A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur

Seventeen-year-old Hwang Boyeon (Iseul)is determined to find her older sister, Suyeon who was  kidnapped only three days earlier by the tyrant King Yeonsan who rules Korea. 

The two sisters had lost their parents when royal soldiers had killed their father, a magistrate and their mother. Iseul and Suyeon had fled to their grandmothers hut. Living with the grandmother had not been easy. Suyeon had taken work but Iseul wanted to preserve her hands and had only complained. The two sisters frequently quarrelled. Suyeon who was very beautiful, was taken when she followed Iseul out of their hut after an argument. King Yeonsan kidnapped married, betrothed women, taking even the noble daughters. So Iseul believes her sisters kidnapping is her fault.

Exhausted, Iseul travels through the part of Gyeonggi Province that is not the king's personal hunting grounds. The once flourishing territory is emptied of thousands of people. Arriving in a small hamlet, Iseul enters a thatched-roof inn, The Red Lantern, where she almost collapses. She is helped by a young woman who seems too kind and too sweet. 

The woman quickly surmises that Iseul is looking for someone and she tells her that the hamlet has a bell that rings to warn the young women that the king is about to pass through. This allows them to hide and avoid being kidnapped. She also reveals that the king travels with hundreds of his most favoured courtesans and that he is on his way to the village.

The rough-bearded man Iseul noticed eavesdropping on their conversation indicates that the king's finest swordsmen and archers guard them. He tells Iseul and her sister would both be killed. The innkeeper identifies the man as Wonsik ajusshi, guardian of the inn. Suddenly a young man, Yeongho, dressed in a red robe and golden sash, rushes into the inn, addressing the innkeeper as Madame Yul and tells her that a murder has just occurred outside the village. He states that the village elder believes the murder is the work of "Nameless Flower", an anonymous killer who has murdered twelve government officials. To prevent the visiting king from becoming enraged, the corpse has been moved to a reed field. Iseul believes if she can catch the killer she will be able to free her sister.

Inspecting the corpse Iseul determines that the man died from a blade to the throat. A red flower had placed on his chest and a bloody message scrawled on his robe. She also finds two wax beads, one yellow, one red, in the dead man's clenched hand. Iseul places the red bead inside her jolit mal (breastband). 

Wonsik and Madame Yul arrive to examine the body. Madame Yul reveals that Wonsik used to work for the Uigeumbu, as an Officer of the State Tribunal, investigating cases of treason. Iseul determines that Wonsik was not involved in her parents case. He tells Iseul that the victim is Young Master Baek, the eighteen-year-old son of the king's close aide, and was recently given a government position. Master Baek went missing three weeks earlier along with his two attendants both of whom died in the attack. 

Wonsik surmises that Iseul is determined to solve the crime to win the king's reward, that she is part of the yangban aristocracy, that her parents are deceased and that she is a fugitive. He tells her she will never succeed in bargaining with the king. However, he does explain that the king's courtesans live in Wongaksa Temple, near Gyeongbok Palace and is are heavily guarded. Every day the women are brought to the Sungyungwan Royal Academy to entertain the king. Iseul would be able to determine if her sister is there by looking over the wall. He knows this because his daughter was there. 

Iseul learns that Wonsik is investigating the murders, not for the reward, but for someone who believes the killings are causing more trouble in the city. With Wonsik helping, Iseul determines that the victim was injured when kidnapped, then starved for weeks. Their investigation is cut short with the arrival of the State Tribunal Officials, leading Iseul to flee into the woods. 

While hiding in the woods Iseul encounters Prince Daehyun, half brother to King Yeonsun. He had been part of the king's hunting party as they travelled through the hamlet. After killing a doe, the king declared that any of the princes who returned without a kill would be executed. So Daehyun is out hunting to prevent his own execution which had been foretold for this day by a shaman.  His arrow grazes Iseul's shoulder, pinning her to a tree by her jacket. However, Daehyun spares Iseul's life, ordering her to remain hidden when a guard approaches. The guard reveals that the king has murdered a dozen people while Daehyun was out hunting. 

