Do Je-hae edits news stories as part of the AI team.
Recent books
By Do Je-hae
Don’t Give Power to the Stupid
Michael Schmidt Salomon; translated from German to Korean by Kim Hyun-jung; 222 pp; God’sWin Publisher’s; 12,000 won
We act as if human beings are the wisest of all animals. But are we? The author thinks humans are the most stupid species in the world because otherwise they wouldn’t do such things as kill each other for religious reasons or destroy the environment.
It’s true that the world is under the control of foolish leaders who, obsessed with their own religion, stage wars against those who have different beliefs.
Citing this madness of human beings, the writer says they should be called “Homo demons,” not “Homo sapience.” They grow into “mad men” because they are raised under a system which coerces them into believing a certain religion from childhood.
They tend to follow that creed blindly and become hostile toward other religious groups. At the same time, a wrongful education system that puts emphasis on test scores robs students of the chance to grow into wise and ethical citizens.
A well-known German scholar and philosopher, the writer says foolish people give power to the stupid. He asks people to engage in activities to help right the wrongs in society just like the child who in an Aesop’s fable cried: “The king is naked!”
— Cho Jae-hyun
Horns
Joe Hill; translated into Korean by Park Hyun-ju; Viche: 504 pp, 14,800 won
This blend of horror and romance, with an additional metamorphosis twist, is the second novel by Joe Hill, son of horror legend Stephen King.
Protagonist Ignatius Perrish, called Ig by friends and loved ones, finds himself with horns and a goatee after a drinking binge, during which he did “terrible things.”
He finds out soon, from confrontations with other people, that he not only resembles the Devil, but is his incarnation of a sort. People tell him their hidden, mostly forbidden desires. He can summon snakes at will, and is healed by fire.
These uncanny abilities only serve to unveil secrets surrounding Ig, who was wrongfully accused of raping and killing his girlfriend, and a painful past that he must set right, with a little help from some reptiles.
It’s hard to put a tag on the novel as it has attributes of multiple genres that some will find to be melded together well and vastly entertaining, while others will find bothersome. Few will dispute, however, the early parts of the novel where Hills description of Ig’s encounters make readers relish the moments of, like the character, becoming the Devil.
— Cho Mu-hyun
Limits to Growth: Reading self-improvement as the philosophy for survival
Lee Young-Jik; smart business: 264 pp., 13,000 won
It’s been 40 years since “The Limits to Growth,” a study on the future of our planet was commissioned by the Club of Rome in 1972.
The team worked on a computing model that took into account connections between various global developments and produced computer simulations for alternative scenarios.
Lee Young-Jik, a business consultant, has reinterpreted the report from a 21st century point of view. He looks at five different areas that have growth limitations: humans, civilizations, a proper empire, capitalism and democracy, and business.
Lee emphasizes that not only humans but also what they have created and every system that supports them has certain limits. He also tells readers that growth in the early stage also reaches a certain level eventually and even advantages can turn into disadvantages.
The key message of the author is “accept the limit and go beyond it.”
— Rachel Lee
Shut Your Eyes Tight (Second book in Dave Gurney Series)
John Verdon; Translated from English into Korea by Yi Jin, Viche Books: 644 pp., 14,800 won
American author John Verdon has written the sequel to “Think of a Number,” his sensational debut that featured retired NYPD detective Dave Gurney. It offers another powerful and fast-paced murder mystery.
Gurney receives a call four months into a stalled investigation over a bride murdered at her own wedding reception, not from the police but from the mother. He agrees to work on the case for two weeks and quickly discovers that the situation is far bigger than anyone had imagined. It seems there is a serial killer with a literary bent who has been quietly doing his thing for at least three years. Now he’s gone public and has Gurney directly in his sights.
Verdon writes smart mysteries containing intricate puzzles with a plot that continues to surprise to the very last page.
—Rachel Lee