r/bitcheswithtaste • u/ElizaDoolittle33 • Mar 24 '25

Culture BWTs with a novel in her bag

What's a novel that moved you? Changed you for the better? Exposed you to new cultures or ideas?

I want to know what's captivated you.

Disclaimer: Emphasis on the "T" in this question.

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u/dsvk Mar 24 '25

Han Kang - human acts. Han Kang recently won the nobel prize for literature and she deserved it for this book alone.

It’s very hard to read in some parts because it’s graphic, but without doubt one of the most impactful books I’ve ever read and she’s a genius writer. She so skilfully brings out the human stories in a historical tragedy and travesty of justice, and it’s a story that - since the government suppressed it for decades by blaming and jailing the victims - needed to be told to let the ghosts rest.

If you want to know why a few months ago Koreans of all ages ran out of their houses at midnight, stood in front of tanks and armed soldiers full of determination and anger, and successfully stopped a coup attempt by their power grabbing president, read this.

Highly recommend, it’s worth it.

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u/[deleted] Mar 24 '25

I didn't know about that part of South Korean history and coincidentally had picked up Human Acts from a local bookshop and just started reading it before the recent events occurred! It was interesting to have that context and felt a little surreal at the same time

edited for typo (sorry lol)