Iseul returns to the Red Lantern Inn where Madame Yul treats her wound and tells her to consider the inn her home until she finds her sister but that she will have to help out at the inn. The next day Iseul sets out to find the Royal Academy in Hanyang, the capitol of Joseon, by travelling with a troupe of jesters. She travels with the help Yeongho.  In Hanyang, Iseul is shocked at the prevalence of death and destruction. With Yeongho's help, Iseul is able to enter the academy dressed as a servant and to locate Suyeon. She finds her sister cold and detached. Suyeon tells Iseul to return home and leave her, "There are over a thousand women here who wish to return home but cannot. This is the way of life for us. We are born to be devoured." She also tells her to find Uncle Choi Ikjan, to forget her, and to seek the life she has always wanted. 

As she is leaving the Royal Academy, Iseul impulsively attempts to rescue another girl being kidnapped by a chehongsa officer, stabbing him with a piece of wood and causing a riot. She is pulled to safety by Wonsik and taken to the inn to recover from her arrow wound. After five days of recuperation, Iseul begins helping Madame Yul by harvesting roots and bark in the woods. At the inn, Iseul learns that Wonsik plans to travel to Jamsil village to question the wife of one of Master Baek's attendants. Determined to find Nameless Flower, Iseul races to the village and learns from the widow that her husband described the attacker as "half man, half wolf". Wonsik shows up in Jamsil but admonishes Iseul, telling her she must notice the small things and to not take evidence from a crime scene.

Meanwhile Prince Daehyun learns from Hyukjin that he helped his sister, Sonhui procure kyungpo-buja for Lady Seungpyeong who has been found dead. Hyukjin reveals that Lady Seungpyeong was pregnant at age fifty with the king's child as a result of rape. Daehyun advises Hyukjin to remain silent and his sister not to flee. Prince Daehyun also learns that the girl he met in the forest has been found and he travels to the Red Lantern Inn where he finds Iseul. There he meets up with Wonsik who reveals that Min Hyukjin returned to his home but left immediately. Wonsik found a note in the handwriting of Nameless Flower telling Hyukjin that his sister was fleeing the palace. However, his sister was being interrogated at this time. Wonsik tells Daehyun that Hyukjin was last seen riding into Mount Acha. Wonsik and Daehyun believe that Hyukjin will be Nameless Flower's next victim as the king is due to pass through Mount Acha the next day.

Prince Daehyun and Wonsik leave immediately to try to locate Hyukjin, but are followed by Iseul. Her presence is explained to the prince but he is skeptical that she can succeed in her plan to bargain with King Yeonsan. Daehyun finds Hyukjin hanging from a tree but as he's cutting him down, he is attacked, and witnesses his friend being kicked over a cliff, before being knocked unconscious. Meanwhile, Wonsik and Iseul take shelter from the rain in a cave overnight. During this time, Wonsik suggests to Iseul that the stories she's heard about the prince are not true. 

At dawn, Wonsik is gone but hears the voices of the king's soldiers who have discovered Hyukjin's body, enraging the king. Investigator Gu explains that it was left where the king could see it and that the killer is someone within the palace who know of the king's change of plans to hunt earlier on Gwangneung Mountain. As the soldiers begin to search the area, Iseul stumbles upon a badly wounded Daehyun. Initially she refuses to help him  but he offers to help her free her sister. As the soldiers move up the hill searching, Daehyun and Iseul move quickly and hide. During the night Daehyun reveals to Iseul that he intends to stage a coup - a banjeong - a changing the heavens. 

The thought of bargaining with the tyrant King Yeonsan and trying to solve the mystery of Nameless Flower is daunting to Iseul and so she reluctantly agrees to become a part of the small group beginning to plot the coup with the promise that it will free her sister. For Iseul it will bring about revelations, loss and betrayal. But along the way she will discover the identity of Nameless Flower, save her sister, and find love and happiness with the person she least expects.

Discussion

A Crane Among Wolves is another well-written historical fiction novel that is set during the rule of the tyrant King Yeonsan in the early 1500s in Korea.

Prince Yeonsan was born November 23, 1476. When his father, King Seongjong's first wife, Queen Gongjye died, he took a concubine, Lady Yun, as his second wife and queen, in 1476. She gave birth to the king's heir, Yi Yung. However, Queen Yun was deposed and ordered into exile after striking the king and the incident discovered by the king's mother. Despite attempts to restore her as queen, she was exiled and eventually executed by poison.

