Written by Kim Hae Won

The book begins with interesting stories about hair. It covers not only hair-length restrictions of boys’ high schools and juvenile human rights issues caused by such restrictions but also the family history of Ilho, the hero, and a little bit about Korean society and history. Life for high school boys is powerfully described. This story was praised for its interesting episodes, common but unique characters, and humorous, tidy sentences.
At first glance, Ilho seems too common to be a hero. However, a long fight to protect his hair awaits him. And not just his hair but also the hair of all the seventeen-year-old boys in Korea. When Ilho, a model student, begins a oneman protest against his school’s new hair-length restriction, his grandfather, who has never fought against anyone in his life, starts his own fight.
The author says that through the grandfather character, she wants to speak for those who have lived eagerly, as he bravely starts his own fight against wrongfulness. This book contains not only Ilho’s journey to find his self-esteem through his fight against the authorities but also the historical onsciousness of our society, all in one novel.