VOL.72/2024.07

The Heart of That One Person Who Will Truly Understand

After reading The New York Psychiatrist’s Human Library

2024.07.01

I picked up The New York Psychiatrist’s Human Library (Almond), wondering what a “human library” might be. I thought it was a metaphor at first, but as I read on, I was surprised to learn that it’s actually a project that is run overseas. The Human Library Project invites people who are stigmatized as “minorities” in our society - racial minorities, people with AIDS, the homeless, sexual minorities, and others - to come in and have conversations in a safe space by checking them out like books in a library. When you get to talk to such a diverse group of people, the prejudices fade away, and you realize that we are all the same.

* K-Book Trends Vol. 66 – Go to the interview with publisher Almond

The author of the book, Nah Jong-Ho, spoke on the TV show “You Quiz On The Block” about how little our society understands about suicide and why mental health is important through the depressed patients he encountered as a psychiatrist. He continues that narrative in this book, talking about communication and empathy as a way to make our society healthier.
While the book features examples of various patients the author has encountered, what struck me the most was the difference between the perception of suicide abroad and in Korea. We may have turned a blind eye to the depressed people around us at times. It made me think that we need to be more vigilant in recognizing suicide as a risk and not a choice.
Also, I got to reflect on how we pay little attention to ourselves, the most precious beings, while we have a great interest in family, friends, and work in our busy lives. I would like to recommend this book because I want people to know that although we are all different, we are actually the same human being, and that someone is ready to listen to your deepest feelings. I hope that our society will become a little warmer, just like this book suggests, and that we will all have a big enough heart to hear the stories of minorities.

Written by Kim Hyeon (Reader of K-Book Trends)