Yi Yung grew up believing his mother was Queen Jeongyeon, his father's third wife. He became King Yeonsan, the tenth monarch of the Jeoson dynasty of Korea in 1495. Initially his reign was benevolent; he helped the poor and was a good administrator. However, in 1504 King Yeonsan learned the identity of his biological mother and her gruesome death from a scholar. He showed the king her bloodied robe that Lady Yun's mother had saved. Enraged, King Yeonsan began seeking vengeance, killing two concubines who were involved in his mother's murder, executing those government officials who supported his mother's exile and execution and even punishing those officials who were at the palace on the day of her execution. But his vengeance went much further than just executions.

He closed the royal university and converted it and an adjacent temple into a gisaeng, a place where thousands of kidnapped girls and women were taken to be used by the king. He also displaced tens of thousands of people in the capital, converting the area in to his personal hunting grounds. In 1506, the despotic king was overthrown by soldiers and officials in a coup that resulted in Yeonsan exiled to an island and his half brother Prince Jinseong made king.

This forms the background of the story crafted by June Hur in A Crane Among Wolves. Seventeen-year-old Iseul's parents were killed because her father was at the royal court when the queen was executed. Iseul learns that her Uncle Choi Ikjun of the Chungju Choe clan, gave their names so as to avoid being demoted in rank. With their parents now murdered, Iseul and her older sister Suyeon had to flee to their grandmother's home. It was at this time that Suyeon, who was very beautiful was kidnapped and taken to the king's palace where she was raped and forced into concubinage.

A Crane Among Wolves is historical fiction that combines both mystery and romance. Iseul believes if she can solve the mystery identity of the killer Nameless Flower she will be able to bargain with the king to free her sister. Nameless Flower is killing those near to the king. As she works with a former royal officer, Jang Wonsik, to solve the murders, Iseul also begins to fall in love with Prince Daehyun who is the half brother of the king and who decides to help her free her sister, while also planning a coup to depose King Yeonsan. Hur incorporates into her novel, many details of King Yeonsan's reign and life in Korea during this era.

The story in A Crane Among Wolves is told by two characters, Iseul and Prince Daehyun in alternating chapters. Iseul undertakes not only a physical journey to discover the whereabouts of her sister Suyeon and free her, but she also experiences an inner transformation that leads to growth and healing. She is initially motivated by guilt as she recalls how self-absorbed and uncaring she has been towards her older sister who always kind to her. Iseul recalls reading Suyeon's journal and being surprised how lonely her sister was, and that she struggled with always having to be the perfect daughter in order to be loved.  Iseul remembers how after the death of their parents, she refused to help Suyeon with chores, determined to preserve her hands and her pale skin, so she could make a good marriage. "My sister had labored for two years after our parents' passing, and I had let her, refusing to ruin my hands. This was not the life I was destined for, I had always said in protest."  Even Iseul's Uncle Choi remembers her as a girl who had little affection for her older sister and who would strike her for even a trifle. Although the two sisters had once been close, as they grew older they fought almost every day. It was during one of these arguments that Suyeon was seen and taken by the king, leading Iseul to blame herself.

Iseul is initially motivated by guilt but also love to find her sister. She discovers that her desire for a life of prosperity is replaced. Suyeon's absence "had stripped me bare, down to the very sinew of my being" and Iseul discovers she truly loves her sister, with a love that left her "...haunted and sleepless many nights..." When she is sees Suyeon in the Royal Academy, "her arms hanging limp by her side" with "the eyes of frightened yet weary girl" Iseul is feels Suyeon is "like a woman murdered". Haunted by her memories, Iseul remembers that Suyeon was a good daughter and kind sister and she becomes determined, despite the reluctance of Wonsik, Daehyun and even her uncle, to free her sister from the king. 

Iseul reveals herself to be a fearless, intelligent young woman, determined not to be confined by the limits Korean society has placed on her. Daehyun recognizes her rebellious spirit. She tells him "It is impossible not to be,...One is imprisoned by a thousand rules as a woman, and no one will explain why such rules exist."  She doesn't let her gender stop her from investigating the murders done by Nameless Flower, either following Wonsik as he travels or taking the initiative and investigating potential leads and new crime scenes. 

