Book Recommendation by Rhie Sue Nah
How hard do you try to read others’ minds? Is nunchi, a Korean concept loosely defined as “reading the room,” merely a tiring endeavor, and is it even necessary? These questions are answered by Euny Hong’s book The Power of Nunchi: The Korean Secret to Happiness and Success, a must-read for newcomers to Korea from other cultures.
The author says nunchi is a necessary life skill. It is a secret that helped Korea emerge as a country of success and happiness, and this skill is essential for individuals to live the way they desire. This badly needed trait works not only in Korea but also elsewhere in the world, the author says.
Nunchi in this book does not mean paying excessive attention to how one’s boss’s mind works or what a spouse or friend might be thinking and feeling. Instead, it is the power to grasp and understand the overall atmosphere, which seems crucial for getting by in society.
I used to think that nunchi was something that mirrored one’s personalities and that too much of it was a pathetic and negative flaw of weak-minded people. This book, however, clearly says nunchi is something that everyone needs, thus I enjoyed reading it all the way.
My recommendation of this book might irk some people and make them ask why they should even read this book given the negative connotations of nunchi. If they read it thinking they have nothing to lose, they will eventually realize how they can learn from nunchi from a perspective that considerably challenges their previous notions of it.
[Previous Articles]
ㆍNovember 2022:
SPY×FAMILY, Recommendation by Lee Ho Jung
ㆍSeptember 2022:
Proto, If You Cannot Help Working, Recommendation by Lee Ho-jun
ㆍJuly 2022:
Arrival, Recommendation by Han Sung-hee
ㆍJune 2022:
Dear Evan Hansen, Recommendation by Kim Su-yeon
ㆍMay 2022:
Kajillionaire, Recommendation by Han Soo-jin
ㆍApril 2022:
Space Force, Recommendation by Kim Nakyo
ㆍMarch 2022:
Welcome to Hyunamdong Bookstore, Recommendation by Yoon Hyojin
ㆍFebruary 2022:
Born a Crime, Recommendation by Choe Da-ham
ㆍJanuary 2022:
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Recommendation by Kang
Shin-young
ㆍDecember 2021:
Surfing for the First Time(2020), recommended by Kang
Seok-hyo
ㆍNovember 2021:
The Hunger Games(2012), recommended by Kim Soyeon
ㆍOctober 2021:
The Uninhabitable Earth: Life after Warming, recommended
by You Yeonjoon
ㆍSeptember 2021:
Let’s Go to the Moon, recommended by Kim In-hyuk
ㆍAugust 2021:
The Scientific Exploration of Jeju Volcanic Island,
recommended by Do Hyun-ji
ㆍJuly 2021:
The Reasons for Travel,
recommended by Kim Yunkyung
ㆍJune 2021:
Downsizing, recommended by Song Seo-hyeon
ㆍMay 2021:
Silver Linings Playbook, recommended by Kim Jiwon
ㆍApril 2021:
Hidden Figures, recommended by Lee Eun Ji
ㆍMarch 2021:
Fifty People, recommended by Yoon Jiyoung
ㆍFebruary 2021:
Shine, recommended by Park Haewon
ㆍJanuary 2021:
Boyhood, recommended by Koh Cho-young
ㆍDecember 2020:
Big Eyes, recommended by Woo Jiwon
ㆍNovember 2020:
The Revolt of the Masses, recommended by Kim Joon-seop
ㆍOctober 2020:
Give and Take, recommended by Kim Soo-yeon
ㆍSeptember 2020:
A Gentleman in Moscow, recommended by Jeong Eun-sil
ㆍAugust 2020:
The Great Game, recommended by Moon Sung-ki
ㆍJuly 2020:
The Horse Thieves, Roads of Time, recommended by Kim Seong-in
ㆍJune 2020:
Loonshots, recommended by Kang Young-pil
ㆍMay 2020:
Rise of the Robots, recommended by Lee Geun