CHAPTER 3 LITERATURE
Lost Names : Scenes from a Korean Boyhood ($ 1 to $ 21 ) By Richard Kim
( The book and the following lesson are recommended for secondary Language Arts and Social Studies classes )
( Lesson developed by Mary Connor ) “ In this classic tale , Richard Kim paints seven vivid scenes from a boyhood and early adolescence in Korea at the height of the Japanese occupation , 1932 to 1945 . Taking its title from the grim fact that the occupiers forced the Koreans to renounce their own names and adopt Japanese names instead , the book follows one Korean family through the Japanese occupation to the surrender of the Japanese empire . Lost Names is at once a loving memory of family and a vivid portrayal of life in a time of anguish .” ( Amazon . com )
“ Lost Names is a useful , rare and wonderful book for several reasons . The book ’ s title reflects the Japanese Pacific War policy of forcing Koreans to replace their own names with Japanese ones .
Lost Names is the story , as recounted by a young boy , of one Korean family ’ s experience during the war years . Although Lost Names is technically a novel , according to author Richard Kim , ‘… all the characters and events described in the book are real , but everything else is fiction .’ Never in my time in Asian Studies has one work been so applicable to such a wide range of students as is the case with Lost Names .” Lucien Ellington , Editor of Education About Asia
When Richard Kim was asked how he would teach Lost Names , he said that “ I would stress that they shouldn ’ t read the book as issue oriented , as anti-Japanese or anti-colonial . I would ask that they ( teachers and students ) observe and understand how a family , both in private and in times of war , copes with war and one another .” ( Education About Asia , Fall issue , 1999 )
National Council for Social Studies Standard II Continuity and Change ( e ) Investigate , interpret , and analyze multiple historical and contemporary viewpoints within and across cultures related to important events , recurring dilemmas , and persistent issues , while employing empathy , skepticism , and critical judgment .
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