[This Week's Books] 'Anjujapseol' and 5 More Titles

◆Anju Essays = This is a collection of thirty stories about anju (side dishes for alcohol) told by a novelist who enjoys drinking. The author, who wrote the original novel for the popular JTBC drama "Hush," now confesses his life through the theme of anju. He introduces the charm of various anju, which often appear at drinking gatherings like chicken, jokbal (pig's trotters), mussel soup, and ramen, but are easily overlooked due to their familiarity, blending them with autobiographical experiences. He recounts the ups and downs and the mental and financial hardships he faced from his busy days as a reporter to deciding to become a novelist and publishing his first work, as well as how he met his current wife, actress Park Jun-myeon. The author says, "The moment you overcome the (alcohol) entry barrier, a new world you never knew unfolds," and "this is why people who remain outside the (entry barrier) are constantly tempted." (Written by Jeong Jin-young · Weather in the Drawer)

◆Blockchain and Data 3.0 = Data, blockchain, NFT, metaverse, artificial intelligence... These words have deeply entered daily life, but many people still find their concepts unfamiliar. The author, who co-founded Supertree in 2017 with IT and digital content experts and set two world records with an Ethereum blockchain-based game app, regards knowledge and insight about data-based technologies and related industries as essential knowledge of the era. He explains comprehensive theories and in-depth knowledge related to data through various cases, covering the value and ownership of data, the flow and concepts from Data 1.0 to Data 3.0, blockchain, NFT, metaverse, and various data monetization models. He skillfully incorporates his experience working as a program developer at NHN Hangame and Naver, and handling global promotion strategies and business in entertainment and media at the CJ Group chairman’s office. (Written by Choi Seong-won · Double Book)

◆The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks = At the foundation of today’s remarkable advances in medicine and biology lies the HeLa cells. These were the first cells successfully cultured in a laboratory, serving as the basis for the polio vaccine, gene mapping, and in vitro fertilization. However, few know that HeLa cells were taken without permission from the cervical cancer tissue of a Black woman. The author shines a light on Henrietta Lacks, whose name is forgotten despite her great contribution and who died of cancer. Tracing the life of her family, who suffered poverty and lacked health insurance benefits without knowing about the immortal cells, the book raises the discourse on how far human rights can be compromised for medical and scientific progress. (Written by Rebecca Skloot · Dream Freedom)

◆Warren Buffett’s Investment Strategies in Comics = This is a comic book containing the investment strategies of Warren Buffett, the master investor followed by everyone from stock beginners to successful investors. Warren Buffett, who adopted the investment methods of the great investors Graham and Philip Fisher to create his own criteria for selecting investment companies and applied them in operating Berkshire Hathaway with remarkable results, is portrayed in a comic format with detailed expert commentary. Through this, it covers the core of Buffett’s investment principles that formed the foundation of his success, such as value investing, long-term investing, and concentrated investing. The book was pre-published in Japan last year and gained attention as a bestseller in the Amazon stock/investment category. (Written by Hamamoto Akira · Business Lab)

◆The Prosecutor’s Sin = This novel deals with the world of prosecutors. Combining extensive investigative groundwork with outstanding imagination, it delves into the world of prosecutors. As the protagonist investigates the murder of a senior prosecutor, the book covers the power dynamics among prosecutors, demotions and promotions, discrimination against female prosecutors, preferential treatment for former prosecutors, brokers, and collusion between politics and business. With a powerful and concise style, it relentlessly explores the "family ethics of the prosecutor group." Once any group is bound as a "family," the boundary between good and evil tends to blur. Furthermore, assuming that the prosecution thoroughly punishes traitors who go against the organization, it poses the question, "Is our prosecution truly just?" It also raises questions through characters such as a female prosecutor seeking "social climbing" through marriage, a chief prosecutor who has strayed far from the starting point of becoming a good prosecutor, a son-in-law prosecutor in a chaebol family, a righteous prosecutor who was ultimately murdered, a prosecutor who was buried because of love for him, and brokers, asking "What would I have done?" (Written by Yoon Jae-sung · Saeum)

◆Alain Badiou Seminar = This book compiles seminars conducted by Alain Badiou, who calls himself a "post-Lenin-Maoist," from 1994 to 1995. Badiou interprets various texts of Lacan with the keyword "anti-philosophy," defining Lacan as "the last and most sophisticated anti-philosopher." The key issue of anti-philosophy, which aims to dismiss truth, is whether it can truly heal the deeply suffering human. Through this problem, the author defends philosophy against the critique of Lacan’s anti-philosophy and points out what Lacan’s anti-philosophy discourse misses. He thoroughly analyzes Lacan’s declaration, "I am against philosophy," within the history of philosophy. (Written by Alain Badiou · Moonye Publishing)