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thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
grass is a powerful, harrowing bio graphic novel abt korean comfort women in an unjustly less known chapter in ww 2 history. i expected this to be a difficult read but was nevertheless unprepared for how hard it hit me.
the graphic novel follows the life of one particular comfort woman, lee oksun, and from the get-go i was frustrated and angry reading abt the gender inequality experienced by lee since childhood. it's a tale older than time, yet it never ceases to be infuriating. there's a lot of triggering content here - unsurprising for a book mostly abt sexual slavery during wartime - but i was also particularly affected to tears by the story of seo mija, which was hard-hitting.
gendry-kim does justice to lee through her art and storytelling. despite the abundant violence and triggering content present, nothing feels gratuitous, w/ gendry-kim handling them all w/ care and detached objectivity. the brushstrokes and inkwork also masterfully convey both the external physical landscape of china and korea, and the internal situation of her subject.
this graphic novel tells an important story that deserves to be more known - esp as the injustice surrounding comfort women and japan's denialism still persisting - and gendry-kim does a lauded job of doing justice to the story.
the graphic novel follows the life of one particular comfort woman, lee oksun, and from the get-go i was frustrated and angry reading abt the gender inequality experienced by lee since childhood. it's a tale older than time, yet it never ceases to be infuriating. there's a lot of triggering content here - unsurprising for a book mostly abt sexual slavery during wartime - but i was also particularly affected to tears by the story of seo mija, which was hard-hitting.
gendry-kim does justice to lee through her art and storytelling. despite the abundant violence and triggering content present, nothing feels gratuitous, w/ gendry-kim handling them all w/ care and detached objectivity. the brushstrokes and inkwork also masterfully convey both the external physical landscape of china and korea, and the internal situation of her subject.
this graphic novel tells an important story that deserves to be more known - esp as the injustice surrounding comfort women and japan's denialism still persisting - and gendry-kim does a lauded job of doing justice to the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, Physical abuse, Sexism, Blood, and Misogyny
Moderate: Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, and Trafficking
Minor: Gaslighting and Infertility
goizi's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Slavery, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Racism, and Trafficking
Moderate: Violence, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Murder, War, Gore, Gaslighting, Rape, Genocide, Emotional abuse, and Colonisation
Minor: Abortion
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