- Overview
-
The story of the writer as she rediscovers the love and courage of a community that is not easily defeated in the battle against vast discrimination and hatred.
- Book Intro
-
(English) How to Save Yourself from the Villains of the World
This is the first collection of essays by Jeong Soyeon, a science fiction writer and a public interest and human rights attorney. As a lawyer, the writer represented the voices of those who are isolated from the general boundaries of society and culture. The essays give the readers a glimpse into the writer’s ideas, which they may have previously encountered in contributions, essays and commentaries published in various papers and magazines, with stories of people struggling in their lives. Behind the clear and sharp arguments there resonates a deep affection for this world and these people.
The writer represents the voices of the people who have been unfairly treated, pushed out from the center of society, and coherently points out the unfair points in this world. She reads class conflict and discrimination in the pun in a slogan printed on the justice ministry vehicle and the LED bulletin board at a detention center. She points out the isolation of the vulnerable in a kiosk at a fast-food joint and, from the way funds are managed by the Korea Federation of Kindergartens, she notes the blind spots of state welfare that go beyond any abuse by interest groups. The writer also encourages readers to reflect by showing the results that follow conflict and how vain are the benefits that people enjoy by quietly taking advantage of discrimination instead of fighting it. The countless anecdotes that force readers to recall their identity as a member of society holds the face of “us” and not just simply “me.” By citing specific cases, she shows us how inequality born of power, capital and hierarchy is everywhere and that the pain caused by this inequality does not end up as the problem of any one individual. The writer calmly retraces the discrimination and hatred she personally faced in the field while eagerly making social comments and taking action and presents the direction we should head to overcome these challenges. The sharp perspective and reflection on issues that have triggered heated debates in South Korean society in the past 2-3 years, such as labor, human rights and gender stand out in this book.
This book conveys the message that if there is anything that builds and reconstructs the world, it is sympathy for others and the awareness of a bond, and that the vision of the future that starts from a small but vivid hope is never dark.
- About the Author
-
Jeong So-yeon
(English) Jeong Soyeon studied social welfare and philosophy at Seoul National University. She wrote fiction and worked as a translator before graduating from Yonsei University Law School and working as a lawyer. She was an editor for EPI and Today’s SF and served as the first president of the Science Fiction Writers Union of Korea. She translated the books The Speed of Darkness, Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang, and Beaker’s Dozen and she has written books including Yeonghui Next Door and The Move.