Pestbook recently announced that Hong Ok-pyo's memoir, '20 Hours: A Portrait of a Generation Who Worked, Raised, and Protected,' has climbed to 18th place on YES24's diary/epistolary bestseller list. The book vividly chronicles 88 years in the life of a mother who navigated Korea's tumultuous modern history, including the Japanese colonial period and the Korean War, to protect her family. Far from being merely a personal account, it is hailed as a tribute to all mothers who endured that era and a testament to the remarkable triumph of maintaining hope amidst adversity.
The Book's Birth and Bestseller Status
Pestbook announced that Hong Ok-pyo's memoir, '20 Hours: A Portrait of a Generation Who Worked, Raised, and Protected,' has reached 18th place on YES24's diary/epistolary bestseller list. The book details 88 years of a woman's arduous life, spent working up to 20 hours a day to single-handedly support her children and in-laws through turbulent times, including the Japanese colonial period and the Korean War.
This memoir, compiled by her second daughter, Kim Jin-hyang, from Hong Ok-pyo's handwritten manuscripts, was published to honor her mother's life following her passing in 2024. Beyond simply recounting suffering and hardship, the book holds profound significance as a tribute that documents the hidden histories and noble sacrifices of all mothers who quietly safeguarded a generation.
A Life Through Tumultuous Modern History
Born in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, in 1937, Hong Ok-pyo experienced South Korea's modern history firsthand. At the tender age of 14, when the Korean War broke out, she began her struggle for survival, even boiling deceased chickens to feed her family.
A major turning point in her life occurred during the January 21 Incident in 1968. When her husband, a police officer, died in an accident during a regional inspection, 31-year-old Hong Ok-pyo was left solely responsible for ten family members, including her eight-year-old eldest son, four young children in total, her 57-year-old mother-in-law, and her young brother-in-law and sister-in-law. To support them, she endured arduous labor, working up to 20 hours a day. Her husband's death in the line of duty was not officially recognized until 10 years later, in 1978.
While managing her household, Hong also actively engaged in community service. She served as president of the Saemaul Women's Association starting in 1972, president of the Cheonan City Women's Organizations Council from 2003 to 2006, and president of the Cheonan branch of the Korea Widows' Association for Fallen Soldiers from 1978 to 2015, leading an exemplary public life. For these contributions, she received numerous accolades, including a Presidential Commendation, and her name is recorded in the 'Korean Who's Who'.
The Moving Comfort of a True Record
The Pestbook editorial team emphasized that the book is not merely a tale of hardship but a profound victory of a person who persevered even on the brink of despair, and a hidden history of the women who endured that era. They commented that despite imperfect spelling and raw prose, the author's handwritten records contain a truth and weight of life that no fictional work could imitate.
Online bookstore readers who read the book expressed deep empathy, leaving comments such as, "It's sometimes difficult to read about her complete devotion to her family, but it's also incredibly motivating," and "The figure of '20 hours a day' vividly illustrates the intensity of the author's life, and reading it sent shivers down my spine." The publisher added that this record would serve as a prescriptive comfort for readers burdened by life's hardships.