Delmarva Today: 9-25-20
Joining Wilson on Delmarva Today is Dr. Michael McCarty, Assistant Professor of History at Salisbury University. Dr. McCarty’s specialty is East Asian History. Wilson and McCarty discuss Lisa See’s historical novel The Island of Sea Women as part of Maryland Humanities One Maryland Book Program. Maryland Humanities created the One Maryland One Book program to bring together people in communities across the state through the shared experience of reading the same book. Delmarva Public Radio is pleased to participate in the program.
In The Island of Sea Women, Lisa See has given us a historical novel set on the Korean island of Jeju. It features the unique culture of diving women called haenyeo who work in the sea and populate villages along the Island’s coast. Her book follows the life of one diver, Young-sook, who also narrates the story. The time period is 1936 to 2008 and the divers are what we would call free-divers – that is they carry no breathing apparatus.