Human Acts
2014 • 224 pages

Ratings55

Average rating4.4

15

From the internationally bestselling author of The Vegetarian, a “rare and astonishing” (The Observer) portrait of political unrest and the universal struggle for justice. 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. Shortlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award Amazon, 100 Best Books of 2017 The Atlantic, “The Best Books We Read in 2017” San Francisco Chronicle, “Best of 2017: 100 Recommended Books” NPR Book Concierge, 2017’s Great Reads Library Journal, “Best Books of 2017” Huffington Post, “Best Fiction Books of 2017” Medium, Kong Tsung-gan’s “Best Human Rights Books of 2017”

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Popular Reviews

Reviews with the most likes.

Raw. Powerful. Confronting.

May 14, 2023

Very difficult book to read about first hand accounts of the Gwangju Uprising, and fight for civil rights in South Korea. Five stars, very well written and translated about such difficult subject matter - a book I will continue to remember, and revealing about history I have known little.

January 30, 2019
May 12, 2020

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