Read this when
Human Acts
A boy, a gymnasium full of bodies, and the people who had to keep living afterward. Survivor guilt, written with unbearable tenderness.
Who it's for
The book circles the death of Dong-ho, a boy killed during the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, through a series of voices: Dong-ho himself in the gymnasium where he helps tend the bodies, his friend's soul, an editor battling censorship, a former prisoner, a factory wo.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Human Acts is a novel by South Korean author Han Kang, published in Korean in 2014 and translated into English by Deborah Smith (2016). It centres on the death of a boy, Kang Dong-ho, during the May 1980 Gwangju Uprising.
Where to find it
In print (Hogarth in the US, Portobello in the UK); widely available from libraries (Libby/Hoopla) and as an audiobook. Not public domain.
Before you start
Heads up: Sexual torture and civilian massacre.
Age: Adult (18+)
What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?Wilfred Owen, Poems, “Anthem for Doomed Youth”
