Pieces of You

Pieces of You

by ash of wrath ~ Friday, May 27, 2011

Dulu waktu Harry Potter & Deathly Hallow kaw-kaw keluar, it's Aisyah Rosedi, my eldest sister yang tolong que-kan dekat MPH. she manage to buy me one. thanks Aisyah for your effort.

and for this time

..my most wanted book ever since I don't have any temptation to buy any.

Credit to Nael; you make me jealous. arigatou na mr. Wiki, you describe it all ;)

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Pieces of You is a work of fiction published by Daniel Armand Lee, also known as Tablo, leader of South Korean rap group Epik High. The book was first published in Korean on November 7, 2008, and was later published in English on February 10, 2009. The publishing company, Dal – which directly translates to moon in Korean – has already established some reputation among Korean readers, having published the works of writers with potential to go mainstream.

Tablo graduated from Stanford University with honors in English Literature and Creative Writing. He then moved to Korea, where he debuted in 2004 as the leader of the Korean hip-hop group Epik High. Ever since, he has been a lyricist, rapper, composer, and radio host.

His Korean translation of the book 《당신의 조각들》(Korean-Translation) was published prior to its English counterpart and sold more than 150,000 copies, consistently ranking as a best-seller in Korea. Due to high demand, he published the English translation, Pieces of You, three months after its Korean release, and it soon became a best-seller as well.

"My heart was closed. Cold. I was self-conscious and cynical. These are the pieces of my youth, The small secrets and not-so-great expectations that defined my coming of age. But through this craft, through my love for writing, I discovered a world outside of the small windowless one I had built for myself. A world of soft-spoken beauty. So here I am, Choosing to kick away the ladder So that I may remain at your side. I understand your solitude I see your shadow" - Daniel Armand Lee

both literary critics and fans conclude that the tone of this book can be summed up in the words “solitude” and “shadows,” which the author himself recalls from his youth. "Andante,” the first story, gains the most recognition. The ten stories, listed below, are arranged in the order in which they were written.

Andante: it is about the conflict between the father and the son. The son is greatly influenced by his father who is a prominent pianist, and he eventually follows the identical path as his father. Upon watching his father confront Alzheimers, he becomes more worried about his life and his family. In the end, the son becomes hopeful when his father keeps asking what song he can hear while his father's recorded version of Fur Elise is being played, and the son realizes that he can hear his father's breathing within his music.

Counting Pulses: it is a story about the son and his mother. The son is always conscious about taking care of his sick mother who needs his care even when she is in need of taking medicine. At one night, the son brings his friend to his house and they start smoking weed while the mother is in sleep. Due to excessive inhalation, the son starts suffering from a respiratory problem resulting him into a critical situation.

Break: it is a short story compared to his other stories which is about the teacher who takes a break from his students. During this short break, he starts feeling overwhelming pain; here the word "break" literally means a break which he has now, but it can also mean the life and the condition that he is in, which breaks him.

The Rat: this is a story where the casting director of a movie with nude scenes invites the main actress to his house. As he invites the cast to his house, he notices that there is a big rat staying in his bedroom. He becomes paranoid of the fact that there is a big rat in his bedroom which it reminds him of the girl.

Matchbox: it is a story about the son who starts smoking due to his father who is a chain-smoker. He starts smoking when he is six and he quits smoking at the age of twenty-five when he realizes how horrible cigarettes are for his health.

A Glass of Victory: it is a story about the conflict between two friends. The main character attends the high school reunion where he meets his rival during the students' president election. He is ridiculed and disgusted by the resemblance of his friend and his son. Suddenly, he recalls the high school student's president election, where he lost to him by a little, but the difference in votes has never been revealed. After he meets the janitor from high school accidentally, he hears from him that there were some votes thrown out inside the garbage. He realizes how his rival cheated on the election, and he goes up to him and punches his face, but he loses miserably in fight again.

The Walls of Our World: this story explores the internal, almost insuppressible lust within all humankind, regardless of the masks of occupation, status, and position in the social hierarchy.
Hate Crime: it is a story about the Asian identity as seen by Caucasian culture. The story comments on the lack of differentiation, and ignorance towards the different ethnicities within the US-Asian population.

Coup de Grace: this story portrays how a cowardly father ironically forces his son to become a strong and brave person. By creating himself into a completely different person, he doesn’t only deceive himself but he also deceives even his family members. In the end, the coward turns out to be not his son but himself.

Strawberry Fields Forever: this story portrays the fast-paced nature of our life, for instance, how things bypass us so quickly that we sometimes forget to appreciate their value.

Paper tafseer tadi alhamdulillah; next paper Physiology.