The Year of Impossible Goodbyes

The Year of Impossible Goodbyes

The Year of Impossible Goodbyes

The Year of Impossible Goodbyes

The Year of Impossible Goodbyes

The Year of Impossible Goodbyes

The Year of Impossible Goodbyes

Personal Narrative (nonfiction), Trade Book, Lexile 840

In this autobiographical story about life in North Korea in 1945, Sookan and her family must survive the occupation and oppression of their home. At the start of the novel, the Japanese military occupy the country, pressing the Koreans into service and labor camps or working them in sweatshops and Japanese schools. When the Japanese surrender to the Allies, Sookan's family is overjoyed, but their hopes are soon dashed when the Russian government comes in and begins an equally harsh occupation. Eventually, Sookan and her family realize that their only chance for freedom lies in the perilous attempt to escape to South Korea, and they must decide which fate they will pursue.