- Hello, my name is Jack Edwards,
and welcome back to my YouTube channel.
I don't know if I've mentioned, but I kind of like reading.
In fact, it's kind of a substitute for a personality
at this point. (laughs)
Listen, you choose looks, I choose books.
And the thing that is most important to me
at this point in my life is to diversify my reading.
And what I mean by that is reading a range of authors
and a range of books from around the world
and basically filling in the gaps
that the education system left.
At university, I chose to specialize
in South-Asian literature.
And they were some of the best books that I've ever read.
You unlock so much more fascinating literature
once you stop limiting yourself to reading
only authors from the same culture as you.
And one of my favorite Booktubers,
WithCindy hosts an Asian-readathon.
Which is basically where you were given these prompts
to encourage you to read specifically Asian authors.
So I had a little rummage through the colorful bookshelf,
and I picked out these books and I'm going to attempt,
emphasis on attempt, to read seven books in seven days.
But before we get stuck into those, I just wanted to add,
I'm gonna leave some links down below for resources
and donation links,
where you can check out more about Asian-violence.
And I also wanted to share this screenshot of countries
that are classified as being part of Asia.
And for this video, cause I was just going based on
what I had on my bookshelves.
Most of these books are by itself all East-Asian authors.
But if you're interested,
I also made it this video where I read Arab books.
So there's more of a Middle East in that one,
including Oman and Palestine.
But anyway, these are all books I'm very excited
to sink my teeth into and so let's get cracking.
- So the first prompt of the Asian-readathon
is to read a book by an Asian author in your favorite genre.
And I feel like Dystopias
are the thing I always gravitate towards.
And so with that in mind this is the first book
that I decided to read.
This is the Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa.
This was translated to English by Stephen Snyder
and was sent to me into my PO Box by a very lovely viewer.
So thank you so much.
And this is a Japanese Dystopia,
all about totalitarianism and death and memory.
It's set on an unnamed-island where things
basically just disappear
and people instantly forget that those things ever existed.
So for example, hats disappear, roses disappear,
ribbons disappear, calendars disappear.
Side note, might actually start telling people
that calendars have disappeared from my life
just as an excuse with being a disorganized mess.
So as an example, one day they wake up
and they just know that something is missing,
but they can't put their finger on what it is.
And it's actually bird song and birds have disappeared.
That's pretty hawkward if you ask me.
No, that was a terrible joke.
Now, when I shared that I was reading this
on my Instagram story,
a lot of people said that they were underwhelmed
or disappointed by this book.
And I can't lie, I can kind of see why.
Because this book is a Dystopia,
because it has the word police in the title.
I felt like a lot of people will be expecting this book
to be a thriller.
A kind of take-down-the-system manifesto, very ACAB.
But that's not what this is.
Because the character who narrates this book
is someone who literally forgets things every single day.
The narrative voice is very reserved and faint
and almost hollow in a way.
It's very understated,
but it's written in that way intentionally.
So it's not about a revolution or defunding the police
or anything like that.
I kind of read it as more of a meditation on death.
In the sense that it depicts someone
sort of slowly fading away.
A memory starts to become weaker.
People are lost along the way.
And all of the associations she's made throughout her life
slowly starts to unravel.
So that's nice and depressing (laughs).
So my feelings towards the Memory Police are complicated
because while I was reading it,
I didn't necessarily find it captivating
or a page-turner by any stretch of the imagination.
But after I'd finished the book and I could look back on it
as a piece of art, I was like,
'damn that was so impressive.'
And I think that was because the narrative voice
creates this really hazy atmosphere like you're in limbo.
And I had just never read anything in that tone before.
There's also a really interesting discussion
in here about art and how all this has kind of been used
as a vehicle for resistance throughout the decades.
So the narrator herself is a novelist
and her mom used to kind of make statues.
Her mom is actually so badass.
She would hide objects she thought might disappear
and mold statues around them so that no one would know
that she was secretly stashing everything away.
And I just thought it was a really interesting metaphor
about how art and artists and creativity
are like the antithesis of authoritarianism and the police.
And one of those artists is a book editor.
And this book editor doesn't forget things.
So when birds disappear, he remembers them.
And this is a plot point that I just thought had (laughs)
a few holes in it.
