In her debut novel The Calligrapher’s Daughter (Holt, $26), Eugenia Kim focuses on the story of Korean resistance to the indignities of the Japanese occupation of their country from 1905 to 1945. Her characters navigate early 20th-century Korean history as the society changed from a static and highly structured culture to one of increasing modernity. Najin, based on Kim’s mother, is a young woman who wants to be recognized for her own contributions rather than merely facilitating the achievements of her father, husband, and brother. Najin’s story is unique, but it is also a common story of women who want to choose their own lives. Najin and the rest of her family, her mother, father, and brother, emerge from the pages of Kim’s book as people you might know. Kim joins the ranks of other excellent Korean-American authors, among them, Chang Rae Lee (Native Speaker) and Min Jin Lee (Free Food for Millionaires).