Trampled Blossoms: What They Stole from Grandma
By Young-sook Moon|
2019
This novel tells the powerful story of Yuri, a teenager grappling with the sudden news of her grandmother Chunja’s death three years after she mysteriously vanished from the family’s life. When the news comes from the House of Sharing, a shelter for surviving “comfort women,” Yuri and her family begin to uncover the truth that Chunja had kept hidden for decades. The novel slowly unravels Chunja’s harrowing past, beginning with her abduction at age 13 in 1937 under the false promise of work at a textile factory. Through Yuri’s perspective, readers trace her grandmother’s journey into the brutal world of military sexual slavery under the Japanese occupation and the shame and silence that followed her return. The narrative bridges generations, revealing the pain of the past and the emotional impact it leaves in the present.
Written for young adult readers, the novel aims to deepen historical understanding of comfort women while fostering empathy and awareness. Young-sook Moon delivers a direct and vivid account of what comfort women endured, from coercion to systematic assault, while also exploring the lasting psychological and cultural scars that remain even today. Trampled Blossoms contains themes of suffering, intergenerational resilience, remembrance, and the slow, painful reclamation of dignity. By focusing on a family’s discovery of a hidden truth, the novel personalizes a chapter of history that is too often abstract, making it both accessible and emotionally resonant for younger readers.
About the Author:
Young-sook Moon is a South Korean author known for her compelling historical fiction novels written for children and young adults, which are often centered on overlooked chapters of Korean history. She began her literary career after winning the 2nd Blue Literature Prize in 2004 and has since received multiple accolades, including a grant from the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture. Her writing seeks to educate younger generations about history. In addition to Trampled Blossoms, she is known for works such as The Kareiski’s Endless Wandering and The Children of Henequen, along with numerous children’s novels exploring Korean identity and memory.