Inspirational Quotes from Korean Author Hwang Bo-Reum's book: Welcome to The Hyunam-Dong Bookshop
2024-03-28
This month I have been reading Korean Author Hwang Bo-Reum’s “Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop” translated by Shanna Tan. This book was first published in Korean in 2022, later in the Great Britian in 2023 by Bloomsbury Publishing. It is relatively a new release which I am very glad to have in my collection of books by Korean Authors.
Not only because of its origin, but also because it is a novel about a bookshop is one of the main reasons I chose to buy and read this novel. I love books, bookshops and libraries. Any book which has a story related to books, a bookshop or a library, I will try to get my hands on as soon as possible.
I have been reading this book closely throughout the month of March, and as the month is nearing to end, I have almost reached the final chapters of the book. I found the story very easy to read and flowing, the characters, their struggles and triumphs are depicted with great depth and intensity. I found several life lessons while reading, which are worthy of being quoted. I would like to share some of them in this article:
“We become more compassionate. To read is to see things from someone else’s perspective, and that naturally leads you to stop and look out for other people rather than chase after success in the rat race. If more people read, I think the world would become a better place.” (Page-37) Here I find a very important lessons as to why we should read books. Reading increases or sensitivities towards the other person, who is not like use but someone other than us. We step into the shoes of a different person and delve into their world to understand their walk of life. This allows our minds to grow perspective and view life from different angles. It is a starting point for us to feel compassion, understanding and acceptance for human beings and creatures which or different from us. This is essential for a harmonious life on this planet in my opinion.
“Books are not meant to remain in your mind, but in your heart. Maybe they exist in your mind too, but as something more than memories. At a crossroads in life, a forgotten sentence or a story from years ago can come back to offer an invisible hand and guide you to a decision. Personally, I feel like the books I’ve read led me to make the choices I’ve made in life. While I may not remember all the details, the stories continue to exert a quiet influence on me.” (Page-37) I also think books have a greater influence over our minds than we can imagine. Your subconscious mind picks up a lot of information which later aids us in our life choices and decision making. Even though we may not remember what we had read in the past, there is an imprint left within our mind and heart after each book we have read. Books can help us like guides, we can take important lessons from the experiences of the characters’ lives and apply that knowledge while taking decisions in our own lives.
“…we can’t just sit and wait for society to get better. If more people start to read, they’ll be able to empathize with the pain of others and the world will become a better place sooner.” (P-38) I agree that we have to actively participate in building a society and community which will be kinder, safer and happier by changing ourselves first. If everybody participates in these activities then society will automatically improve.
“Watching a multitude of movies, he (Minjun) came to realize something simple- the characters are always at crossroads. What moved the plot forward were their choices, their decisions. Wasn’t it the same in life? What propels life forward are decisions.” (P-83) It is very true that our own decisions allow us to move forward to the next step in life. Our actions and inactions determine the direction our life and its flow.
Those were some of the lovely quotes which I found insightful and worthy of mentioning. This book is indeed a gem of a read for me this year. I very much recommend it to anyone who loves to read, and read in particular about books and bookshops. It is an immensely rewarding and satisfying book to read.
(Photo Credits: All Photos were taken by and belong to Samia Shamim)
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