Because the narrator hides this man, who remembers things,
in her basement,
and that kind of makes you feel like there's going to be
this big act of rebellion or resistance,
which just never comes.
And to be honest, it doesn't really make that much sense
why this man would go and hide in a dingy basement
for the rest of his life.
Like no one knew that he was remembering things.
He could have just carried on living as normal.
His wife is literally expecting a child
and it's never explained why he just ditches
his heavily pregnant wife.
Like that's suspicious.
That's weird.
And I think that's why people find it underwhelming
because you feel like something's being set up,
that just never comes.
So overall I genuinely thought this was a dazzling book,
but from a plot perspective,
I can see why it's not necessarily for everyone.
And that's that on that.
- It is day two.
I just finished up the second book.
This is Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin.
And it was expertly translated to English by Bonnie Huie.
This book is about Taiwan in the late 1980s.
And it's written about a student,
who is at a prestigious university in Taipei.
I think I describe it as a kind of coming-of-age narrative
about a lesbian-narrator who is discovering love
and friendship and art.
And we follow this really tumultuous relationship
between her and her girlfriend and they make up and break up
and they feel love and desire and hatred
all at the same time.
And it's quite intense, but really cool.
And let me just say, I'm intimidated by this authors brain.
You know when you read something
and you're just completely in awe of someone else's mind.
That's how I felt.
Whilst reading this I felt like my own IQ was about seven
and the book is all about breaking binaries
at every single turn.
And that's done through both events in the narrative,
but also through the style that it's written in.
So you have diaries, vignettes, aphorisms, satire.
You know how like a figure skater
will be doing all these tricks and flicks on the ice.
And you're like, that is so impressive.
And I could never do that.
That's how I felt about this.
Like it was mental gymnastics to keep up with
what was going on, but it was so great.
I was just watching this author flex.
It discusses capitalism, misogyny, patriarchy, gender.
And the author basically is rejecting the notion that
the queer experience is a singular one,
so that you could define the queer experience
as just one single thing.
Instead she never uses any labels.
And it's just about the complexity of her experience.
You also have these kind of absurd, surrealist interludes
where there's a crocodile dressed up as a human.
Let's just say reading this book
requires a lot of concentration.
Like you need to be switched on,
but it's worth it and it is stunning.
And now to pub.
- I am so hot and so modest (laughs).
I don't mean hot in like a sexy, narcissistic way.
I mean like literally sweltering.
The UK seems to be having some sort of mini heat wave
at the moment, but anyway,
I've just finished this poetry collection.
This is called Night Sky With Exit Wounds
and it was by Ocean Vuong.
This was exquisite.
I mean, even the title alone, Night Sky With Exit Wounds,
is more beautiful than anything I will ever produce
in my whole entire life.
And this collection, discusses family, belonging, grief,
war, the human body and everything in between.
And actually in between,
is quite a good way to describe this collection, I think.
Because what's so interesting about Ocean Vuong's heritage
is that his grandmother was Vietnamese
and his grandfather was a white American soldier
in the Vietnam war.
So Ocean Vuong considers himself, quite literally,
a product of the Vietnam war.
And in this collection,
we kind of see those two identities collide.
So we have poems about the fall of Saigon,
but also poems about 911.
So I feel like you can really see how he occupies
that liminal space between Vietnamese and American culture.
And he's grappling with what it means to be part of both.
This picture on the cover was taken out a refugee camp
in the Philippines.
And Vuong says that he and his family traded their rations,
there three tins of rice in order for this picture
to be taken, in order for history to have some record
that they existed.
And I felt like now that he's older,
that's kind of what this poetry collection is for as well.
It says, I am here,
I exist and this is what I've experienced.
And the collection feels really ethereal, I think.
Which is probably a combination of the references
to mythology, but also the pure lyricism of these words.
There's so much precision in the sound and the rhythm
of each individual word and not a single one is wasted.
They feel like they've been so carefully considered.
And there's this line in the poem, Thanksgiving 2006,
where he says, 'my mother said,
I could be anything I wanted,
but I chose to live'.
And that line literally made me gasp.
I really enjoyed this.
Actually I also recently read his novel,
which is On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous.
And this is similarly poetic.
Again, cracking title.
