The condition is attributed to the lack of development of the amygdalae in the brain, responsible for emotional regulation. The part of his brain that is responsible for our feelings (and formed like an almond, hence the book title) isn’t fully developed and that causes him to have troubles to understand human emotions. Pese a todo vive en un hogar reconfortante junto a su madre y su abuela, un lugar seguro donde es protegido del mundo exterior. People shut their eyes to a distant tragedy saying there’s nothing they could do, yet they didn’t stand up for one happening nearby either because they’re too terrified.

Almond by Won-pyung Sohn — Aniko Press Review: Almond by Won-pyung Sohn — Aniko Press

I was blown away by Chapter 5 of this book, which mostly involved an in-depth description of the experience of eating almonds.I don’t know if I’d have done anything differently but I’ve to admit that I still don’t know how I feel about it. The song follows the members’ journey from seeing success as a mirage, to transforming that mirage into reality. Well, and then his grandma died and his mother was out of the picture as well, leaving him to fight through all the troubles on his own. He is a distant narrator, but the way he questions himself and ponders what he should do makes him just as full of life as anyone else. And while there’s definitely subtext of commentary on Korean society, overall, I feel like the author was after telling a fresh YA/coming-of-age story, which this certainly is.

Almond Quotes by Sohn Won-Pyung - Goodreads Almond Quotes by Sohn Won-Pyung - Goodreads

My one complaint is that the ending is a little too perfect, and yet, somehow left so many loose ends? Over time, repeating a word without paying mind to its meaning, might cause the meaning to slip away from us entirely. However, do we actually mean what we say about advocating for change, beyond the black squares posted on social media?There is a big contrast between the lives of Yunjae and Gon: one grows up receiving lots of love and care while the other is being left to his own devices. It's also a translated work from Korea, which makes it an excellent choice for celebrating AAPI heritage month. We follow his character growth that was so fascinating, heartbreaking at times, heart warming at others, and so beautiful. It's such a ridiculous happy ending that feels so tonally off that it just hurt what was such a good book. Otra cosa que me gusta de este tipo de historias y en este libro se refleja a la perfección, es la violencia que desata el miedo al diferente.

Almond by Sohn Won-Pyung | Goodreads

Emotions are strange to him and his mother and grandma train the boy to interpret other people, while imprinting the mantra: Don’t stand out, that’s all you need to do.

He does have good quotes, like: If I can’t protect myself from being hurt I rather hurt other people. I first heard of Almond when BTS members RM, Suga, and J-Hope were seen reading it during their reality series In The Soop. He does not have friends—the two almond-shaped neurons located deep in his brain have seen to that—but his devoted mother and grandmother aren’t fazed by his condition.