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Our Twisted Hero

June 30, 2020

Our Twisted Hero

Seoul, South Korea

Paige and I are in South Korea. We meet Kenny, a professor at Pusan National University, with the book Our Twisted Hero by Lee Mun-yeol. A book every middle schooler is required to read, we hear about the the Gwangju Massacre, Makeoli, and Korean middle school in this allegorical novel reflecting South Korea's political struggles and journey past corruption, abuse, and violence to emerge as the great nation they are today!

Important Characters:

Han PyeongTae = (protagonist) a middle school boy from Seoul

Om Sokdae = (antagonist) the class monitor and ruler of the classroom


Today, on paperbacker...

Paige runs off immediately once we enter the bookstore! Jake tries to find her and asks a local for help. This person hasn't seen Paige, but shares something else instead. Jake learns the man's name is Kenny and he's reading a fascinating Korean novel called Our Twisted Hero!


Topics in this episode:

  • Honor and greeting superiors at work and why it could get you demoted if done wrongly.

  • Bullying and fighting

  • Kwangju Massacre (real event! Learn more by scrolling down)

  • Meokkoli rice wine

  • Corporal Punishments in School

  • Fights over Kimbap

  • Grasshoppers for lunch

  • And more!


Where to buy the book?

Try Amazon! We bought it as a kindle version. It shouldn't be expensive. If it's not there, there are plenty of options online. If you still can't find it, maybe we can help. Contact us! And of course, let us know what you thought about the story by contacting us on Twitter or on our Contact page.

Amazon

  • ISBN-10: 0786866705

  • ISBN-13: 978-0786866700


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