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Andrew Kump
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful read
Reviewed in the United States on 5 April 2017
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The author paints a great picture of suffering and ultimately overcoming occupation on the Korean Peninsula during WW2. A wonderful read
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James
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
Reviewed in Japan on 14 April 2021
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An interesting dive into a part of history I know so little about. Written seemingly without judgement.
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Kevo
4.0 out of 5 stars As advertised
Reviewed in the United States on 5 April 2024
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Needed book for college class.
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Anonymous
5.0 out of 5 stars Moving novel, historically informative
Reviewed in the United States on 9 May 2020
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A wonderful coming-of-age story written with a lot of heart. Even though the product description claims it is an autobiography, the author's note itself says it is somewhere between memoir and fiction. Nevertheless, the historical events and context are a huge focus of the narrative, providing a human look at a time in history that I myself new little about. Thoroughly enjoyed.
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kesang
5.0 out of 5 stars Courage in the face of adversity
Reviewed in the United States on 15 March 2020
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A moving and beautifully descriptive novel of a Korean boy's view of Japanese occupied Korea, the subtleties and nuances of a single gesture and sentence can weigh so much with profound sentiments. It is both of the transformation of a boy to a man in parallel of an occupied Korea to a liberated independent Korea.
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Luna
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in the United States on 24 February 2020
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Bought for class. It was an interesting book.
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars A great story. Thought it was autobiographical
Reviewed in the United States on 31 July 2017
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A great story. Thought it was autobiographical, but isn't. The author says everyone and all events true but everything else made up. So I think he means theses things happened to someone not just all to the same person. I didn't find that out until end. An interesting read about a part of history that isn't taught in American school systems.
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Hard To Please
5.0 out of 5 stars Everybody should read this!
Reviewed in the United States on 5 January 2019
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Anybody from an immigrant population would recognize themselves in this book. Tragic but well told story that I will read again voluntarily, as this was an assigned book for college.
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Austin Nicholson
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in the United States on 11 August 2013
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Bought it for a class on World War II, thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel, provided a unique perspective on the Japanese occupation of Korea
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Dai Yoshida
2.0 out of 5 stars Revisionist nonsense
Reviewed in the United States on 19 September 2013
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Korean culture dictated wives to retain their own last name after marriage. During Japanese occupation, the concept of "Koseki" was introduced to streamline the census process in the Japanese structure. During the period of February to August of 1940, Koreans were allowed to submit name of their own choosing as family name. This was called "Settei Soshi". More than half of these applicants used Japanese name for "Settei Soshi".
Those who did not submit a new name during this period was assigned husband's Korean name as "family name" in the new "Koseki", so wives adopted the husbands name in the Japanese fashion. This was called "Hotei Soshi".
80% of Koreans living in Korea applied for "Settei Soshi" as opposed to only 14.2% of those residing in Japan applied. The rest retained their Korean last name under "Hotei Soshi".
Those who retained their Korean names included Park Chung-Gum a very popular member of the Diet (Japanese Congress) from Tokyo 4th District; and Hong Sa-Ik, Leutenant General of the Japanese Imperial Army. He was executed in Manila for war crimes. His widow and son is reported to be living America. You can look these up. Clearly, nobody was forced to adopt Japanese names.
Saying, "I was forced to be Japanese" became popular in Korea rather recently. Much of the claims are historically inaccurate.
Well written book but it is a work of fiction, which may lose it's value for those looking for a factual account of historical events.
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chief90
4.0 out of 5 stars Coming of Age in Korea
Reviewed in the United States on 26 December 2012
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This was an extremely emotional book. This is a story of a young boy growing up in Korea and having to deal with Japanese influence. Family names are something that are important and this memoir reiterated the harsh realities of oppression. He recalls events from his adolescence. This was an extremely easy read and flowed very smoothly. Though it may be difficult to comprehend this as a historical document, it serves well to underscore the nature of Japanese occupation.
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars The Japanese considered the Koreans living in Japan as second class citizens and gave them jobs the Japanese did not like to do
Reviewed in the United States on 21 April 2017
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Accurately portrayed life in Korea under the Japanese. I was a Navy Pilot stationed in Japan in 1957/59. The Japanese considered the Koreans living in Japan as second class citizens and gave them jobs the Japanese did not like to do such as collecting human feces from the houses every day.
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S. Lee
4.0 out of 5 stars Painfully good.
Reviewed in the United States on 17 February 2017
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Without giving a single name, Kim tells an enriching and personal story of one Korean family during the Japanese occupation to their liberation. One generation’s failure is another generation’s burden. But it is in bearing each other that a generation can reroute the perpetuate cycle of imprisonment.
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Katie S.
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Read
Reviewed in the United States on 15 August 2017
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This book was ordered for my daughter's high school AP History class. She found it to be an interesting read overall, and found it easy to follow. Her next step is writing an essay on it.
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Gripping
Reviewed in the United States on 30 October 2017
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This book presents a remarkably realistic representation of the actions of the Japanese during WWII and the attitudes of those who opposed them through it all.
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Barbara A. Anderson
4.0 out of 5 stars This book provided insight into a very sad time in Korean history
Reviewed in the United States on 27 December 2014
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
This book provided insight into a very sad time in Korean history. The perspective of a child was very well executed.
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Ryan
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on 6 November 2016
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A good read
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Kirsten R.
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on 14 August 2015
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Teenage son likes it.
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Jesus Gaspar
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the books that I like to read now and give me a perspective from ...
Reviewed in the United States on 5 October 2016
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
One of the books that I like to read now and give me a perspective from someone who is judged.
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Brian
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good condition
Reviewed in the United States on 29 April 2014
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The book is very good condition as like a new one. No tears No underlines.
It was very useful book and I liked it.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on 18 January 2017
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Great korean perspective of Japanese colonialism.
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Karen Marie Craig
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on 27 December 2014
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Very informative.