She exhibits courage in entering the Wongaksa Temple at great risk to herself to find her sister. She attacks a chehongsa officer, in an attempt to free a young girl being captured for the king. She bravely fights off the chehongsa officers when they try to kidnap her, and wants to stand and fight with Prince Daehyun and Wonsik when they are ambushed in the forest. She re-enters the Wongaksa Temple in a final attempt to help her sister flee during the coup and she bravely confronts Yeongbo in the forest.

Iseul and Prince Daehyun also experience  a transformation in their relationship. Their relationship starts out as one of mutual distrust but gradually evolves. Both carry the demons of regret and remorse over actions that caused harm to those they loved. Iseul believes she is solely responsible for the situation her sister Suyeon finds herself in but Prince Daehyun tells her that it is the responsibility of the king alone.  He reminds Iseul, "...sisters bicker and quarrel...yet when the other bleeds, you bleed too." He explains to Iseul, "That is family. So do not feel guilty for what occurred. None of it is your fault. Let the king, and the king alone carry the weight of all his crimes."

When they first meet in the forest, Iseul is disdainful towards Daehyun as he is part of the royal family that has ruined hers. Iseul doesn't trust him and believes he is cruel and despicable. She believes the stories about him having hunted down and murdered his foster brothers, Prince Anyang and Bongan. However, Daehyun explains to her that Lady Jeong and her sons were like family to him. The two brothers beat their own mother to death but did not know it was her. They were following the king's order. They fled but allowed Daehyun to capture them, requesting that he survive so as to seek revenge.  Iseul comforts Daehyun telling him that he was "simply honoring your brothers' wishes." 

Gradually Daehyun grows to love Iseul and proves this to her by not only saving her life several times, but also by attempting to intervene and prevent her sister from being given as a "gift" to Official Wu. His love for her is demonstrated by him taking the arrow that was meant for her when Yeongbo confronts them in the forest at Yongsan. Likewise Iseul grows to trust Prince Daehyun and love him. At great risk, she has Wonsik's son Gunwu take her to Yongsan District to warn Daehyun about Nameless Flower.

Hur realistically portrays the plight of the young girls and women who have been enslaved by King Yeonsan. Iseul's sister, Suyeon becomes physically and psychologically ill after sexual abuse by the king. When Iseul first finds her sister in the Royal Academy she notes "...there was a look in her eyes I had never seen before. They seemed the eyes of a frightened yet weary girl clinging to the edge of a cliff, her grip slipping, finger by finger." Iseul notes "A bruise the shape of a handprint wrapped around her throat." Suyeon tells Iseul that the girls including herself "...are born to be devoured...This is our fate."  However, Iseul refuses to accept this fate for Suyeon telling her she will free her.

Later when Iseul returns to the Royal Academy prior to the coup, she learns that Suyeon is ill. She is told "She hasn't been herself since she was last summoned by the king." She finds her sister listless, her eyes "empty, hollowed out". Suyeon, later, after having escaped the palace, reveals to Iseul that she helped one of the courtesans who was married and pregnant when she was kidnapped, give birth to her baby, only to learn the king had the woman and her newborn murdered. 

Hur also portrays the difficulties women who have been sexually abused have in re-integrating into society, a problem that still exists today in many societies. Iseul learns that her sister along with  all "...the king's women will be  distributed as gifts to all the government leaders who join us, and your sister will go to Official Wu." When confronted by Prince Daehyun, Choi tells him that "...the truth of the matter is, the girl - Iseul's sister - will no longer have a place in society. She is...the king's whore. She will be scorned for the rest of her life. But what an honor it is to become the respected concubine of a powerful man."  In 16th century Korea, women are mere objects to be possessed and distributed as prizes. 

Iseul refuses to accept this and prepares to enter the Wongaksa Temple disguised as a courtesan to rescue Suyeon, While waiting to enter, she witnesses the suffering of the parents of the stolen girls as they watch their beloved daughters: "...the mob huddling alongside the street...stared at the procession of beautiful women as though witnessing caskets of the murdered. A great weeping of sorrow and fury broke out. They reached past the crush of spears, reaching for their children. They were mothers and fathers who looked like my own, and there were sisters, too, bearing my own reflection."  Many of the courtesans are given to Commander Park after the coup, however, Iseul's sister and some of the women do escape and are helped to reclaim their lives at Madame Yul's Red Lantern Inn. They cannot return to their families or villages as they are considered "tarnished", a term Yul rejects.

