Title: Under Five Flags
Authors: Hackchan Rhee and Marta Tullis
Publisher: Dorrance Publishing Co
ISBN: 978-1-4809-3379-8
Genre: Non-Fiction
Pages: 227
Reviewed by: Arthur Thares

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Stories like this are so eye-opening because so much world history gets lost in the cracks, especially if you live in the United States. The thing about history is that it is not always fun, and while this book isn’t overly sad, it does subtly remind you about what is lost in warfare. Under Five Flags should not be written off as just another memoir, you need to know more about the story’s core.

Under Five Flags is a memoir at heart, but it is also a secret history lesson which teaches history many people don’t know. Learning about the plight of the Korean people under the Japanese in World War Two, then the Russians, and eventually their own government and conflict with the U.S. during the Korean War was illuminating. The book goes into great detail about how Korean culture was threatened and even lost in some instances when their occupiers took over. It expounds on how, for a long time, the Korean people struggled to find their identity with the Japanese and then the Russians, forcing them to change everything from their economy and religion to even their names. It is incredible and disheartening at the same time to read about the history of the Korean people in the 20th century. It also sheds light on what it was like to immigrate to the U.S. in the late 1950s.

The book is written in a conversational tone that is easy to follow but, more importantly, easy to relate to. Like most good memoirs, Under Five Flags feels like a private diary purposefully made public. The authors deserve accolades for the cadence of this book because, while it spans generations, it never feels as if you are missing large chunks of the story. All of the core information is presented with just enough description to paint a vivid mental image – with no fluff to spare.

There is so much to love about this book, but first and foremost, everyone should read Under Five Flags to widen their worldview. Before this story, I had yet to learn about the plight of the Koreans under the Japanese during World War II, or that the Russians moved in to occupy Korea shortly after. Books like this get the point across so much better than a textbook because they are easier to read and personal, making the story seem much more real than a boring textbook dryly dispensing facts. Learning while genuinely enjoying a book is always a blessing, and this story accomplishes that and so much more.