Tomo. She also becomes very interested in Japanese kanji (characters). Meanwhile, Tae-Yul, now Nobuo, is fascinated by machines.
Life was hard because Japan was at war. Food was difficult to find. Sun-hee and Tae-Yul's family often argued because of the stress. When the United States joined the war, Tae-Yul saw an airplane for the first time. This made him dream of flying one himself.
Uncle's Secret Work
Life for the siblings was mostly quiet. Sometimes, the neighborhood block leader would share news. All citizens had to stop what they were doing. They would go into the streets to hear updates from the government.
One evening, Sun-hee was taking dinner to her uncle. He was spending more and more time at his job. He worked in a printing shop. On her way, her friend Tomo stopped her. Tomo gave Sun-hee a hint that her uncle might be in danger.
Sun-hee's uncle quickly left after hearing the warning. Tae-Yul later explained what was happening. Their uncle had been secretly printing newspapers for the Korean resistance. This group was working against the Japanese.
Metal Collection and Tae-Yul's Choice
Sun-hee soon learned what Tomo's warning really meant. It was not about her uncle's secret printing. Instead, the government was going to take all metal items. This included the printing press. They wanted the metal for the military.
This meant her uncle's escape was not needed for that reason. It was sad when his leaving was announced by a block leader. As days passed, the siblings heard more about kamikaze pilots. These were pilots who would crash their planes on purpose. Tae-Yul found this very interesting.
Later, the police approached Tae-Yul. They wanted him to arrange a meeting with his uncle. This put Tae-Yul in a very difficult spot. If he agreed, his uncle would be found. If he refused, he would be in trouble with the government. To avoid this choice, he joined the Imperial Japanese Army. This allowed him to leave the country.
Tae-Yul's Difficult Decision
While Tae-Yul was training, he heard two Japanese officers talking. They were making fun of Koreans. They said Koreans were not brave enough to volunteer for a special mission. Because of this, Tae-Yul immediately volunteered. He then found out it was for a kamikaze mission.
Tae-Yul received basic flight training. But it was cut short because there were not enough Japanese soldiers. Tae-Yul secretly made a plan. He wanted to find a way to avoid the mission's certain end. He was saved from this fate when the mission day arrived. The weather was too bad for the pilots to fly safely.
Tae-Yul and the others returned to their base. There, they were taken into custody. Months later, the block leaders announced big news. Japan had lost the war to the United States.
Return Home and New Beginnings
Tae-Yul finally returned home. He told his family his secret plan. If the mission had happened, he planned to target another kamikaze pilot. He would not have aimed at the American ships.
Back home and together again, the family could finally be free. Sun-hee began teaching her brother the Korean alphabet. She had learned it from their father after Korea became free.
