Human Acts

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”