The title, A Crane Among Wolves is a reference to two important cultural symbols in Korean society. The crane is a symbol of purity and strength, while the wolf represents power but is also a deadly predator, The crane represents Iseul, but especially her sister Suyeon and the women enslaved by King Yeonsan and his court, who are the wolves. Hur frequently describes these women as being "devoured" by the wolf, King Yeonsan as they are raped and abused, while politely being labelled courtesans. The crane also represents the truth, which Iseul is seeking, while to wolves are those who want to hide or devour the truth. 

A Crane Among Wolves is another excellent piece of historical fiction by June Hur. The characters are interesting and well developed. The character of Jang Wonsik is especially endearing as he helps Iseul channel her impetuous nature into a kind of measured maturity, encouraging her to seek the truth. The romance between Hwang Iseul and Prince Daehyun, gradually blossoms without overwhelming the main story. Wonderfully, the novel ends on a happy and satisfying note for the main characters, despite all the suffering, abuse and murder.

As noted in the Historical Note at the back, the author endeavoured to stay faithful to historical facts, portraying the success of the coup as limited. While King Yeonsan was deposed, the coup failed to help the people overall. And many of the former king's women were enslaved to other men, notably Deputy Commander Park who had a house built to house them. The only complaint is the use of an "f-bomb" by Prince Daehyun, a word likely not in the Korea vocabulary five hundred years ago. Nevertheless A Crane Among Wolves is high recommended.

Book Details:

A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur

New York: Feiwel and Friends     2024

359 pp.

Grandmothers, Our Grandmothers: Remembering the "Comfort Women" of World War II by Han Seong-won

Grandmothers, Our Grandmothers is a beautiful tribute to some of World War II's most courageous women survivors: girls and young women enslaved by the Japanese Imperial Army to be sexually abused for years.

Between 1932 and 1945, the Japanese Imperial Army set up what they called "comfort stations" in war zones. With the outbreak of war in the Pacific during World War II, young girls were lured from home or forcibly taken and placed in these "comfort stations." It was not until 1991 that the Japanese government would even begin to acknowledge the existence of such places.

In Chapter 1 Testimony, Han Seong-won offers the testimonies of these women, called Grandmothers because many of the women are now elderly and grandmothers. The first Grandmother to publicly testify about her enslavement by the Japanese Imperial Army was Kim Hak-soon, who filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government. As a result, women from many countries including the Philippines and the Netherlands testified. Eventually, August 14th was designated as "World Memorial Day for Comfort Women" to raise worldwide awareness of this tragic issue.

Grandmother Kim Bok-dong, a comfort woman, testified at the 1993 U.N. Human Rights Commission, and told her story in the U.S., Japan, and Europe. Grandmother Kang Il-chul was forced to work in a "comfort station" in Chanchun of Jilin Province, China. Grandmother Jan Ruff O'Herne, one of the few non-Asians, was a sex slave on Java Island, Indonesia, at a comfort station called Chilhaejung. She sewed the names of all the girls who arrived there on a white hankerchief. Grandmother  Jan broke her silence about this hell in 1992 and testified in 2007 at a hearing in the United States House of Representatives.

In Chapter 2 Memories, many of the Grandmother remember specific things about their home and life, such a love of singing, or a special folk songs. Some forget their names or their memories. For other Grandmothers, memories bring pain and open old wounds. And some make new memories in new cities like New York. 

In Chapter 3 Travelling Together explores how others can travel the road with the Grandmothers, working for recognition and an apology by Japan, helping to bring honour and healing to these women. 

The author while visiting Paris, was struck by the fact that the city does not destroy things that are old. Instead it values them and the memories they bring. This led him to think about how eighty years after the war, people are suggesting that what happened to the Grandmothers be forgotten because it is in the past. 

The Grandmothers and what happened to them are remembered through their testimonies, scholarships to students, and in movies like "I Can Speak." And they are being helped by Japanese women like Misseuko Nobukawa who heard rumours about women and children at the front but didn't bother much about it. It was the testimony of Grandmother Kim Hak-soon that changed everything and made her ashamed to be Japanese. She now travels the journey of the Grandmothers, in particular Grandmother Lee Yong-soo for recognition and apology.

