Reader’s Choice: The Island of Sea Women
February 24, 2025 @ 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Reader’s Choice: Kendra Chubbuck
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
MILS catalog record
“Set on the Korean island of Jeju, The Island of Sea Women follows Mi-ja and Young-sook, two girls from very different backgrounds, as they begin working in the sea with their villages’s all-female diving collective. Over many decades—through the Japanese colonialism of the 1930s and 1940s, World War II, the Korean War, and the era of cellphones and wet suits for the women divers—Mi-ja and Young-sook develop the closest of bonds. After hundreds of dives and years of friendship, forces outside their control will push their relationship to the breaking point.” – From cover jacket
About Kendra
Hometown: Bath, Maine.
Current residence: Isle au Haut.
Connection to the island: My connection dates back five generations on my mother’s side to the late 1790s. I live on Isle au Haut year-round—all 12 months.
Why do you read? My mother was an avid reader, and she taught us to love books at a young age. So I would say I’m a lifelong learner from reading various genres of books. I read for information, escape, relaxation, knowledge, understanding of certain subjects, and to escape from life sometimes.
What genre do you hate to read? I will not read horror. I don’t like the feeling of being petrified and being shocked or scared. I have nightmares and bad dreams.
Last book you LOVED: The Convenant of Water and Cutting for Stone. Both are by Abraham Verghese.
Currently reading: Walking Sacred Sites: Listening to Their Stories by Maine author Margaret W. Jones.
Why did you choose The Island of Sea Women? I can’t swim, and I’m just not a water person. Yes, I live on an Island! It is a very scary read for me, and it isn’t one that I would have picked up on my own without it coming recommended. The women in this book are something else. They have amazing physical strength; they’re hardworking, resilient, and no-nonsense. In addition to their demanding job, they lived through historical upheavals and massive shifts in their daily lives: from WWII to the Korean War and from pigsty latrines and oil lamps to toilets and electricity. These women worked hard to support their families while the husbands took care of the kids and did very little else. Each female character is deeply flawed and was given lots of room to grow throughout this book, so I could think of these two women as real people upon which this book is based. It was fascinating to learn about their lives, but I don’t think I could have lived their shoes.