(Ebook) Grandmothers, Our Grandmothers: Remembering the "Comfort Women" of World War II by Han Seong-Won ISBN 9780804856638, 080485663X

(Ebook) Grandmothers, Our Grandmothers: Remembering the "Comfort Women" of World War II by Han Seong-Won ISBN 9780804856638, 080485663X

They have waited 75 years for an acknowledgment that what was done to them was a war crime. They are still waiting. Grandmothers, Our Grandmothers is a beautifully and sensitively rendered narrative of the ongoing crusade of WW II's most courageous survivors: the "Comfort Women"--sex slaves--of the Japanese Imperial Army. This offering in graphic novel format is both a moving tribute and a call to awareness that, though addressing young adults, speaks to all of us. Focusing on the "Comfort Women" of his native Korea as well as from other countries, author and artist Han Seong-won tells the stories of women who were coerced, sometimes through abduction, into sexual slavery wherever the Japanese army put down stakes. Through his personal encounters with these valiant women, Han portrays strong individuals who refused to allow their identities to be defined by what was forced upon them. Rather, they are defined by their continuing triumph over pain, loss and memory even though their ordeals remain with them in some form to this day. Now in their nineties, these women are artists, musicians and activists. They share their personal stories with us, and give us their testimony. Alongside passionate advocates from younger generations, they protest on a weekly basis--speaking for all victims of war and violations of human rights. Grandmothers, Our Grandmothers underscores these women's enduring hope that the Japanese government will finally recognize the deep scars that their enslavement has left on the lives of the women, their families, and on humanity as a whole. Because without such recognition, there can be no change. And because crimes against any part of humanity are a crime against all humanity, these women must never be forgotten. This is a warm and loving tribute to the Grandmothers and the courage which led them to speak out. This book is a call to all of us to stand up for the basic rights of others.