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Lost Names: Scenes from a Korean Boyhood
by Richard E. Kim (Author) Format: Paperback
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (127)
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In this autobiography, Richard E. Kim paints seven vivid scenes from a boyhood and early adolescence in Korea at the height of the Japanese occupation during WWII, 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 Japan and dissolution of the Japanese empire. Examining the intersections of Japanese and Korean history that influenced Korea-Japan relations at the time, Lost Names is at once a loving memory of family, an ethnography of Zainichi Koreans in 1930s Japan, and a vivid portrayal of human spirit in a time of suffering and survival.
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Maria
56 reviews
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September 21, 2011
from my Amazon.com review
I collect books about Korean, and have read many novels, poems and non-fiction works, but Lost Names is certainly one of the best.
Small details and major characters both help to build an accurate, emotional depiction of Koreans and the struggle to live during the brutal Japanese occupation of World War II. I read this book in one sitting, mailed it to one of my sisters, and have bought a copy for another sister.
Some passages are humorous, and others are painfully sad...but the author infuses the entire work with hope and forgiveness. The main character's father is a memorable study of dignity, wisdom and strength. My 13 year old son has read this book four times! It is slightly mature for a young reader, but if you or your child have any interest in Korea, you'll love it.
A must-read for any Korean-Americans wanting to understand the deprivation, tenacity and social conditions forced upon their parents or grandparents, who survived the harsh conditions of life in Korea during WWII.
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Hira
149 reviews
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February 9, 2021
I had to take a break from this book for a few days because an early chapter made me cry and I was deeply UPSET. This year has made it really hard for me to read sad things. I should’ve known since it’s a book about an oppressed country during World War II but like...just when you think you’ve read it all...
The imagery in this book was beautiful. Descriptions of summer days and night skies and feelings of triumph and overwhelming relief are all depicted so strongly. People complain that it’s written childishly but it is from the point of view of a child after all. This book showed a side of Korean life during WW2 that I’ve never seen before.
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Jolina
108 reviews
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March 6, 2026
A book that allows a small glimpse into Korea under Japanese occupation. Premise was very interesting and I really enjoyed the first-person narrator. Execution felt a bit flawed and lacking in nuance. Ironically, the preface to the anniversary edition was the part that left the deepest impression on me.
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Chrissie
2,811 reviews
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November 5, 2012
Well, humph, what can I say? I am glad that is over. It reads like a child's book. A boy with tremendous wisdom, honor and valor saves the day when the family's Korean town is liberated from the Japanese at the conclusion of WW2! And the conclusion of the book. The adults in the village listen to the wise advice of the thirteen year-old as he explains how the liberation can most effectively be carried out in the town:
The police can be isolated, sir. Most of them are inside the station right now, anyway. We should try to keep them in there and just make sure they don't come out in force. We can always deal with two or three of them at a time, but I doubt if the police will be stupid enough to send anyone out at a time like this. There are Korean policemen, too, sir, and we should talk them into coming out and giving themselves up. But, sir, really, the first thing we should do is to take over everything else,that is, the railway station, the fire department, the government warehouses, and that sort of thing. Cut the telephone wires to and from the police station, cut off their water by locating the water pipes to the station and destroying them, cut off the electric supply, and so on. Then surround the station and send in an ultimatum, asking them to lay down their arms and turn the station over to us. It is really very simple, sir. (page 179)
The horrors of Korean occupation by the Japanese reads like an adventure story. The boy is righteous, always hardworking, kind and forgiving. I would only recommend this book to a young boy who is interested in history AND loves adventure stories. Correct historical facts are sparsely thrown in. They are presented in a simple manner. You do learn about life of a Korean family under the Japanese occupation.
The title refers to the fact that the Japanese demanded that the Korean take Japanese names. This chapter was moving.
Is this fiction or is this autobiographical? I am unsure.... There is an author's note. The author insists that this is a book of fiction, but then he says ambiguously:
Perhaps I should have included a disclaimer: all the characters and events described in this book are real, but everything else is fiction. (page 198)
What?! He says he is happy that everyone thinks it is so convincingly written that they assume it must be true.
So is this a good book to teach a child about Korea during WW2? Perhaps. Although I do not usually fall head over heels in love with YA literature, I have read some that are excellent; there are books that are good for all ages. I do not rank this in that category.
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Cheryl Gatling
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February 5, 2021
First the Japanese occupied Korea. They forbade the teaching of Korean language and history. They phased out Korean language newspapers and magazines. The Thought Police imprisoned and beat dissenters. They impressed young Koreans into the army (as "Special Volunteer Soldiers"). They forced farmers to sell their rice to Japan ("voluntary contribution to the national war effort for the glory of the emperor"). They forced schoolchildren to worship at a Japanese shrine to pray for the health of the emperor. They sewed the children's pockets shut so they couldn't put their hands in their pockets, because a slouching posture would weaken them, and prevent them from effectively serving the emperor.
But the greatest humiliation was that all Koreans were forced to take a Japanese name. All the men of the town line up wearing black arm bands to grieve the loss of their names, and then all the family members visit the graves of the ancestors to apologize to them, and cry. There is a lot of crying in this book, but it is not as dismal as it might be. Although the father ends up being sent to a detention camp, and the son, at 13 years old, is sent to a work camp, where he digs until his hands are covered with blisters, and grows weak with dysentery, there is much beauty. The boy's family is loving. Neighbors are respectful. At school other boys want to be his friend. There is a constant undertone of fear, but home in the family's apple orchard is as warm and nurturing as it can be.
This book is about how people survive, and about how people make hard decisions about how much of themselves they can give up. What can they change? What must they accept? Everyone in the book struggles with these questions, but the boy and his family handle them with dignity and quiet pride. There are tears, but mother, father, grandparents and siblings always support each other. Perhaps, the mother says, the tears are "for wounded souls everywhere." More poignant than bitter, this is a very quiet look at a very bad time.
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Lynda
174 reviews
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January 10, 2022
"...we had lost even our names to the Japanese, who had forced us to adopt Japanese names. I would ask you to consider that extraordinary, historically unprecedented chapter in all histories of colonial experiences: a symbolic and quite ritualistic effort on the part of the colonizers, the oppressors, to alter the identity and destroy the self-respect of the colonized, the oppressed."