In 2019, over twenty thousand people came together in protest and to remember on August 14 in South Korea. The author participated in this protest, held on the 7th World Memorial Day for the "comfort women" of Japan. By not forgetting, the memory of the Grandmothers is honoured.

Discussion

Grandmothers, Our Grandmothers is a moving tribute to the young girls and women, forced by the Japanese Imperial Army to be "sex slaves" for their soldiers as they rampaged through the Pacific. This crime against humanity was covered up by the Japanese government and military through the use of the euphemisms of "comfort women" and "comfort stations". In Grandmothers, Our Grandmothers, Han writes, "From the stance of the perpetrators, the term "comfort women" is a way to hide the Japanese Imperial Army's horrible deeds." He also notes that the term "humiliates the survivors and deepens their wounds." "Comfort women" is therefore enclosed in quotations as a form of resistance to this term which is used by survivors only because this is how Japanese historical records have labelled the women.

This graphic memoir is not an easy read because the subject matter is horrifying even though Han does not go into any of the details of what the Grandmothers experienced as young women. The exact number of young girls and women involved is not truly known, but it is believed that anywhere between fifty thousand and two hundred thousand women were "sex slaves". Many of the women were minors and many women were lured by promises of work. Women were taken from Korea, Philippines, China, Vietnam. Burma, Thailand, Malay,  and other countries including women from Australia and the Netherlands. They were repeatedly raped day and night, suffering horrific injuries and illness and many died of abuse or suicide. 

Han humanizes the young girls and women forcibly taken and abused so long ago. His portraits give faces to the "comfort women"; they are not simply a faceless, nameless group of survivors. They are real girls and women whose youth was lost in enslavement and abuse and whose trauma lives on with them. In fact, Han Seong-won's portrait of Grandmother Kim Bok-dong as a young girl and then as an elderly woman, especially highlights this reality. 

Grandmothers, Our Grandmothers is a book of remembering, of resilience, of determination, of care and of hope. The hope is that as more and more people are informed about what happened, that the Japanese government will do the right thing and apologize to the Grandmothers with sincerity, ask for forgiveness and make restitution.

Book Details:

Grandmothers, Our Grandmothers: Remembering the "Comfort Women" of World War II by Han Seong-won
Rutland, Vermont: Tuttle Publishing      2023
174 pp. 

DVD Movie: Oranges and Sunshine 2010

In 1986, Margaret Humphreys was a child protection officer working in Nottingham, England. Incredibly, she stumbled upon one of the most astonishing and horrendous secrets safeguarded by the British government for over eighty years. In the movie which is based her book, Empty Cradle, one day after work Margaret is approached by a woman by the name of Charlotte, asking her to help her locate her family. Charlotte had been visiting from Australia where she lives and she tells Margaret that all she knows is that she, along with a large group of children, were sent over by ship in the 1940s and 50s to Australia. Charlotte was four years old at the time. She was told her mother had died and she was unsure of her true name and her birth date.

At first Margaret is reluctant to get involved until one day in her post-adoption group therapy session, one of the attendees, Nikki, tells the group that out of the blue she got a letter from someone claiming to be her brother Jack and that he lived in Australia. Nikki cannot understand how this can be. As she tells the group more, Margaret realizes that this must be more than a coincidence and she decides that she must look into what is going on.

Margaret researches Charlottes birth certificate and manages to track down her mother, reuniting the two women. When she meets Charlottes mother, Margaret learns that she had been told her daughter was adopted out to a family.  She never knew her daughter had been sent to Australia. And she had always hoped to get her daughter back, not see her adopted out.

Margaret eventually meets Nikki's brother Jack, who seems devastated over what happened to him. In an attempt to learn more about the children, Margaret flies to Australia on her own time and using her own funds to determine how many other children have had a similar experience and to try to understand the scope of what happened.

Eventually Margaret and her husband, Mervyn uncover a migration scheme so widespread that there is no way the British government could not have known about it.They discover that these "forced migrations" began as early as 1900 and lasted until 1970. During that period of time there were "waves" of forced migrations and there were so many children involved that upper levels of government would have had to have given permission, including the Home Secretary. All of the children were in care and it was evident that these children were systematically deported. These schemes were run by charities and churches, among them, the Christian brothers.