I cannot wait to see what else Ocean Vuong achieves
in his career 'cause these two, phenomenal.
It's safe to say I'm a big fan.
If he is Ocean, I wanna go scuba diving.
And also I would highly recommend listening to interviews
that Ocean Vuong has done because the way he speaks
is just spectacular.
I can't explain it.
It's just completely enchanting, so I would recommend.
By the way me standing here talking about books
whilst wearing a spread hummus, not hate t-shirt,
I think just perfectly sums up this channel (laughs).
- Okay, we just having to do a little bit of a temperature
regulation (laughs) up in here.
Who's gonna be the ones who make the joke
about this being my only fan.
I guess I just did.
So one of the Asian-readathon prompts
was to read a nonfiction book written by an Asian author.
And Cindy actually recommended this book.
This is Know My Name by Chanel Miller.
And because I am a Cindy-superfan,
I read the exact same book.
Chanel Miller was originally known as Emily DOE
when she was sexually assaulted by Brock Turner
at Stanford University.
The perpetrator was portrayed in the media
as a superstar swimmer
and a promising young Stanford University student.
Rather than the criminal that he was.
And in the end he only actually served
three months in prison.
At the time, Emily DOE wrote a victim statement
where she explained the trauma that she had gone through
during this case.
And that statement went viral back when viral referred
to like things on the internet and not COVID-19.
And in this book, Chanel Miller comes forward
as the real Emily DOE and tells her story.
And I feel like this must have been such an important thing
for her to do,
to take complete control and be able to tell this narrative
in exactly the way it deserved to be told
without being manipulated by the media.
It's incredibly defiant and empowering and shocking as well.
It shows so clearly the victim blaming and double standards
that were evident in that case.
And of course, so many other cases.
Obviously the legal case
and the story of the justice system behind this book
is so important to read and understand.
But it's the way that Chanel Miller tells that story
that makes this a five-star memoir.
She's a really, really talented writer
and she paints the picture in such a vivid way.
This book is equally as hopeful as it is devastating
and equally as vulnerable as it is strong.
She discusses having to relive that trauma
over and over again.
And having people not believe her throughout that grueling
and painstaking court process.
And it is political because it should be.
And I would highly encourage anyone to read this.
This is probably, yeah, I'm gonna say it.
This is the best memoir I think I've ever read.
So don't forget the name Chanel Miller
and she is a Chinese American author.
That's why she is relevant to this readathon.
Now I actually finished two books today
and the other one was this one.
This is Malgudi Days by R.K. Narayan
And it's an Indian short story collection,
which was also turned into a TV show in India.
And I just absolutely loved this quote,
but the author basically says
'the writer has only to look out of the window
in India to pick up a character and thereby a story'.
And he presents this really rich cast of Indian characters.
From postman to pie-sellers to snake charmers.
And my favorite story, was called An Astrologers Day.
And it's basically about a guy who charges people
for life advice.
And then one day there's big, burly, terrifying man
comes up to his stall and he's like (sprays).
Bullshit-spray.
I don't believe that you can tell people's fate.
Prove to me that you're not a big faker
otherwise I will literally kill you (laughs).
So, you know, the stakes for this astrologer
are pretty high.
So the astrologer starts to sweat
and then suddenly he has this realization and he's like,
I know that at one point in your past you were stabbed.
And this man is like, no one knows that about me.
How on earth do you know that?
But it turns out the astrologer was the one who stabbed him.
Mad, it's a mad world.
Next time someone says they're interested in astrology.
I'm running scared, 'cause I don't know
what you're capable off.
Anyways I just thought this was a really charming collection
of short stories.
Which just gives so much life and vitality
to relatively ordinary Indian citizens.
And you just get a real portrait of these characters
within just four or five pages.
And I always thought that I wasn't really into
short story collections,
but recently I've read some really good ones.
And this is definitely up there.
There's lots of twists and shocking or funny endings.
And it's truly just enchanting.
I enjoyed this a lot.
So this has been a good two days of reading.
Both fiction and nonfiction, and I will see you tomorrow.
Right, so I am obsessed with Sri Lankan literature.
And if they ever let me in (laughs),
I would one day love to do a master's project
on Shyam Selvadurai, who is my favorite Sri Lankan author.
