BOOK INFORMATION:
In the midst of a violent student uprising in South Korea, a young boy named Dong-ho is shockingly killed.
The story of this tragic episode unfolds in a sequence of interconnected chapters as the victims and the bereaved encounter suppression, denial, and the echoing agony of the massacre. From Dong-ho's best friend who meets his own fateful end; to an editor struggling against censorship; to a prisoner and a factory worker, each suffering from traumatic memories; and to Dong-ho's own grief-stricken mother; and through their collective heartbreak and acts of hope is the tale of a brutalized people in search of a voice.
An award-winning, controversial bestseller, Human Acts is a timeless, pointillist portrait of an historic event with reverberations still being felt today, by turns tracing the harsh reality of oppression and the resounding, extraordinary poetry of humanity.
MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK
I was nervous about reading this book to be honest. I have heard mixed things about it. I heard it was dark and filled with strange and weird allegory. Which is not exactly my normal read. This book seemed tragically beautiful. It seemed like it was going to rip my heart out and stomp on it. I was ready for tears and completely ready for an uncomfortable read.
Human Acts is a story of utmost importance right now. It is a story about something that happened that many people don't know went on. It is about the South Korean Gwangiu Uprising in the 1980s. It is a topic that before I read this book and researched it, I am ashamed to say I knew nothing about. I never knew about the horrible atrocities that happened. This is a daring topic and a daring book.
The book shares details that are extremely graphic, the book starts out with dead bodies. More so corpses that were lined up in various boxes, just waiting for a family to identify them. I have no idea if all the people were identified or not but it was a haunting introduction. I also was haunted by the chapter of the book that it actually told from the perspective of a corpse.
How long do souls linger by the side of their bodies?
Do they really flutter away like some kind of bird? Is that what trembles the edges of the candle flame?
There are many different stories, that while connected seem to be intertwined and separate. They are really shocking and extremely sad. I have to say that in a lot of the chapters I cried my eyes out. I was really bothered by the way that some of these people were killed, horrified at the senseless acts that caused their lives to tragically get cut short.
I buried you with my own two hands. Removed your PE jacket and your sky-blue tracksuit bottoms, and dressed you in your dark winter uniform, over a white shirt. Tightened your belt just so and put clean gray socks on you. When they put you in a plywood coffin and loaded it up onto the rubbish truck, I said I'd ride at the front to watch over you.
I am not sure why I was so intrigued by this book. It is different than anything I have previously encountered. All in all, it was incredibly beautiful but sobering and tragic. I am so thankful I picked this up from the library.
Human Acts is a story of utmost importance right now. It is a story about something that happened that many people don't know went on. It is about the South Korean Gwangiu Uprising in the 1980s. It is a topic that before I read this book and researched it, I am ashamed to say I knew nothing about. I never knew about the horrible atrocities that happened. This is a daring topic and a daring book.
The book shares details that are extremely graphic, the book starts out with dead bodies. More so corpses that were lined up in various boxes, just waiting for a family to identify them. I have no idea if all the people were identified or not but it was a haunting introduction. I also was haunted by the chapter of the book that it actually told from the perspective of a corpse.
How long do souls linger by the side of their bodies?
Do they really flutter away like some kind of bird? Is that what trembles the edges of the candle flame?
There are many different stories, that while connected seem to be intertwined and separate. They are really shocking and extremely sad. I have to say that in a lot of the chapters I cried my eyes out. I was really bothered by the way that some of these people were killed, horrified at the senseless acts that caused their lives to tragically get cut short.
I buried you with my own two hands. Removed your PE jacket and your sky-blue tracksuit bottoms, and dressed you in your dark winter uniform, over a white shirt. Tightened your belt just so and put clean gray socks on you. When they put you in a plywood coffin and loaded it up onto the rubbish truck, I said I'd ride at the front to watch over you.
I am not sure why I was so intrigued by this book. It is different than anything I have previously encountered. All in all, it was incredibly beautiful but sobering and tragic. I am so thankful I picked this up from the library.
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