Grace

Grace asked Lisa See:

Hi Lisa, I just finished the Island of the Sea Women and I loved it! I visited Jeju-do in 2015, and while many of the tourist attractions mentioned in the book were familiar to me, I have no memory of learning about the 4-3 incident, so I was enthralled by this book. I am wondering what sources you relied on to build this story, since it obviously has a controversial history? Thank you for writing it!

Lisa See The main source I used was the 755 page human rights report, in which they had access to U.S. government and military records, Korean government and military records, and interviews with people on all sides of what happened. I also interviewed people who survived those years. The next time you go to Jeju, I hope you have a chance to visit the 4.3 memorial, which has, in addition to the actual memorial building, a museum, a cemetery for bodies that were never recovered, and some very moving art throughout the property.

More Answered Questions

Lisa

Lisa asked Lisa See:

WOW! WOW! WOW! The Island of Sea Women is nothing less than incredible! The cover is STUNNING! it feels so good in your hands as you read.This book is so full of characters you love, stories that break your heart, and research by the author that is so detailed, it drew me to look into these amazing women and their history more deeply. As soon as I finished, I wanted to start back at page one. Hugs from Maine ?

Bkwmlee

Bkwmlee asked Lisa See:

Hi Lisa! I just wanted to say thank you for writing "The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane." It's one of my favorite books -- the ending was absolutely beautiful and made me cry. As a Chinese-American myself, Li-yan's story really touched me on a personal level and made me think about my relationship with my family. Oh, I also have a fondness for tea, so that part was fascinating! Lee L. from So Cal :-) (had to add ?)

Gwendolyn B.

Gwendolyn B. asked Lisa See:

Lady Tan's Circle of Women was a joy to read! Obviously, traditional Chinese medicine requires a much different approach than what we know in the West. During your journey of researching and writing, did you find your own views of health and medicine evolving? Are there any assumptions you held that you started to question? Have you reconciled both approaches to medicine in a way that makes sense?

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