Margaret, through her visits with children who were forcibly sent to Australia, learns that many suffered abuse, both emotional, physical and sometimes sexual, and worked as virtual slaves. Some received little educating and were basically indentured slaves. All this despite being told they were going to a warm country where there was plenty of sunshine and they could pick oranges off the trees.

Margaret attempts to get the organizations involved in the migrations to accept responsibility and acknowledge that they did a great wrong to these adult children and their families. It took 23 years before the British and Australian government finally issued an apology for the child migration schemes. More than 130,000 children had been deported. Margaret, with the help of her husband, continue their work today of helping reunite children with their families.

Discussion

Oranges and Sunshine deals with this difficult subject in a forthright way but one that also demonstrates how the forced child migration affected the children, their mothers and how it continues to affect them to this day. Emily Watson does a stellar job portraying Margaret Humphreys in a performance filled with intelligence, gentleness and subdued passion. She is never deterred from her mission of finding these "lost children" even when her personal safety is at stake. Eventually the stress of dealing with so many people who have been hurt takes its toll on Margaret and she is diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. She tries to keep her distance and set personal boundaries but the breadth and depth of the tragedy is so overwhelming that she is unable to accomplish this. Watson conveys this with such utter realism that we forget we are watching a movie.

The effect of her work is especially well portrayed in the scenes with Len (David Wenham) near the end of the movie. Len is a man who has been deeply affected by his experiences; by his own admission he stopped crying at the age of eight. Wealthy enough to afford a private detective to find his mother, he is at first doubtful of Margaret's intentions and her ability. Yet after finding his mother for him, Margaret is challenged by Len to go to Boys Town at Bindoon to see what he and other child migrants experienced. She doesn't want to but in the end she agrees. Bindoon is in the middle of nowhere, and as Margaret and Len look down from afar at Boys Town, we see a colossal structure built by child migrants who were at the mercy of the Christian Brothers and who suffered some of the worst abuse. The cinematography effectively captures the isolation and the fear these children must have felt as they saw themselves being driven far from any town or village.

When Margaret sees this place she is terribly shattered because she feels that what she is doing is not enough. But Len tells her, "You feel it for all of us because we can't...You're in there for us. You're fighting for us. So let the rest go. Just let it go."

Oranges and Sunshine is based on the book, Empty Cradles by Margaret Humphreys. The film was produced by Emile Sherman and Camilla Bray who also produced The King's Speech. The Oranges and Sunshine website (orangesandshunshine.com.au ) has more information on the making of the film and the actors involved.

how to save a life by Sara Zarr

When someone lives a certain kind of life all the time, it's hard to describe to them what it looks and feels like to someone who lives a certain other kind of life.

How to save a life is another great book by Sarah Zarr that deals in an unusual way with two teenagers trying to cope with difficult circumstances in life. The novel is written in the alternating voices of two teenage girls whose lives are very different. 

Jill MacSweeney is struggling to come to terms with the death of her father with whom she was very close. Jill who lives with her mother, Robin, is in her last year of high school.  Her mother has decided to adopt a baby. This was something she and Jill's father had often discussed and Robin feels that this is the time. She posts her intention online and receives a response from a girl in Omaha. Robin then takes the unusual step of inviting this teen to spend the final weeks of her pregnancy at her home in Denver, where they will arrange an open adoption.

Pregnant, nineteen-year-old Mandy Kalinowski is on her way from Omaha Nebraska to Denver Colorado. On the train she encounters thirty-eight-year old Alex Pena who initially refuses to provide his last name but does tell her he is married. He's travelling to Salt Lake for his sister's wedding. 

Waiting to meet Mandy at the station are Jill McSweeney and her mother Robin who has decided to adopt a baby. After connecting online via e-mail, Robin agrees to adopt Mandy's baby and pays for her trip to Denver. When Mandy arrives at the McSweeney house, it looks like a mansion to her, "...a house you see on a TV show."

 the pregnant teen who lives in Omaha with her mother and her mother's boyfriend, Kent. Mandy is determined to give her baby a chance at the life she never had living with her mother and her numerous boyfriends. When Mandy sees Robin's request online of offering to adopt a baby she responds and they strike a deal. She will give Robin her baby and move on with her life. Mandy tells Robin only what she needs to know and not all the specifics of her situation.

