Man's inhumanity toward man
593929
Man's inhumanity toward man is well documented in this exceptionally well-written memoir of a POW in WW II.  Then to be able to seek out and forgive his tormentor is just amazing.
4161672
This book is a good example of one man's life, living under evil while staying focused on God and helping the persecuted.  An eye opening view of how easy evil can permeate culture, society and people under the guise of nationalism, false promises and prosperity by appealing to the pride of mankind and vilifying others who are made scapegoats.
2877839
This book starts out slowly and I felt a dissatisfaction that was soon to be dispelled. The detailed discussion of personal experience, if it doesn't make you sick,  is worth the reading.  I gave it four stars not because of the content, but because of the unfortunate use of American language patterns.  Good reading for awareness of man's inhumanity to man....
2042473
It's hard to believe that the human spirit is capable of such cruelty or of such courage.  Every day we read about horrendous acts of violence in the name of God. We still read about slavery, and acts of violence against women and children.  It is upon each of us to commit ourselves to action that will make this a more beautiful and peacefully world.
2429397
Interesting story told by someone who was a witness to what others have called the "banality of evil" in Adolf Hitler, a man who was simultaneously capable of showing compassion to some while launching aggressive wars and planning the extermination of millions.  Misch writes that the Hitler he knew (and saw on a daily basis for years) was neither a superman (as he was portrayed to the German people) or a ranting lunatic (the way he is portrayed in most movies).  Instead, the truth is much more subtle and therefore much more difficult to understand........that evil can lurk within all of us, that without a firm moral compass we may be able to rationalize away the suffering of others, and that, in the end, Adolf Hitler was one of us.....a member of the human race.  I think we do a disservice when we reckon Hitler to be the "most evil" man in history...... Hitler should not be viewed as being essentially any different from other tyrants, some of whom we counted as allies (Stalin, Mao, and a few others come to mind).....the only difference was that Hitler was defeated militarily and his crimes came to the light of day.  For me, the most important message of the book was one that Misch does not draw and that is, without a firm moral compass, humans are not only capable of horrible things, but also of a willful blindness to evil.
2427178
An interesting slant on why ordinary people perform dangerous and heroic actions.  The main protagonist is shown as a man who grows in humanity as his world becomes more inhumane.  Very worthwhile reading.
3859290
Explains despicable treatment of slaves in great detail. You will find yourself crying out in outrage at the terrible things he,  and countless others had to endure. E excellent read.
4873092
The sheer brutality made it a difficult read but a must to finish. How humanity can be so inhumane to its own is a testament to the fragility of our existence. Nothing but accolades to the author from this reader.
1490384
Simply told heart wrenching story of man's inhumanity to man. As well as a story of inner strength and determination to survive.
438569
This is a brutal and disturbing story that reveals the true nature of evil that often hides beneath the surface. Cruelty is often impossible to see, particularly in those people whom we are told and taught to trust, such as our teachers. In this brief, brutal story, Ted is initially depicted as a kind and loving teacher, but that facade is quickly shattered when readers are shown that he is, in fact, an abusive and hateful man. When he tries to sink his teeth into Stacy, he eliminates her husband from the equation, determined that nothing will stop him from what he wants. However, later, when he is thrown another curveball and discovers that he and Stacy's child will be born with Down's Syndrome, his truly evil side comes out and he threatens to kill the baby. Overall, Ted is a horrifying character, and is even more upsetting because he hides so expertly behind his mask of consideration and normality. Beyond the story itself, this tale will remind you that not all is what it seems, and that some people make a living out of deception and serving only themselves. I think Wolfson has a few glitches in the storytelling, but generally, for the length of this "novella", he manages to pack in a lot of meaning and a whole lot to think about.
1616409
An amazing story of man's inhumanity to man, but more amazing the power of a human being and their desire to survive and thrive. At times the story is almost to unreal to be true but it is written with great understanding of all of the frailties of human nature. I couldn't recommend this book highly enough
4458718
I recommend this book to those who are compelled to defend freedom.  What does it take to defeat a brutal enemy?  What increases survival in battle?  How does the inhumanity and brutality of war change a man?  How much horror and fear and misery can be endured by men in battle?  Will history repeat itself with another barbaric enemy like the Japanese of the 1940's?
2477286
Realistic view on how individuals are dishonoring God by judging man based on their view of who they think is less worthy than they are.
950347
This is a disturbing read but a good one about a man with a rage who is out of control. The thing I liked the most about this book is that it moves right along without getting bogged down in a trial. Very good detective work and a great example of the victim's spouse relentless push to keep this monster in jail.
1175096
I dare say that Robert Fisk has seen modern war up close in all its ugly forms more than any soldier and certainly more than any of the leaders who cause these wars. And he has come to loathe what he has seen and have contempt for those who bring about these horrors and sympathy for the innocent who suffer the results. The book is difficult to read because of the details of the horrors and the betrayals of innocence and the record of man's inhumanity to his fellow man. Contrary to what some say he does have some heroes and they are the little people, the soldiers who showed humanity under difficult circumstances and civilians who did not lose their humanity. Anyone who has a romantic or patriotic view of war should read this book.
3434668
Is it true that human beings are fundamentally cruel?  Or, in the words of one of the characters in Human Acts, To be degraded, damaged, slaughtered  is this the essential fate of humankind, one that history has confirmed as inevitable?

Its a dark view, but for those who survived the Gwangju Uprising of 1980, it would appear that cruelty is, indeed, part of being human. As happens all too often in history, laborers and students rose up against a dictatorship and later were arrested or massacred. As a result, in Korea, the name Gwangju is synonymous with for whatever is forcibly isolated, beaten down, and brutalized, for all that has been mutilated beyond repair.

The novel, told in six parts and encompassing 35 years, shows how this act  like radiation  continues to affect the lives of those who remain.  In the first chapter, a 15-year-old boy named Dong-ho futilely searches for his best friend Jeong-dae. Soon we learn that Dong-ho is yet another victim, with his soul staring into his own bodys dead eyes. The massacre is played back by a female editor who was tortured, by a factory worker who was brutalized, and, in one of the most emotionally haunting sections, by Dong-hos mother, who heartbreakingly recalls his earliest years. Han Kang becomes her own character in the epilogue, revealing her own reasons for feeling compelled to tell the story.

Reading Human Acts in close proximity to Han Kangs award-winning novel The Vegetarian, its easy to detect certain similarities: the unrelenting darkness of the vision, the multiple narrators, the glimpse into acts of resistance, the gradual insights as the big picture emerges. Yet while The Vegetarian was psychologically intimate, Human Acts is broader, dealing not with a familys trauma, but an entire countrys. As a result, it transcends The Vegetarians theme of what does it mean to be human and instead, focuses on what does it mean to transcend our human condition and make the corpses we sing over into something more than just butchered lumps of meat.

There is no doubt that Human Acts has aggressive goals: evaluating the macrocosm of trauma as opposed to analyzing it on a smaller one-on-one scale. I, as a reader, was affected more deeply by the mothers story than, say, the editors story on the crackdown on literature.  In a prologue, Han Kangs excellent translator, Deborah Smith, states that this book is A reminder of the human acts of which we are all capable, the brutal, and the tender, the base and the sublime. Although the balance weighs to the brutal and base, there is just enough of the tender and sublime to provide hope.
2573273
Really moving account of the plight of animals in a war zone.  Man's inhumanity to his fellow earth sharers is pitiful and despicable at times.