I had watched the 2016 Korean film "The Last Princess" starring one of my favorite Korean actresses, Son Ye-Jin, recently and was surprised to learn that the Koreans were forced to adopt Japanese names. I knew I had to learn more about this topic.
This discovery led me to the book 'Lost Names' which chronicles key moments in the author's life from the time he was born in 1932 to when he turned 13 in 1945 and helped his father to organize the formal takeover of their town in Korea upon learning of Japan's surrender.
It is both a memoir and an autobiographical novel. And it is through the eyes of one Korean boy's experiences during the Japanese occupation of Korea during WWII that I gleaned much cruelty suffered, hardship endured, and fortitude forged of the Koreans, under the thumbs of their Japanese aggressors.
I would need to come back to this book again some other day. One reading of it perhaps does not do it justice.
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Emma M.
196 reviews
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September 26, 2024
I enjoyed this far more than I expected. I read this for a class where we are studying the Japanese occupation, so reading this alongside articles and other first person accounts really brought me into the narrative and helped to complete the picture of the time period for me. I really got invested in the narrative.
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Johnathan Sorce
46 reviews
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October 1, 2023
My goodness, this book was *fantastic* - I cannot recommend it enough. 10/5 stars - Maybe only a slight exaggeration. Truly though, this is a very underrated book that I wish more people knew about. In short, it's a story about a Korean boy who grows up in Japanese-occupied Korea before and during WWII. It captures very well a lot of the mood of the occupation, as well as being written really, really well. I've griped in the past about modern literary fiction - *this* in my opinion, is what modern literary fiction *should* be.
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Alena
42 reviews
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February 23, 2023
i thoroughly enjoyed how the book was consistently written through the lens of a young boy. it made the story translate well into the perspective of someone who doesn’t know *everything* that’s going on during wwii (“only the grown-ups should hear and talk about it”), but knows enough to recognize how it impacts him. it’s an interesting dynamic that i’m not sure how to describe. overall, it’s a very easy read.
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Paul
238 reviews
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November 27, 2024
Kim's earlier The Martyred is a stronger narrative, exploring military and religious communities in the Korean War. Here, though, Kim tracks a male youth who comes of age in a time of Korean submission and underground resistance to Japanese military rule, moving from the loss of birthnames (having to adopt Japanese names instead) to the growing realization that Japan will lose the war. It's sometimes effective and sometimes more useful as cultural history
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Miriam
96 reviews
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July 31, 2017
Summer reading so I'm not gonna bother with a review. Ugh.
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Karen
23 reviews
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August 2, 2022
Gorgeous writing and a fascinating depiction with of a little known part of history.
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lorena
76 reviews
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March 30, 2023
phenomenal book describing Japanese occupation in Korea. provides another perspective of WWII, one that's often overlooked by the western world.
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Tash Stocker
2 reviews
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November 3, 2023
I’m sobbing, this book was so beautiful. Such a heartfelt story from this point in history. It’s such an amazing read!!
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Peyton Mills
2 reviews
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November 20, 2023
Fantastic novel with vivid, detailed writing in a memoir style.
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Anne Obsidian
132 reviews
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April 6, 2025
Beauty from the ashes of a dark time in Korean history.
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Elena
13 reviews
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July 2, 2026
From the first sentence I was sucked into the story which is truly amazing. I got to feel emotional a few times because the emotions of ‘I’ were conveyed naturally. However, the last chapter disappointed me.
The protagonist became so obnoxious for some reason which really annoyed me. But overall i recommend:)
edit: horrible typos
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Kira
120 reviews
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January 10, 2023
The first few chapters! So simple yet so beautiful and sad. Lost names is so powerful that I wanted a bit more out of it. The book covers over ten years of Kim’s childhood, but because the story is told in only seven scenes, it can feel as though some details are extended while others are skipped over entirely. Although, maybe this was just my gut reaction because I was expecting a more fluid narrative. I will say that I only noticed and appreciated this structure after finishing the book.
The supporting characters could feel a little bit flat at times. I wanted to know more about his friends (whom he refers to but rarely describes) and about his day-to-day social world (beyond just his interactions/tussles with authority figures.) I also wanted to know more about his father. His father is regularly mentioned, often in reference to his activism and the power of his notoriety among the Japanese. However, his actions and his story still felt somewhat shrouded in mystery (“someday, you will understand”; “I can’t tell you this”). He’s such a strong character! I wanted to know more about his life before kids, his activism, his motivations!
I loved the writing. Straightforward description sprinkled with moments of really thoughtful analysis. I think the earlier chapters can feel a bit confusing as he balances writing from a child’s perspective with providing broader, more mature context.
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Danata
27 reviews
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May 9, 2016
I had to read this book for my history of East Asia class, - which often ends up being a bad thing, - but not in this case.
Richard Kim's biographic story reveals the hardships, the extent of Japanese oppression in Korea during WWII. It does so emphatically, vividly, through small, but important details of everyday life. You will not grow to sympathize with the nameless characters, but you will grow to understand that there is no "Good" or "Evil". There is just life, and sometimes it can be extremely hard. Sometimes we make it extremely hard for others. For groups, for populations, for even countries.
This is a great book for anyone interested in the region of Korea and it's history. Not great, but as it is a biographical and historical work, the author honestly does not try to embellish the story with extra literary tropes. Which is also a good thing, in this particular case.
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Sarah Elizabeth
267 reviews
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June 21, 2010
This was required reading for my college course: East Asian History. It was a class to fulfill a requirement, and I did not enjoy my professor at all. I didn't learn a thing, except from the required reading. This book is beautiful. It is not widely read nor is it a bestseller to my knowledge. However, it is a wonderful portrait of life during the Japanese occupation of Korea. It is very well-written, and it is also a surprisingly quick read. The book, as indicated by it's subtitle, follows a young Korean boy. But through the boy's story, the reader sees three different generations of Koreans and how they are affected differently by their Lost Names.
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Amik
11 reviews
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May 3, 2011
Certainly a semi-biographical account worthy of a read by anyone interested in the Japanese occupation of Korea and Manchuria. For those with good knowledge of the events surrounding WWI and WWII, the book gives a unique perspective to many events and provides an engrossing read. You will find yourself thinking through history and re-positioning your perspective again and again throughout the book and finally find yourself in shoes that you never expected to be in. A wonderful journey of a book that will transport you through time and put you in the middle of it all in the best way possible!
