I like not knowing about some things. Yes. I like it. Because it feels comfortable to me. I take refuge in the comfort of saying "I don't know." I read the Elephant Man story for the first time in this book. But I didn't know it was a famous story and based on a true event. Absolutely. So I'm glad I read it without knowing anything about it. Because it didn't affect my feelings.
I did a simple reading and I have simple feelings. Not exaggerated. The Elephant Man was a human and never a creature. Monster or creature. He was human. What about the other people? They are prejudiced. As always. I think the real creatures are the other people. Because they wounded a wounded person again and again. That evil requires having an evil heart. Right? Clear... Apart from that. The book is very easy to read because when I didn't know a word, I looked up its meaning on the next page. It was very comfortable. I didn't use a dictionary. Besides, this was a first-level reading. Beginner level. I will watch the movie. Of course, I will watch it in English. Because I made a promise to Professor Akif. Just like he promised Fuat Sezgin.
I know I'll always be grateful to him. That's it. That's all I know.
I had a crazy idea today. I've been reading Harry Potter for 23 years. It's time I started reading it in English. That's real magic!
Türkçe İngilizce Karşılıklı Hikayeler (10 Kitap Takım)Özer Kiraz · Özer Kiraz Yayınları · 20251 okunma
A Critical Review of Humankind
Rutger Bregman’s book Humankind is one of the books that questions negative ideas about human nature and makes readers think. For many years, many people believed that humans are naturally selfish, bad, and only care about themselves. However, Bregman does not agree with this idea. According to him, human nature is not as dark as people think. Instead, people are more willing to help each other, understand others’ feelings, and do good things. In the book, the author supports these ideas with many examples from wars, psychology experiments, history, and biology. One of the best parts of the book is that it gives hope about humanity. Still, when I finished the book, I did not only feel admiration. On one side, I was happy to read it because it made me think differently. On the other side, some of the author’s ideas felt too optimistic to me. Because of this, the book was both interesting and questionable for me.
One of the strongest parts of the book is that it makes people question ideas about human nature that many accept without thinking. Today, we often see violence, murder, wars, and fights on television, social media, and in the news. After some time, people start to believe that the world is full of bad people. At this point, Bregman asks an important question: If humans were really bad by nature, how could societies survive for so many years? A big part of human history was shaped by helping each other, working together, and surviving together. From this side, the writer’s ideas are important and meaningful.
His ideas against the belief that humans are naturally wild are especially interesting. Today, when someone behaves badly, people sometimes say, “Did you grow up in a cave?” However, Bregman says that hunter-gatherer societies were not as violent as many
Bazı hikâyeler tam tahmin ettiğin gibi ilerler. Bazılarıysa son sayfada tüm bildiklerini sorgulatır. 🤯
Ters köşeleri seviyorsan, seni sonuna kadar merakta bırakacak 3 kitap önerisini keşfetmeye hazır ol!
The Vegetarian
The Vegetarian
I have read a most staggering and profound book. I don't want to give spoilers, but I want to mention how this book affected my feelings and my thoughts about society. South Korean author Han Kang writes this book from three different perspectives. She criticizes the traditional and patriarchal society of South Korea.
At the beginning of the book, Yong-hye's husband tells us about his wife. He describes her as an ordinary woman with nothing special about her. One day, Yong-hye has a nightmare and decides never to eat meat again. This causes a major conflict within the family. Her father hits her, and for this reason, she attempts suicide. Later, her brother-in-law takes her to the hospital. Due to the Mongolian spot on Yong-hye’s back, he becomes obsessed with her and sleeps with her. His wife catches them; consequently, both of them are taken to psychiatric clinics.
Yong-hye consistently refuses to eat meat and begins to think of herself as a tree. Her sister feels sorry for her, yet on the other hand, she has been unhappy since her own marriage. Yong-hye believes that eating meat is related to violence. Society, her family, and her husband all want to take control of her life and body. Yong-hye maintains a silent resistance against South Korea's traditional and patriarchal society. At the same time, she wants to transform from an animal into a vegetal entity.
