Read this when
Almond
Everyone says he can't feel anything. So why does he keep showing up for the kid nobody else will? 🌰
Who it's for
Yunjae was born with small amygdalae and has alexithymia, named in the text: he struggles to feel or recognise emotions, so his mother drills him in the 'right' reactions.
Feelings it meets
What it is
A novel by Sohn Won-pyung, translated into English by Sandy Joosun Lee (HarperVia, 2020). Yunjae, a Korean teenager living in Seoul with his mother and grandmother, has alexithymia, linked in the book to the amygdala, and cannot readily identify or express emotions, so his family teaches him social rules to get by.
Where to find it
In print (HarperVia); widely available from libraries (Libby/Hoopla) and as an audiobook. Not public domain.
Before you start
Heads up: A fatal street attack and stabbing.
Age: Ages 14+
Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.)Walt Whitman, “Song of Myself,” Leaves of Grass