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Tyler Hill
16 reviews
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October 6, 2014
At once a beautiful series of interconnected stories forming a 13 year narrative and a historical record of life on the ground during the war-time occupation if Korea by Japan, this work by Richard Kim is accessible, touching, agonizingly human, and a terrific read for a chilly night of rest. I'm mesmerized by Kim's ability to convey such complex emotion and thought in his brief and colloquial style. Anyone interested in Korean history or in tales of survival and blossoming under oppression should read this book.
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Sooho Lee
224 reviews
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November 6, 2015
Without giving a single name, Kim tells an enriching and personal story of one Korean family during the Japanese occupation to their liberation. One generation’s failure is another generation’s burden. But it is in bearing each other that a generation can reroute the perpetuate cycle of imprisonment.
cf. www.sooholee.wordpress.com for more book reviews.
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Christy
7 reviews
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March 16, 2017
The book was meaningful to read since my grandfather grew up under the Japanese occupation; but besides the main character, the other people in the story weren't developed sufficiently enough for his interactions with them during critical moments to bear any lasting impression or deep resonance.
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Helen | readwithneleh
337 reviews
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March 14, 2025
I first read the classic, LOST NAMES by Richard E. Kim, during college for a Humanities course studying literature about various experiences and interpretations of what it is to be human. (For reference, WILD THORNS by Sahar Khalifeh was also assigned.) I honestly didn’t remember much about it but I did know the book had a lasting impact on me. How? Because I’ve only kept a handful of books from college and this is one of them.
The book is about the life of a young Korean boy living under Japanese colonial rule, specifically from 1932-1945. There are seven chapters in the book, each described as an episode into the boy’s life under occupation. From losing his Korean name and his language to beatings by his Japanese teacher, this book shows what the Korean children of this time went through and what they did to survive. The descriptive writing transported me to the village/country life in Korea—one I did not experience personally but did have a taste of when I was very young. My fondest childhood memories are my visits to my family in the Korean countryside (before most moved to the city)—the moonlit bicycle rides, the dyeing of my fingernails with flower petals, the smell of the wet dirt, and the sounds of the frogs croaking in the rain. These were and continue to be my happiest memories, but they came up often as I read this book, a book about the oppression of my people, of my family. It was a confusing experience.
So much of this book is about the struggle and oppression of Koreans, but it was also showed me the beauty of community, perseverance, and survival. I pictured my grandparents while I read this and as someone who no longer has any living grandparents left, I mourned them and I mourned my lost time with them. Although I know they would not share because of how painful it was, I wish I asked about their life, about their childhood. I will never know, but through this book I got a glimpse.
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Helen Cho
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November 11, 2024
Found this book in the bibliography for "Brothers at War: The Unending Conflict in Korea."
This is the book my mother wanted me to write about my father's experiences in Manchuria during the Japanese occupation so it was a pleasure for me to read in very readable and engaging format. The author is very aware of nature and weather and goes to some effort to provide a seeable, hearable event of all that weather does. Greatly appreciated.
My father was born in 1925 in Manchuria while Richard E Kim was born in N Korea in 1932. They had the same childhood in which the Japanese allowed only the Japanese language to be used and taught in the schools. My mother, born in S Korea, lamented throughout her life that she did not have a firm grasp of her own language because she had only been taught Japanese in school.
Both the author's family and mine share the same desire to outdo the Japanese in school with my mother telling me that my father had been voted the president of the student body but was relegated to a second position because only a Japanese student could have the same spot. Their accounts seem to differ in that Korean and Japanese students seemed to be in the same school system while Richard Kim's account seem to have the students separated in all areas of life.
Another difference lies in that my parents never spoke badly about the Japanese. They never spoke of losing their Korean names or being treated badly by the Japanese which occupies a good portion of Richard E Kim's book. My mother shyly told me that she had a good Japanese friend in school as if she knew that this was a forbidden act. But of course, my father took off for S Korea as soon as he was conscripted by the Japanese army by volunteering to steal horses for them and spent the months walking at night and hiding during the day from the Japanese forces.
My father spoke of speaking Chinese with the neighborhood children in Manchuria, Japanese in school and Korean at home. The book has a teacher who also speaks all three languages as he communicates with a Japanese teacher, a Korean student, then a Chinese shopkeeper.
These stories that are familiar to the ones my parents told me in my childhood made the book very touching and interesting for me.
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J J
98 reviews
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May 25, 2019
Reads quickly and like a Y.A. novel, and stirs emotions if you're a Korean person who has very little content to read about the annexation of Korea as told through human voices.
This edition includes reflections from the author that reveal that this book was a work of historical fiction, which was weird for me, as I had read it somehow under the misinformation that it was an autobiography/memoir.
Two things that were in hard juxtaposition to the memoir by Helie Lee I read immediately before this were:
1. The equality of family members in a time/culture that was hierarchical and often brutal to women
2. The fortune of the family to remain together and intact in the exhilarating moment of liberation from Japan before the almost immediate horrors of the proxy war that were to follow
I looked up the author and could only marvel at his trajectory - serving for the South in the Korean War, then jumping right to college in the States - in the 1950s, no less. His record of education and distinction shows that there was always a level of certainty and focus in his will to express himself as a writer. This is one of the products of this pioneer immigrant from Korea to the U.S. - this book will stay on my shelf as a rare and nearly extinct voice of that generation and time, and I'll also be reading his other works. This was an easy gateway.
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CJ Alejo-Dickey
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April 29, 2024
Do you like reading about unknown stories from the WWII period? If so, then this book is for you. Lost Names by Richard E. Kim takes readers on a journey through the experiences of a Korean family during the Japanese occupation. Set against the backdrop of WWII, the book looks into the struggles and resilience of the characters as they navigate through a harsh period in history.
