Books to Borrow Martinsburg Public Library Recommends

Lisa See is a master of historical fiction. She is the popular author of "The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane," "Shanghai Girls" and "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan."

This novel is based on the lives of the Haenyeo, a collection of all female divers, who lived on the island of Jeju. Jeju is located off the coast of South Korea. As in other Lisa See novels, it is fascinating to discover the weaving of this small island's history into the novel.

The real "sea women" of Jeju have supported their families throughout the centuries by diving for sea creatures they can sell. They dive up to 30 feet without the aid of breathing devices or any special equipment in often very cold water. The novel even brings out the fact that scientists visited the island to study these women and their capabilities to withstand those depths and the cold for long period of time. The other interesting piece of this unusual culture on Jeju is the matrifocal society, where the women provide for their families and earn the money while the men provide childcare. See introduces her main characters, Young-Sook and Mi-jah, through the ancient story of the Haenyeo divers.

The novel follows the 80-year friendship of Young-Sook and Mi-jah as they train to join the Haenyeo collective, start families all through the nightmare years of Japanese occupation and the atrocities committed during a pro-communist rebellion. There are many heartbreaking moments in the book that will steal your breath. Those moments both strengthen and complicate this long friendship. The book is an ode to friendship and the strength of women through difficult, life-changing events.

Kristin Hannah, the New York Times bestselling author of "The Nightingale" had this to say about the novel: "Compelling, heart-wrenching, and beautifully written, The Island of Sea Women will plunge you into a world and a story you've never read before and remind you how powerful women can and must be to survive."

I invite you to check this novel out at Martinsburg Community Library. It is a powerful message to remind us that love and friendship can survive the harshness of poverty and war.