I needed a day to come back and write this review. This book is brutal all the way through and it's definitly bot for everyone. The book tells us the events of the Gwangju Uprising/Massacre but it also tells us so much more. I get why a lot of people may not like the book, it's not a cohoerent story, it picks you out of one story and throws you back in years later with a different character at a different time but it gets back to the events of the uprising by flashbacks/memories or conversations. It also changes perspectives (you/i). You may get lost in what pov you are in at times but in the end it all comes back to the first story of the first boy. For me it feel kinda like it must have felt to research the events, starting with only the name of that one boy and with that getting linked to other people and their story. This book hurtes, especially in times like this where freedom of speech, freedom of press and democratcy are at risk in some countrys. Check the trigger warnings!

This was hard to read. Not because of the way it was written, although I had some issues in the beginning, but because of how traumatic these events are. I have to say, I had a problem remembering every side-characters name, and when they got important again, I couldn't bring myself to really care that deeply. But the story of the main boy was so emotional I will probably never forget about that

“Bearing that in mind, the questions which remains to us is this: what is humanity? What do we have to do to keep humanity as one thing and not another?” Han Kang has an outstanding way of writing. We dwell into the depths of humanity. Get to see the worst but also a very intimate, yet powerful side of it. I’m moved by the weight and the impact the book has left on my mind and heart. I think everybody should read this.

Ich wurde sosehr davon eingenommen, dass ich auch das Print dazu BRAUCHE. Es ist : 》zum mitleiden, 》losweinen, 》Diskussionsanregend 》Wütend machend und wird wohl KEINEN kalt lassen. LEST oder HÖRT es!!! Ehrlich, gerade in DIESEN Zeiten wieder sehr aktuell (leider). ABSOLUTE LESE/ HÖR EMPFEHLUNG.

Das war mein erstes Buch von der Autorin und ich bin einfach nur fassungslos und sprachlos. Ich liebe ihren Schreibstil und wie sie die Dinge so nah und ergreifend beschreiben kann. Anfangs kam ich ein wenig schwierig rein, weil das erste Kapitel in der Du-Form geschrieben ist - aber die Sichten wechseln immer wieder, da es um verschiedene Personen geht, daher habe ich mich dann irgendwie dran gewöhnt bzw vlt es auch irgendwann einfach überlesen. Human Acts lässt einen alles fühlen - Trauer, Wut, Liebe… Wunderschön, wie die Teile am Ende zusammengefügt wurden. Ich könnte vermutlich ein weiteres Buch nur mit Quotes aus Human Acts füllen - ganz ganz viel Liebe an dieses Buch.

Where do I even start!! Okay disclaimer: I am not in any way trying to minimize the events of the South Korean uprising, I'm simply giving an opinion on the writing of the author. So the book. I honestly went into this book with reservations because the first book I read was The Vegetarian and I absolutely hated it. It was a very pointless story and maybe it's because I didn't read it in the original language. Anyway, I was honestly hoping this book would be better than the last especially since it was dealing with true events. But boy was I wrong!!! I absolutely loath this book too. The true events was honestly sad and moving but this book took everything to get through. The story was not particularly interesting, there was no real flow in the book. I didn't see the point or the picture the book was trying to paint. I left the book more confused than when I started. I get that she is trying to paint a really moving picture of the violence but honestly it felt like I was just reading too many unecessary words. She could have really simplified the language, no need to say "I felt that pain in my solar plexus." It's nice to have big words but this was pointless. Ontop of that, the story didn't go anywhere and it was (I can't believe I'm about to say this but) too descriptive until it lost the point. I don't know whose perspective I was reading from half the time and I kept trying to figure it out but by the next chapter it changes so I really don't know. Some clarity would have been nice. All in all this was a generous 1⭐️ for a poorly handles topic.