The story follows a young boy, who grapples with identity and belonging among the chaos of war. Richard E. Kim masterfully combines elements of historical fiction and coming of age themes that paint a vivid picture of life under occupation. Through his eyes, readers witness the hardships faced by ordinary people and the strength they find in each other. Kim’s use of imagery and symbolism adds depth to the narrative, immersing reading in the sights, sounds, and emotions of the time.
Overall, Lost Names offers a compelling portrayal of resilience and hop in the face of adversity. Readers interested in historical fiction and stories of survival will find this book enjoyable and engaging. However, some may find the pacing slow at times, and the lack of resolution for certain plot points may leave them with unanswered questions. Despite these minor drawbacks, Lost Names remains a impactful and touching read for those willing to dive into the complexities of war and identity.
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Corinne
255 reviews
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August 11, 2022
Today," he says, without looking at us, holding up the piece of paper in front of him, "I must have your new names. I have the new names of most of you in this class, but the principal tells me that some of you have not yet registered your names. I shall call your old names, and those who are called will be excused from the class immediately, so that they can go home and return with their new names, which have been properly registered with the proper authorities in town." p99
"Survival son, that's what my generation has accomplished, if that can be called an accomplishment."
"You don't have to apologize to my generation, Father. You have done the best you could. We are all in it together, aren't we, Father? We share everything in our history, don't we, Father? That's our destiny as people, isn't it sir?"
"I am only hoping that your generation will have enough will and strength to make sure the country will not make the same mistakes and repeat its shameful history. I only hope, son, that mere survival will not become the only goal of your generation's lives. There must be more in life than just that."
"We will be all right, Father." p186
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Alizay
1 review
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April 29, 2024
Lost Names is an excellent book for anyone who wants to learn more than what's usually told about WWII. This book delves into a young Korean boy's childhood as he goes through Japanese imperialism in Korea. You get to read about how he learns to perceive and establish his own identity while being forced to take on a Japanese identity. This book is described as a fiction book with references to the author, Richard Kim, and his childhood when he went through the same thing. I loved seeing the protagonist grow as he learned to survive with all the prejudice around him. As a character, he was very fleshed out, and I enjoyed reading about him. I do wish that the supporting characters were also fleshed out. Maybe not as much as him, but definitely more than they are currently. We don't get to see how the war affected his friends; we only really see how it affected his family whenever he was involved. I also find this book hard to keep up with regarding when and where an event is happening. Overall, I enjoy this book, as the main character's personality and resilience make it incredibly enjoyable.
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Sasha Weiss
1 review
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April 10, 2025
If you have ever wondered what it was like being affected negatively in a war, then this is the book for you. Living in Japan as a Korean boy heavily impacted the main character (Ikawuma) to the point where he lost his name. During this time, the boy is going through his childhood and is in his early adolescence. This book is about how a boy is reaching his early adolescence while being at the height of Japanese occupation.
In the book, the author tells us about his experience in school as well as being surrounded by Japanese culture as a Korean boy made him feel. Throughout the book, the author learns how to find himself despite the way the setting of what he was in impacted him. In this book, the author (Richard E. Kim) doesn’t use the name of his family members to emphasize the fact that they all lost their names.
As someone who doesn’t read that much, this book is very easy to be hooked onto and is very interesting. Although this book is very sad, the author does a really good job at setting the scene and making his experience feel real. This book is very heart-breaking, but it is also a book that everyone should read sometime in their life.
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G N
1 review
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April 10, 2025
If you like learning about history, but also still enjoy fiction and memoirs, then this book is perfect for you. Lost Names tells the story of a young boy protagonist navigating his young adolescence under Japanese rule and how the occupiers forced the Koreans to give up their identity and be given new Japanese names, hence the title of the book, Lost Names.
The book is definitely not one that is all sunshine and rainbows, but the author is able to shine the spotlight on the small joyous moments, despite the reality of what these characters might face day-to-day. The humor is witty, and the tense dark moments make you want to keep reading to see what happens next, even if the outcome may not necessarily be positive. Abusive teachers, preparing for a gruesome war, is just a sliver of what is covered in this book.
Richard Kim perfectly displays the real, harsh, reality for the Koreans who survived during Japanese rule. It’s authentic, and comes from experience despite being a fictionalized piece of historic literature. I strongly urge descendants of these survivors and anyone who wants to know what happened during this time to buy and read this book.
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Adel Sharbatyan
1 review
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April 25, 2025
The novel Lost Names was actually better than I expected. During WWII this book portrays the experiences of a Korean boy during Korean occupation by Japan through multiple scenes from his childhood. The emotional content in this story rises subtly rather than intensely yet it stays true to life’s authenticity.
The plot is more like a bunch of little moments instead of one big storyline, but they all tie together nicely. The interesting aspect of this book arises from its narrative style which lets younger readers comprehend the turbulent situation during that time period. The writing is pretty simple, but it still makes you feel something, while conveying important issues about personal identity with family relationships and feelings of pride.
Overall, this book provides an excellent reading experience. The reading experience of this book is both meaningful and relaxing. The novel is suitable for readers interested in history or seeking unique reading material at an approachable reading level.
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Jillian Wiegand
1 review
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April 29, 2025
If you are interested in learning about World War II, "Lost Names" is a powerful read that dives into the impact of war on identity and culture. The story is about the most untalked about part of WWII which is Japan. As they attempt to erase all of Korean culture. The authors writing captures what it means to lose identity.
The point of view of this book is the eyes of the protagonist, who struggles with a forced Japanese name and the loss of his culture. As the boy navigates his life, we learn about his relationship with his family and friends, and how their lives are forever changed by the war. Through this book the author uses lots of imagery making the reader feel as if they are experiencing the struggles.
Overall, "Lost Names" is a very good book that I would recommend to anyone interested in history, culture, or WWII. High school students, especially those studying history and english, would find this book informative and emotional. This book encourages readers to reflect on their own identities making it a must read book.
