The Island of Sea Women

Total immersion in a little-known true story set in a matriarchal community of sea-diving women on a small island, at a tumultuous time when Korea was divided after World War II. Magically written, emotional and gripping.

I love this book about seriously kickass women. Mi-Ja and Young-sook are part of a collective of women who live on the Korean Island of Jeju and support their families and communities, such as Haenyeo, sea divers. They dive without the aid of scuba equipment.

The story covers several decades, from 1930s Japanese colonialism through WW II and the Korean War to the present day, so we get to see our protagonists grow from young girls through middle age and into old age. In this world, the men raise the children while the women work, and as women age, they… show more.

I thoroughly enjoy reading books about different life experiences than my own and as a person who is not a big fan of water and lives halfway around the world from Korea, this is close to as opposite as I could get!

I was fascinated to learn about this time period in Japanese/Korean history, and the strong women and their amazing mothers brought so much depth to their story; I still think of them years after reading the book.

Island of the Sea Women is a work of historical fiction that takes place on the island of Jeju in South Korea. Although the focus is on the women divers who harvest the ocean floor for seafood (by hand and with no breathing equipment!!) it is also about connection. First and foremost the idea of connecting one’s heart to forgiveness. This is a theme throughout the book. But also the women’s positive connections to their fellow divers and teachers, their families especially their husbands, nature, and their spirit world burn bright with hope. But their connection to constant loss and… show more.