The Young Will Remember - by Eve J Chung (Hardcover)

About the Book

"It's the coldest Korean winter in decades, and twenty-eight-year-old Chinese American journalist Ellie Chang has hitched a ride on a military flight to cover a battle in the mountains of North Korea when her plane is shot down in enemy territory. The pilot is killed, but Ellie is saved from communist soldiers by a woman who insists Ellie is her missing daughter. Hwa-Ja, "Emma," knows deep in her bones that her daughter, who has been missing since WWII, lives, just as she knows that Ellie is not her. But Ellie is someone's daughter, and she won't watch her die. So she convinces her household to hide the girl. Imo, the matriarch of their home, has no patience for this American girl whose presence could mean the death of them all, but she's seen the rise and fall of power before and knows Ellie could be useful to them. Together - as the Chinese, American, and Korean troops clash, and bombs explode overhead - the women chase the constantly moving frontline south. Emma always searching, Imo haunted by the past, and Ellie keeping her identity hidden at all costs . . . even as her life becomes entangled with theirs. Moving and triumphant, The Young Will Remember sheds light on the Forgotten War and emphasizes the resilience of love within some of our darkest histories, the courage of women and girls, and the indefatigable determination of mothers in war"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

A sweeping novel about a correspondent trapped behind enemy lines during the Korean War, and the women who help her find her way home, from the national bestselling author of Daughters of Shandong

When I found the courage to lift my head, I expected to stare down the barrel of a gun, but instead there was a woman in front of me, the back of her white skirt embroidered with columns of yellow chrysanthemums.

1950. It's the coldest winter in decades, and twenty-eight-year-old Chinese American journalist Ellie Chang is on a military flight to cover a battle in the mountains of North Korea when her plane is shot down.

As she emerges from the fallen aircraft onto an icy field surrounded by the enemy, Ellie is sure it's the end, certain she'll never make it home to her parents...until a woman pushes her way through the crowd and claims Ellie as the lost daughter that she's been searching for since the last war ended. Never mind that Ellie doesn't speak a word of Korean.

Ellie is taken in by her rescuer--a woman who calls herself "Emma"--and the Paks, a pastor's family. She knows she can't stay and yet there's no way she'll survive on her own.

As the war intensifies, the sky alighting with bombs overhead, Ellie convinces Emma and the Paks to travel south towards an elusive promise of safety, and where Ellie insists they are more likely to find Emma's real daughter, stuck on the other side of the frontlines.

Emma's decision to claim Ellie, and Ellie's choice to take her hand will connect their lives forever.

Moving and triumphant, The Young Will Remember sheds light on a "Forgotten War," the resilience of love within our darkest histories, and the indefatigable determination of mothers to protect their children.

Review Quotes

"[A] sweeping tale of female resiliency and strength."--People

"A searing portrait of war's moral failures and the undying power of a mother's love. While countless narratives chart the experiences of men in war, Chung gives voice to the women who bear the violence, hold families together, and record the truths men want forgotten. A revealing exploration of women during the Korean war whose sacrifice and resilience we must never forget."--Marjan Kamali, New York Times bestselling author of The Lion Women of Tehran

"The Young Will Remember is a searing indictment of modern warfare and a testimony of human strength. With the same clarity and vividness she demonstrated in her debut, Daughters of Shandong, Eve J. Chung brings us another cast of compelling female characters who must fight for their place in a world that sees them only as collateral. Through this remarkable novel, Chung urges us to consider the human cost of wars, a cautionary tale that still rings relevant today, while reminding us that our humanity is ultimately what will save us."--Karissa Chen, author of Homeseeking

About the Author

Eve J. Chung is a Taiwanese American human rights lawyer focusing on gender equality and women's rights. She lives in New York with her husband, two children, and two dogs.