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Everett Grider
1 review
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April 10, 2025
If you want to learn more about how Korean families dealt with being taken out of their homeland out of Korea and plopped into an entire new world, this is the book for you. Lost Names is a book about an elementary school kid that was forced out of his native land of Manchuria, and forced to restart his life in Japan. The book follows Richard E. Kim throughout his journey of conquering this new life and dealing with many different minor problems that are showcased through his childhood. On another note, this book is a great choice for anyone who is curious about traditional Korean culture along with fragments of traditional Japanese culture and how these two beliefs intertwine. Overall, Lost Names is a good book for anyone that specifically favors first person books, and anyone that is interested in learning about Korean lifestyle, culture, and any hardships that come with it.
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Kaye
1 review
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April 10, 2025
Kaye Ellis
4 stars
If you’re looking for a powerful and moving story, I highly recommend "Lost Names" by Richard E. Kim. The book follows a young Korean boy who starts at a new school during the Japanese occupation. Right from the beginning, he faces the nerve-wracking challenge of singing a song in front of his class, which perfectly captures the anxiety of fitting in as a newcomer.
Kim’s writing draws you in and makes you feel the boy's fears and hopes. This story not only explores the struggles of identity and belonging but also highlights the importance of cultural heritage. It’s an emotional journey that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt out of place.
Overall, "Lost Names" is an engaging read that combines history with relatable themes. If you enjoy heartfelt stories that make you think, this book is definitely worth picking up!.
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Grace
5 reviews
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March 17, 2021
I absolutely love this book. The content within the book concerns information that many people do not know about. It talks about the colonization of Korea by Japan. It is a first-person true-story following the main character's life from 12 years old (there is no name). During the colonization, Japan forced Korea to assimilate to Japanese culture, making everyone change their names. This may not sound like a big deal to most people, but with Asian culture, your name connected you to the afterlife and your ancestors. Your name and honor were vital parts of a human's motivation in life. When that gets taken away, what else is there? That is why this book is so important. It was written so young people can understand, which is one big reason I will use this in my classroom one day.
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Bruddy
241 reviews
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July 17, 2023
Having been born and raised during the Japanese occupation of Korea in what today is North Korea and gone on to learn English and emigrate to the United States, where he became a professor and taught at several U.S. universities, Richard E. Kim has a unique and valuable perspective. Lost Names shows us what life was like under the occupation, the daily indignities visited upon Koreans, and the efforts made by the Japanese to eradicate Korean culture and identity, most particularly by forcing Koreans to adopt Japanese names. Lost Names is not only a moving and well written account of a childhood experienced under foreign oppression, but also an important historical document describing a time (1933-1945) when Koreans—both north and south—endured the final years of a brutal occupation.
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Virginia
302 reviews
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September 4, 2017
This is a sad tale of a Korean boyhood spanning the years of war in North Korea. The cruelty of the Japanese during their occupation of North Korea is heartbreaking but the valor of the Koreans and their ability to stand up to that domination is inspiring.
The main character and his family are courageous and well liked in the village and the story ends in triumph.
A great yarn for an adolescent interested in learning about war from the perspective of the occupied.
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Alex
1,872 reviews
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November 15, 2017
I really enjoyed this! I read this for an Asian literature class so I did not have high expectations. Overall, I thought this was a solid, informative, beautiful look at a boy's life during the Japanese occupation of Korea. I do think it was a little idealistic and innocent at times, but that didn't lessen the story for me. It really did feel like I was reading from a boy's perspective. I'm glad I read this!
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Conversation with Gemini
소설 일어버린 이름, 김은국, 에 대한 질문 -
1) 소설에 나오는 조선인-일본인 관계는 같은 저자가 일본인이었다면, 아니면 누구라도 같은 자리에서 같은 경험을 했다면 권력에 대한 적개심을 느낄까요?
2) 영문 소설에서 한국어로 번역할 때 감정의 서술/표현이 달라젔을까요?
=============
세진님, 질문하신 김은국 작가의 <잃어버린 이름>()에 대한 평론과 분석입니다.
Lost Names 영문판 표지, AI generated
Lost Names 영문판 표지. Source: University of California Press
1. 저자가 일본인이었거나 동일한 위치의 타인이었다면 권력에 대한 적개심을 느꼈을 것인가
김은국의 <잃어버린 이름>에서 묘사되는 피지배자와 지배자의 관계는 민족주의적 분노에만 매몰되지 않는다. 작품 속 인간관계와 권력 구조를 분석해 보면 다음과 같은 결론에 도달한다.
권력 메커니즘에 대한 구조적 적개심
이 소설에서 인물들이 느끼는 적개심은 단순히 '한국인이 일본인에게 느끼는 민족적 원한'에 그치지 않는다. 그것은 '개인의 존엄과 정체성을 압살하는 거대 국가 권력 폭력성'에 대한 거부감이다.
만약 저자가 일본인이었더라도 전체주의 제국주의 폭압 아래에서 동일한 억압을 경험했다면, 즉 통제와 감시, 개별성의 박탈(창씨개명으로 상징되는 정체성 지우기)을 경험했다면 국가 기구와 권력자를 향한 적개심과 회의감을 똑같이 느꼈을 것이다. 실제 당대 일본 내에서도 국가주의에 저항하거나 환멸을 느낀 지식인과 양심적 개인이 존재했던 것과 같은 맥락이다.
인간 대 인간의 시선과 보편적 경험
김은국은 작품 내에서 일본인을 단순한 '악마적 집단'으로 획일화하지 않는다.
주인공에게 동정심이나 인간적 유대감을 보이는 일본인 교사나 이웃의 존재가 함께 묘사된다.
해방 직후 한국인들이 일본인들에게 사적 보복을 가하려 할 때, 주인공의 아버지가 이를 막아서며 질서를 지키려 하는 장면이 대표적이다.
이러한 연출은 억압의 본질이 특정 민족의 악함에 있는 것이 아니라 '체제와 권력구조'에 있음을 보여준다. 따라서 민족적 정체성을 떠나 누구라도 동일한 경험의 위치에 놓였다면, 인간의 자율성을 침해하는 가해 권력 시스템 그 자체에 적개심을 느꼈을 것이다.
2. 영문 원작에서 한국어로 번역될 때 감정 서술 및 표현의 변화
김은국 작가는 이 소설을 처음부터 영어()로 집필했다. 영문 원작이 한국어로 번역되는 과정에서 언어 매체의 특성상 감정 표현의 톤과 전달 방식에 명확한 차이가 발생한다.