And so of course this Asian-readathon
was the perfect opportunity to read another author
from Sri Lanka.
So this is Reef by Romesh Gunesekera
and I shore loved it.
I always say chef-kiss.
And this is literally about a chef,
so my compliments to him.
So the character, Triton, is a chef who works
for an aristocratic Marine biologist.
And the book is all about servitude and loyalty
and the relationship between a master and his employee.
And this sense of duty that Triton feels.
And it's actually quite similar in that sense
to Remains Of The Day by Kazuo Ishiguro.
But basically because the chef is so dedicated
and consumed by his work,
he is completely unaware of the political unrest
that's going on in Sri Lanka at the time.
And this book is one of those pieces of literary fiction,
which doesn't necessarily have an obvious plot,
but it captures a time and a perspective
and a character so gorgeously.
I think it was Ocean Vuong actually, who said,
when you lose plot, you gain characters.
And that is so true for Reef because the characters
are so rich and believable and fully fleshed out.
And because he's a chef,
there's also these tantalizing descriptions of food.
And so many metaphors.
Specifically kind of about how the loss of tranquility
in the domestic sphere mirrors the political landscape
of Sri Lanka at the time.
So the ocean and the home
are described as these sort of fragile paradises.
Just like the nation itself, it's genius.
And to give you an insight into kind of the writing style.
I wanted to read this extract because it's stunning.
'But are we not all refugees from something,
whether we stay or go or return,
we all need refuge from the world
beyond our fingertips, at some time.
I was learning that human history
is always a story of somebody's Diaspora.
A struggle between those who expel, repel or curtail.
Possess, divide and rule.
And those who keep the flame alive from night to nights,
mouth to mouth, enlarging the world
with each flick of a tongue'.
And I just think that is incredible.
Do you know what else is incredible?
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And actually (laughs).
And actually step three of this course is to read works
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Skillshare, I love you.
I would marry you if I could.
Thank you for working with me and on to the final book.
- Okay, so the final book that I read it for this video,
was Haruki Murakami's First Person Singular.
This is a short story collection
where every single story is written in the first person.
And although Murakami's style of like magical realism
is very unique to him.
This almost feels like a Murakami parody.
In the sense that it feels like
if you put every Murakami book ever,
into a computer and then an AI-machine-robot-thing
used the system to generate a Murakami book.
That's what this would be.
It's so classic Murakami.
And I personally prefer his longer novels
to short story collections.
We have some dreamlike scenarios
where there's a talking monkey.
There's also, one story is literally about how ugly people
just don't really deserve rights.
And I was like, that's a hot take
and feels a bit outdated, not gonna lie.
There's meditations on his passions like music and baseball.
And Murakami is also a character in some of these stories.
So we kind of do blur the lines between memoir
and fiction with this.
The first story, Cream, is basically about a guy
who is invited to a piano recital
by a girl he used to have piano lessons with.
And he gets to the top of the mountain
and there's no one that aside from this weird old man
who gives him some like philosophical life advice.
And maybe it's because I kind of became
a bit of a Murakami-superfan at the beginning of the year.
I feel like I've read too much of his work
in a short space of time.
That it's, it's just a bit too much for me right now.
So I gave this a three-star review.
I feel like, to me, Murakami is an author
who's very stuck in his ways.
And I do like how he's kind of simultaneously whimsical
and simplistic also, just so intentionally provocative.
But this was kind of a little bit flat for me.
So that is the end of my Asian-readathon.
And it has been a cracking week for reading.
I read so much good stuff.
And this is just reaffirmed to me precisely
why I'm so intent on reading diverse literature
from all around the world.
Because this stuff is golden
and it's not necessarily stuff that would find its way
onto the compulsory curriculum.
So I would encourage you this week to try read a book
by an author who is not from your home nation.
I mean, do an Asian-readathon if you can,
I'll even link to Cindy's video down below.
But if not, just read one book from a different culture
or a different country and trust me,
it will be worth your time.
Thank you so, so much for watching this video.
Thank you very much for 600,000 subscribers.
I love you all to the moon and back.
Also shout-out to Skillshare for sponsoring the video.
Link will be down below.
Have a lovely day.
I love ya and I'll catch you very soon.
(blows kiss) Bye-bye.