Flowers of Fire

The Inside Story of South Korea's Feminist Movement and What It Means for Women's Rights Worldwide

By: Hawon Jung

Narrated by: Kathleen Li

Since the beginning of the #MeToo movement, tens of thousands of people in South Korea have taken to the street, and many more brave individuals took a stand, to end a decades-long abortion ban and bring down powerful men accused of sexual misconduct—including a popular presidential contender.

Author Hawon Jung shows the world that these women are no delicate flowers—they are trailblazing flames. Flowers of Fire takes the listener into the trenches of this fight for equality, following along as South Korean activists march on the streets, navigate public and private spaces where spycam porn crimes are rampant, and share tips as they learn how to protect themselves from harassment and how to push authorities to act.

Jung draws on her on-the-ground reporting and interviews with many women who became activists and leaders. Their stories mirror realities that women across the world are all too familiar with: threats of lawsuits to silence victims, tech-based sexual abuse, and criminal justice systems where victims' voices are often met with suspicion. These are the issues at the heart of their #MeToo movement, and South Korean women have fought against them vigorously—with extraordinary success. This book illuminates the strength and tenacity of these women, too often sidelined in conversations about feminism and gender equality.

©2023 Hawon Jung (P)2023 Tantor

Great book, subpar listening experience

I heard the author give an interview and then downloaded the book. It is well-written, researched, and eye-opening, but the narration was overwrought and distracted from the content of the book.

A must read

Does not matter who you are or where you’re from, this is a definite must read

Impactful book

There were some moments I needed to pause due to the graphic content of the true stories being told. This took me under a week to listen through overall. It taught me a lot about my own countries impact on South Korea which I had little prior knowledge of. The brave women of South Korea, thank you.

Enlightening, but AI narrator?

The book itself is great, made me angry, made me a little more fearful about wandering around Korea alone, helped me understand the history and future of women's rights. BUT the narration was weird. it sounded robotic at times and like some words had been recorded separately and pasted in, which was distracting.

Informative and relevant

This book was incredibly informative and really provided historical, social, cultural, and political context. It’s also a very relevant text and should be read in all women and gender studies programs.