영문 원작의 절제미와 건조한 정조 (Understated Emotion)
영문 원작의 문체는 서구 실존주의 문학(카뮈나 헤밍웨이 등)의 영향을 받아 매우 건조하고 삭막하며 절제되어 있다.
간결한 문장 구조: 감정을 직접적으로 형용사나 부사로 묘사하기보다는 상황, 행동, 대사를 사실적으로 나열하는 방식을 취한다.
거리 두기: 주인공 소년의 시선을 빌려 이야기하지만, 냉정할 정도로 관조적인 톤을 유지한다. 슬픔이나 분노의 순간에도 폭발적인 감정 단어를 쓰기보다 침묵, 눈, 겨울 바람 같은 배경 묘사로 감정을 대체한다.
한국어 번역판에서의 감정 밀도 증가
영어를 한국어로 옮기는 과정에서 언어 구조적·문화적 특성에 의해 감정의 결이 달라진다.
풍부한 감정 어휘: 한국어는 감정, 상태, 분위기를 나타내는 형용사와 부사, 의태어/의성어가 매우 발달한 언어이다. 영문의 건조한 표현이 한국어로 옮겨지면서 시각적·감정적 묘사가 한층 더 구체적이고 생생하게 바뀐다.
정서적 공감대의 변화: 영문판은 서구 독자들에게 일종의 보편적 인권과 자유에 대한 실존적 수기처럼 읽히는 경향이 있다. 반면 한국어 번역본은 '한(恨)', '수치심', '억울함'과 같은 한국 특유의 정서적 맥락이 어휘 선택에 자연스럽게 개입되면서 독자가 느끼는 감정적 밀도가 훨씬 짙어진다.
결과적으로 영문 원작이 '실존적 거리를 둔 서늘한 회고'에 가깝다면, 한국어 번역본은 '정서적 울림과 한이 서린 서사'로 감정의 표현 방식이 변용된다.
Want to examine the language gap through a specific scene like the name-changing scene?
Yes
소설 <잃어버린 이름
세진님, 질문이 중간에 끊긴 것으로 보입니다.
김은국 작가의 소설 <잃어버린 이름>(Lost Names)에 대해 이어서 어떤 점이 궁금하신가요?
이전에 나누었던 내용(권력에 대한 적개심의 본질, 영문 원작과 한국어 번역의 감정 표현 차이) 외에도 다음과 같은 주제들에 대해 논의할 수 있습니다.
창씨개명 대목의 영문 원문과 한국어 번역문 텍스트 비교 분석
소설 속 아버지 캐릭터가 체현하는 유교적·지식인적 윤리관과 권력에 대한 저항 방식
작품에 반영된 실존주의적 세계관과 서구 평단의 수용 양상
전체 요약 및 작품 평론
원하시는 방향을 말씀해 주시면 상세히 답변해 드리겠습니다.
창씨개명 대목의 영문 원문과 한국어 번역문 텍스트 비교 분석
세진님, 질문하신 김은국 작가의 <잃어버린 이름>(Lost Names) 중 제4장 (잃어버린 이름들)에 등장하는 창씨개명 신고 장면의 영문 원문과 한국어 번역문 텍스트 비교 분석입니다.
Lost Names 영문판 표지, AI generated
Lost Names 영문판 표지. Source: University of California Press
창씨개명 대목 텍스트 비교 분석
소설에서 가장 극적인 순간 중 하나는 아버지와 할아버지, 그리고 어린 주인공이 눈길을 헤치고 면사무소(경찰서)로 가서 일본식 이름으로 등록한 뒤, 선영을 찾거나 집으로 돌아오는 길에 나누는 대화 장면이다.
1. 영문 원문 (Original Text)
"Today, I lost my name," I say. "Today, we all lost our names."
My father does not say anything. He walks on, his head bowed, his shoulders stooped under the heavy weight of the grey sky. The snow falls silently, covering our tracks, covering the town, covering the graves of our ancestors.
"I am sorry," my father says quietly, without looking at me. "I am sorry to have brought you into this world to live through a day like this."
2. 한국어 번역문 예시 (Korean Translation)
"오늘 나는 이름을 잃었어요." 내가 말했다. "오늘 우리는 모두 이름을 잃어버렸어요."
아버지는 아무 말씀도 하지 않으셨다. 고개를 숙인 채, 잿빛 하늘의 무거운 짐을 짊어진 듯 어깨를 늘어뜨리고 그저 걸어가실 뿐이었다. 눈은 말없이 내려 우리의 발자국을 덮고, 마을을 덮고, 조상들의 묘지를 덮었다.
"미안하다." 아버지는 나를 돌아보지도 않은 채 나지막이 말씀하셨다. "너에게 이런 날을 겪게 하는 세상에 태어나게 해서 참으로 미안하구나."
문체 및 정서적 뉘앙스 차이 분석
1. 시제와 거리감의 차이 (Present Tense vs. Past Tense)
영문 원문: 원작은 역사적 사건을 다루면서도 놀랍게도 현재시제(Present Tense)를 주로 사용한다 ("I say", "My father does not say", "The snow falls"). 이는 독자에게 바로 눈앞에서 사건이 일어나는 듯한 서구 문학 특유의 '생생한 현장감'과 실존적 긴장감을 부여한다.
한국어 번역문: 한국어 서사 문법의 특성상 대부분 과거시제("말했다", "걸어가실 뿐이었다")로 수렴된다. 이로 인해 과거의 한 장면을 회상하고 추억하는 '회고적 정조'가 훨씬 강해진다.
2. 감정 절제(Understatement) 대 정서적 울림의 확대
영문 원문: 김은국은 영어로 쓸 때 수식어를 극도로 절제한다. "The snow falls silently, covering..."과 같은 구절은 카뮈나 헤밍웨이식의 건조한 묘사법이다. 비통함을 감정적 단어(슬프다, 억울하다 등)로 직접 표출하지 않고, '눈이 발자국과 조상의 묘를 덮는 행동과 풍경'으로 대체한다. 이는 서구 독자들에게 개인의 자유와 정체성이 국가 권력에 의해 침해당하는 보편적 비극으로 전달된다.
