{"title":"Books by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781770463622","title":"Grass","description":"\u003cb\u003eAppeared on best of the year lists from \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e, and more! Winner of The Cartoonist Studio Prize for Best Print Comic of the Year!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eGrass\u003c\/i\u003e is a powerful antiwar graphic novel, telling the life story of a Korean girl named Okseon Lee who was forced into sexual slavery for the Japanese Imperial Army during the Second World War—a disputed chapter in twentieth-century Asian history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBeginning in Lee’s childhood, \u003ci\u003eGrass\u003c\/i\u003e shows the lead-up to the war from a child’s vulnerable perspective, detailing how one person experienced the Japanese occupation and the widespread suffering it entailed for ordinary Koreans. Keum Suk Gendry-Kim emphasizes Lee’s strength in overcoming the many forms of adversity she experienced. \u003ci\u003eGrass\u003c\/i\u003e is painted in a black ink that flows with lavish details of the beautiful fields and farmland of Korea and uses heavy brushwork on the somber interiors of Lee’s memories.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe cartoonist Gendry-Kim’s interviews with Lee become an integral part of \u003ci\u003eGrass\u003c\/i\u003e, forming the heart and architecture of this powerful nonfiction graphic novel and offering a holistic view of how Lee’s wartime suffering changed her. \u003ci\u003eGrass\u003c\/i\u003e is a landmark graphic novel that makes personal the desperate cost of war and the importance of peace.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43204917985458,"sku":"9781770463622","price":23.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781770463622_9a789602-bf4d-441a-b306-0010311d3fe7.jpg?v=1786024162"},{"product_id":"9781770467316","title":"Dog Days","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe author of \u003ci\u003eGrass\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Naked Tree\u003c\/i\u003e returns with a profound tale of family\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYuna never wanted to adopt a dog. But with her partner in mourning–and in desperate need of a boost in morale–she gives in to his humble request. And in the grand tradition of reluctant pet owners, she and their puppy soon become inseparable. The young couple even goes so far as to relocate to soothe their new canine pal’s anxiety. After all, there’s nothing like a move to the country to set yourself right. Right?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe idyll of a quiet life soon gives way to a surprising degree of antagonism, including clashes with long-time local residents of a different generation. The culture shock is palpable for all three urban transplants as the isolation of their new environs starts to sink in. They eventually adopt another dog, and still another–all while reckoning with the ups and downs of middle-age and childlessness in an unforgivingly traditional milieu.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDog Days is critically-acclaimed and multi-award-winning cartoonist Keum Suk Gendry-Kim’s first foray into contemporary fiction. With the aid of veteran translator Janet Hong, Gendry-Kim’s twenty-first century tale of an unconventional family building trust with one another and their neighbors is a heartfelt exploration of compassion and the unlikely places we find the love we all need.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44583267762354,"sku":"9781770467316","price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781770467316_85967f8d-0c30-4a69-9d9d-339ca256da02.jpg?v=1786024271"},{"product_id":"9781770466678","title":"The Naked Tree","description":"\u003cb\u003eA delicate, timeless, and breathtaking coming-of-age classic, reimagined  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eCritically acclaimed and award-winning cartoonist Keum Suk Gendry-Kim returns with a stunning addition to her body of graphic fiction rooted in Korean history. Adapted from Park Wan-suh’s beloved novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Naked Tree \u003c\/i\u003epaints a stark portrait of a single nation’s fabric slowly torn to shreds by political upheaval and armed conflict. Fleshing out the characters in fresh, imaginative ways, and incorporating the original author into the story, Gendry-Kim breathes new life into this Korean classic.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe year is 1951. Twenty-year-old wallflower Lee Kyeonga ekes out a living at the US military Post Exchange where goods and services of varying stripes are available for purchase. She peddles hand-painted portraits on silk handkerchiefs to soldiers passing through. When a handsome, young  northern escapee and erstwhile fine artist is hired despite waning demand, an unlikely friendship blossoms into a young woman’s first brush with desire against the backdrop of the Korean War at its most devastating. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGendry-Kim brings a masterpiece of world literature to life with bold, expressive lines that capture a denuded landscape brutally forced into transition and the people who must find their way back to each other within it. The Naked Tree is exquisitely translated by award-winning expert Janet Hong.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56302788542837,"sku":"9781770466678","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781770466678_62328d35-fd05-45c6-9a43-ec35025f705c.jpg?v=1786024246"},{"product_id":"9781770464575","title":"The Waiting","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe story begins with a mother's confession...sisters permanently separated by a border during the Korean War\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKeum Suk Gendry-Kim was an adult when her mother revealed a family secret: She had been separated from her sister during the Korean War. It’s not an uncommon story—the peninsula was split across the 38th parallel, dividing one country into two. As many fled violence in the north, not everyone was able to make it south. Her mother’s story inspired Gendry-Kim to begin interviewing her and other Koreans separated by the war; that research fueled a deeply resonant graphic novel.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Waiting\u003c\/i\u003e is the fictional story of Gwija, told by her novelist daughter Jina. When Gwija was 17 years old, after hearing that the Japanese were seizing unmarried girls, her family married her in a hurry to a man she didn't know. Japan fell, Korea gained its independence, and the couple started a family. But peace didn’t come. The young family of four fled south. On the road, while breastfeeding and changing her daughter, Gwija was separated from her husband and son.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen seventy years passed. Seventy years of waiting. Gwija is now an elderly woman and Jina can’t stop thinking about the promise she made to help find her brother.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eExpertly translated from the Korean by the award-winning translator Janet Hong, \u003ci\u003eThe Waiting\u003c\/i\u003e is the devastating followup to Gendry-Kim’s \u003ci\u003eGrass\u003c\/i\u003e, which appeared on best of the year lists from the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times, The Guardian, Library Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, and more.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56303424766325,"sku":"9781770464575","price":21.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781770464575_8e8ca131-c4be-4d07-a7f3-803b64604c6f.jpg?v=1786024192"},{"product_id":"9781770468221","title":"My Friend Kim Jong Un","description":"\u003cb\u003eAward-winning cartoonist Keum Suk Gendry-Kim contemplates and explores the long shadow North Korea casts over Korean society\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn an island located an hour from Seoul, North Korea sits visible from cartoonist Keum Suk Gendry-Kim’s home and studio. The specter of the infamous dictatorship and nuclear power looms over daily life. Artillery fire, helicopters, and sirens from a nearby military base paint the acoustic landscape. In her award-winning books \u003ci\u003eGrass \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Waiting\u003c\/i\u003e, Gendry-Kim documents the pain and heartbreak of Korea’s history. In \u003ci\u003eMy Friend Kim Jong-Un\u003c\/i\u003e, she looks to the present—to the man currently responsible for upholding the national divide created after World War Two. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhile the rest of the world partakes in the popularity of Korean culture, a certain unease and anxiety hangs in the air in South Korea as its people still grapple with the distrust and anger of one culture split into two distinct societies. Gendry-Kim explores the life of the supreme leader, searching for commonalities to make sense of the daily fear: from his birth to his international education, his hobbies, and his relationships. She weaves her personal accounts and includes interviews with former South Korean president Moon Jae-in, North Korean defectors, researchers, journalists, and even Kim’s former chef.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTranslated by the award-winning Janet Hong, \u003ci\u003eMy Friend… \u003c\/i\u003eis a cautionary tale on what makes a dictator, at a time when these lessons are more relevant in the West than ever.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56369136697717,"sku":"9781770468221","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781770468221_a4c6f332-7d14-42ef-8cbe-c5d8461b5392.jpg?v=1786034564"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-keum-suk-gendry-kim.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}