This book is about how people defy societal norms to find freedom. The Vegetarian is not just a book about diet; it is a story that depicts a person's desire to be one with nature.
After the somewhat predictable nature of my previous read, Pick a Color was a refreshing change of pace. Souvankham Thammavongsa has a remarkable gift for capturing the profound within the mundane. The story explores the quiet rhythms of daily life with a precision that feels both concise and compelling.
What I appreciated most was the minimalist style. The author doesn't rely on "filler columns" or elaborate plots; instead, she uses brief, impactful moments to deliver her message. The narrative is filled with poignant quotes that I found myself lingering over—lines that manage to say so much with very few words.
It is a beautiful example of how a "short" story can leave a lasting impression. Much like a perfectly centered piece of pottery, there is nothing extra here; every sentence has a purpose. For any reader who enjoys observational literature, this story is a small but vibrant gem.
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway tells a story that feels simple at first, almost like something you could explain in a few sentences. An old fisherman goes out to sea, catches a great fish, and loses it on the way back. But as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that this is not really a story about fishing at all. It is about endurance, dignity, and what it means to struggle in a world that does not always reward effort.
The novella centers on Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman who has gone eighty-four days without catching a fish. In his village, he is seen as unlucky, even defeated. Only a young boy, Manolin, continues to believe in him, although he is no longer allowed to fish with Santiago. This quiet isolation shapes the emotional atmosphere of the story. Santiago is not just physically alone at sea; he is also set apart from the people around him, living on the edge of relevance.
When he finally sets out far into the Gulf Stream, determined to break his unlucky streak, he hooks a giant marlin. What follows is a long, exhausting struggle that lasts for days. The fish pulls his small boat deep into the open sea, and Santiago, despite his age and pain, refuses to give up. What is striking here is not just the physical challenge, but the way Santiago thinks about the fish. He does not hate it. He respects it, admires it, even feels a kind of kinship with it. At times, he speaks to it as if it were an equal. This changes the nature of the conflict. It is not a simple battle between man and nature, but something more complex, almost like a test of worth between two noble beings.
When Santiago finally kills the marlin, it feels like a moment of triumph, but that triumph does not last. Sharks are drawn to the blood of the fish and begin to attack it.
Honestly, I don’t even know where to start. I never expected this book to completely draw me in like this. It actually surprised me multiple times. Just when I thought I had figured everything out and knew what was going on, I realized the author had tricked me again. There were so many unexpected events. From the very beginning, it feels like we were reading a lie. Wow… Especially the way the story shifts between the present and the past… I’m once again grateful that I know English. The reason I picked up the book was because it was the audiobook Taylor listened to in the Eras Tour documentary. I wish I could have listened to it as an audiobook too, but still—it was truly a great experience. It was very engaging to read, constantly making me wonder what would happen next, where everything was heading… And I also loved how everything was tied together in the end.
Especially the final sentence was beautiful.
Açıkçası nereden başlasam bilemiyorum. Bu kitabın beni böyle alıp sarmasını hiç beklemiyordum. Hatta kitap resmen beni birden fazla kez şaşırttı. Tam her şeyi öğrendim, ne olduğunu biliyorum dediğim an bile aslında yazar tarafından şaşırtıldığımı anladım. Hiç beklemediğim olaylar oldu. Hikâyenin başından beri resmen bir yalanı okuyormuşuz. Vay canına... Özellikle günümüz ve geçmişe gitmemiz.... Bir kez daha İngilizce biliyor olmama şükrediyorum... Kitabı okuma sebebim Taylor'ın Eras Tour belgeselinde dinlediği sesli kitap olması. Bende sesli bir şekilde dinlemek isterdim ama olsun. Cidden güzel bir tecrübeydi. Okuması baya güzeldi ve sürekli sonra ne oldu, ne olacak, nereye varacaklar... Her şeyin bir sonuca bağlanması da güzeldi ayrıca...
Özellikle son cümle çok güzeldi.
"When she looks back to the island she sees only the pines, drawn closed like a curtain