한국어 번역문: 한국어로 전환되면 "참으로 미안하구나", "짊어진 듯"과 같은 어휘가 더해지면서 '부자간의 정'과 역사적 수치심, '한(恨)'의 정서가 부각된다. 영문판의 건조함이 한국어판에서는 가슴을 울리는 비장미로 변용된다.
3. 경어체와 존속 관계의 명확화
영문 원문: 영어 텍스트에서는 "my father says"처럼 아버지와 아들 사이의 언어적 격차가 문법적으로 드러나지 않는다. 대사 역시 직설적이다.
한국어 번역문: 한국어 번역에서는 서술어의 높임법("하지 않으셨다", "말씀하셨다")과 아들의 존댓말이 적용되면서, 한국의 유교적 가부장 질서 안에서 '존경하는 아버지의 무력함과 붕괴'를 바라보는 자식의 죄책감과 슬픔이 시각적으로 명확해진다.
요약하자면, 영문 원문은 현재시제의 건조하고 절제된 문체를 통해 정체성 박탈이라는 실존적 폭력을 서늘하게 관조하는 반면, 한국어 번역문은 언어적 특성과 문화적 맥락이 개입하여 역사적 수치심과 부자간의 비통함이 서린 한(恨)의 서사로 울림이 깊어진다.
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Amazon and Goodreads Reviews --- 요약 평론
제공된 <아마존(Amazon)> 및 <굿리즈(Goodreads)> 서평 자료를 바탕으로 한, 김은국 작가의 소설 <잃어버린 이름>(Lost Names)에 대한 요약 및 평론이다.
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1. 독자 반응 및 서평 요약
아마존과 굿리즈 서평에서 독자들이 보여주는 반응은 크게 장르성 인식, 주제 및 감정적 울림, 문체 및 서사적 한계, 그리고 역사적 비판의 네 가지 축으로 나뉜다.
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장르적 경계의 모호성과 수용 방식
자서전인가 소설인가: 다수의 독자는 이 책을 자서전(Memoir)으로 알고 읽기 시작했으나, 서문(Author's Note)에서 "모든 인물과 사건은 진짜지만 그 외는 모두 픽션"이라고 밝힌 대목에서 혼란을 느꼈다.
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학술·교육용 교재로서의 가치: 미국 대학이나 고등학교의 '동아시아사', '2차 세계대전사', '세계문학' 수업의 필수 읽기 도서로 대거 활용되고 있다. 서구 독자들에게 상대적으로 잘 알려지지 않은 일제강점기 조선의 역사적 현실을 생생하게 전달하는 입문서 역할을 한다.
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정체성 박탈과 인간적 존엄성
창씨개명의 비극성: 독자들은 창씨개명 대목에서 가장 깊은 정서적 충격을 받았다. 이름을 빼앗기는 행위를 단순한 행정 절차가 아니라 가문과 조상, 개인의 존재적 정체성을 뿌리째 흔드는 일제 강점의 상징적 폭력으로 이해한다.
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희망과 품위의 유지: 혹독한 압제와 가혹한 환경 속에서도 가족 간의 유대, 이웃 간의 존중, 그리고 존엄성을 잃지 않으려는 고결한 태도가 큰 감동을 준다.
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문체 및 구조에 대한 평가
소년의 시선과 시각적 묘사: 서사가 1인칭 소년의 시점으로 전개되어 쉽고 빠르게 읽힌다는 평이 지배적이다. 계절의 변화, 날씨, 풍경에 대한 섬세한 묘사가 서사의 분위기를 효과적으로 형성한다.
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주인공 영웅화 및 주변 인물 묘사의 아쉬움: 일부 독자는 주인공 소년이 13세에 불과함에도 지나치게 영웅적이고 지혜롭게 묘사된 점(해방 직후 마을 질서 확립을 주도하는 대목 등)이 영아다움(YA) 문학처럼 읽히거나 비현실적이라고 지적한다. 주변 인물(친구, 아버지 등)의 내면이 충분히 다루어지지 않았다는 비판도 존재한다.
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수정주의적 역사관의 이탈표
일본 측 독자의 역사 부정: 극소수(예: Dai Yoshida) 독자는 일제의 Koseki(호적) 제도를 들며 창씨개명이 강요가 아니었다고 주장하거나, 소설을 "역사 수정주의적 허구"라고 비하하며 낮은 평점을 부여했다.
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2. 작품 평론
문학적 수사와 실존적 감정의 절제
김은국의 <잃어버린 이름>은 거대한 역사적 비극을 과도한 감정 표출(Pathos)로 다루지 않는다. 1인칭 관조적 톤과 사실주의적 묘사를 통해 식민지배의 폭압성을 일상의 세부 항목으로 조명한다. 이름과 언어를 박탈당하는 과정에서 드러나는 인간의 수치심과 저항 의식은 단순히 특정 민족의 한(恨)에 국한되지 않고, 국가 권력의 부당함에 맞서는 보편적 인간 존엄의 문제로 확장된다.
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팩트와 픽션 사이의 서사 전략
이 작품은 엄밀한 역사적 사료나 완벽한 자서전이라기보다는, 작가의 기억과 문학적 상상력이 결합된 '기억의 재구성(Fictionalized Memoir)'에 가깝다. 작가가 밝힌 "모든 인물과 사건은 진짜지만 그 외는 모두 픽션"이라는 모순적 진술은 식민지 경험이라는 집단적 기억을 서사화하기 위한 의도적 장치이다.
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한계와 문학적 의의
주인공 소년의 지나친 이상화나 서구 독자층을 염두에 둔 듯한 간결한 서사 구조는 입체적인 역사 소설로서의 깊이를 다소 완화시키는 측면이 있다. 그럼에도 불구하고 이 소설은 서구 세계에 일제강점기 조선인들의 삶과 정체성 투쟁을 증언한 드문 영문 텍스트로서, 수십 년간 글로벌 독자들에게 깊은 울림을 준 중요한 유산이다.
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오늘 오후 10:22
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