The Reader

I recently read the latest book by one of my favorite scholars and writers, Yuval Noah Harari. As expected, I couldn’t resist diving in. The book was rich with extensive research, interesting examples, and sharp, logical writing—truly a well-crafted work. It’s clear that without the collaboration of the Sapiens team, this book wouldn’t have reached the same level of depth and clarity. AI technologies like ChatGPT have dominated the conversation across nearly every field. Just as the agricultural and industrial revolutions reshaped human history, the AI-driven fourth industrial revolution is inevitable. Its impact will be profound—though hard to fully grasp—on both our lives and those of future generations. While I may not be leading these global changes, I also don’t want to fall behind, powerless, and unaware of the world transforming around me. As an individualist, I deeply value independence and freedom in life. That’s why I believe in constantly learning—especially the things tra...

It was a collection of brief chapters that were easy to read. Everyone is interested in health and money, and as you age, your interest in them grows. Both are essential for a happy life. The “PostScript” at the end of the book was the most interesting part for me.

 This is a book of wisdom; it offers relatively light reading while providing insightful observations about human nature. Isn’t wisdom, after all, about pondering the enduring aspects of the human psyche and behavior? A few memorable lines from the book are as follows. “People don’t want accuracy. They want certainty” “The best financial plan is to save like a pessimist and invest like an optimist” “Disagreement has less to do with what people know and more to do with what they’ve experienced”

I recently discovered this book by chance, just before Trump was re-elected President of the United States. It piqued my interest, so I decided to read it. It turned out to be even better than I expected. This could be the most impressive book I've read this year.  The author, who grew up in a poor white household, shares his thoughts and feelings about the cultural dissonance he experienced after entering Yale Law School. He also explores his complex emotions toward his family, leading to moments of deep compassion, and his reflections on personal growth, which I found very moving.  I resonated deeply with the content, and I believe that this book honestly and skillfully captures a life that deserves to be documented, both in the United States and Korea. Perhaps as I age, I’ve become more conservative and agree with many of the author’s views. Writing such a personal book is a tough decision and not a simple process. I commend the author for vividly capturing his experiences ...

The author, a neurologist and clinician, interestingly recounted patient cases related to music that he had experienced both directly and indirectly, as well as unique experiences related to music from non-patients. Given the author’s deep affection for music and brain, this seems to be a well-suited topic for him. Being a natural storyteller, the author has plenty to say, which is complemented by many helpful annotations. A deep curiosity and a great affection for people and life seem to lead to a wealth of stories to share.

Having completed the basic EMDR course and obtained the therapist certification several years ago, many of the concepts in the book were already familiar to me, making it an easy read. However, I got the impression that the book presented only some selectively effective cases in an overly simplified manner, as it described various cases that dramatically improved in a short period after EMDR treatment. Although it is certainly a useful tool that can be applied to people who are struggling emotionally after experiencing psychological trauma, I think, like many other psychotherapy techniques, the client’s or patient’s factors significantly influence the therapeutic response. The individuals who responded well to EMDR might have experienced symptom relief, even if they had tried other psychotherapy techniques. Despite the difficulty in accurately assessing the contribution of the therapy itself to the client’s positive changes after treatment, books of this kind tend to overemphasize the ...