“Human Acts” by Han Kang

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While this isn’t a traditional banned book in the way of “1984” or “The Handmaid’s Tale,” I think it will still be a controversial read. The author was blacklisted in South Korea, despite being the first Asian woman to win a Nobel in Literature.

“Human Acts” is said to be poetic with its prose, deeply visceral with its subject matter, and even somewhat subversive with challenging a patriarchal social structure. Rather than give the traditional summary of the book, I urge you to poke around a bit on the interweb and see if this is one that will light your fire. And until then, I leave you with a quote from one review that I read:

“I’ve just finished reading Human Acts—and I don’t think any book has ever left me sobbing at 2 a.m. the way this one did.”