Discussion

The character of Mandy Madison Kalinowski is gradually revealed through the story. She is a young woman who seems desperate for love. On the train trip to Denver, she immediately latches onto a much older man, Alex Pena who is on his way to a wedding. Pena is married and completely uninterested but who is honorable and kind to Mandy, even helping her with her bags as she leaves the train. However, onec at Jill and Robin's home it is revealed that she's removed the address sticker from Alex's magazine and plans to write him. "When will you be coming through Denver again? I'll write. We can meet for coffee. I have to keep thinking of my future."

Both girls judge each on their appearances. Jill notes Mandy's dress, "...a pastel flowered thing the likes of which I've neither worn nor seen since fourth grade." Jill thinks Mandy is a "weirdo" and that she seems to be sheltered and not have any reservations about "inappropriate curiosity". Mandy judges Jill based on how she looks "...with an electric-blue streak in her brown-black hair, and that eyebrow ring, and dark, chipped nail polish. She doesn't take care of herself or understand the importance of first impressions."

interesting use of the phrase "pregnant people" Note: ONLY women can get pregnant and as a result it's common to refer to them as "pregnant women".

How To Save a Life opens with Mandy traveling by train to meet up with Robin and Jill in Denver. It is apparent from the beginning that Mandy is a very needy person who is in search of a father figure, especially when she tries to connect with a much older man sitting next to her on the train. In fact, when he leaves to go to the bathroom she manages to copy his mailing address down, despite the fact that this fellow has made it clear to her that he's not interested. After Mandy arrives in Denver and settles in with Robin and Jill, they learn that she is not as far along in the pregnancy as she indicated. The reader gradually begins to suspect that Mandy has been living under less than ideal circumstances at home and soon learns the reality of her situation, although that is not known to Jill and Robin until much later in the novel.

The relationship between Jill and Mandy in the novel is complicated. Neither of them are likable characters but as Zarr develops her characters, they grow and mature and more positive attributes are revealed. Jill is a bit goth, rebellious and judgmental. She lives the life of an upper class kid, somewhat spoiled and she is angry at her mother for bringing this strange girl into their lives, at a time when she is struggling to cope with her dad's death. In the overwhelming and unacknowledged pain of her loss, Jill strikes out against those who love her, alienating her friends and her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Dylan, alike.

When Ravi Desai, loss prevention associate, shows up at Margins, the store where Jill works, she is unexpectedly attracted to him. Jill's bad behaviour is unsuccessful in alienating Ravi, whose sensitive nature allows him to connect with her. He helps Jill understand that she has changed since her father's death. Because he didn't know the old Jill who existed when her father was alive, he is more readily accepting of the person she is now. He believes that she is a good person, even when Jill hates herself and how she is so mean to everyone around her, especially Mandy. Ravi recognizes that Jill's behaviour has its source in her grief and pain over the loss of her father.

Mandy, on the other hand, is afraid of Jill, but is much stronger emotionally than she appears. Mandy has come to Denver with a plan, and that is to save her baby's life and make sure it is a life that is happy and secure. As she lives with Robin and Jill, she comes to realize that her baby will not want for anything but will not have her mother. Unknown to Jill and Robin, Mandy's feelings about the baby begin to change as she nears her delivery date, thus adding another dimension of suspense to the novel. But Mandy has no plan for herself after the birth of her baby. She has no idea what will become of her or where she will go.

As the novel progresses, the relationship between all the characters in the book work towards a resolution that is both unique, warm and hopeful. For example, Dylan helps Jill understand something about Mandy that allows her to change Mandy's life in a fantastic way while Ravi offers Jill the possibility of a future. "I want to start again. Not necessarily in a relationship but for myself. I want to start again with me, as the me I've become without Dad here. Good and bad and all of it."

In the end, Jill offers Mandy what they both want - something different from what they both have now. For Mandy, it means saving not only her baby's life but hers as well. For Jill, saving Mandy means moving forward after her dad's death.

How To Save a Life deals with themes of friendship, loss, and identity.

Book Details:
How to Save A Life by Sarah Zarr
New York: Little, Brown and Company 2011
341 pp.