240419 r/bangtan Books with Luv: April Book Club Discussion – ‘Almond’ by Sohn Won-Pyung

Hello bibliophiles of r/bangtan!

It’s hard to believe that we are almost through the month of April?!?! Jin will be back in less than two months and Hobi in less than six, time is really flying! I know we’ve all been distracted by this Monochrome mystery but we hope you had time to [read our book](https://i.imgur.com/xxNhWIB.gif) of the month because it’s discussion day!

# **’Almond’ by Sohn Won-Pyung**

Yunjae was born with a brain condition called Alexithymia that makes it hard for him to feel emotions like fear or anger. 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. This is a poignant and triumphant story about how love, friendship, and persistence can change a life forever. Multiple members were seen reading Almond during [In the Soop Season 1](https://i.imgur.com/VvhynfB.jpeg).

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# [I’m sorry, I just have so many thoughts](https://i.imgur.com/1zdBdZ0.gif)

*Below is a discussion guide. Some book-specific questions and other sharing suggestions!*

* Almond is categorized as a young adult (YA) novel. Do you think that the “target audience” for this book affects how this story is being told?
* Society has normalized using terms with negative connotations as a “joke”, without paying mind to how it may hurt another person. Do you think Yunjae’s grandmother referring to him as “Monster” has an affect on him?
* Does the absence of emotion in Yunjae’s narration stop you from feeling sympathy for the characters?
* Yunjae’s mother had tried many ways to help her son understand the reasoning and meaning behind different emotions. Do you think she did a good job in teaching her son about them?
* During In the Soop Season 1, we see four members reading the book through-out their staycation. Have you noticed any inspiration or influence from the book in any of their works?
* Yunjae states you can never know “whether a story is happy or tragic” and “it may be impossible to categorize a story neatly in the first place”. How did you expect this book to end?

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# B-Side Questions/Discussion Suggestions

* **Fan Chant**: Hype/overall reviews
* **Ments**: Favorite quotes
* **ARMY Time**: playlist/recommendations of songs you associate with the book/chapters/characters
* **Do The Wave**: sentiments, feels, realizations based on the book
* **Encore/Post Club-read Depression Prevention**: something the book club can do afterwards (on your own leisure time) to help feel less sad after reading.

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# [I’m diggin’ all day](https://i.imgur.com/bNIc7Lt.gif)

We’ve really enjoyed reading and chatting with you and we’d love to [keep it going](https://i.imgur.com/gXYjhhd.jpeg)! While we *wait a little bit* longer for our members to come home, we hope you’ll stay and join us for our next book.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the book or the thread, feel free to tag me or any of the mods or [BWL Volunteers](https://i.imgur.com/EynX6Oe.gif).

with luv,

* u/EveryCliche
* u/mucho_thankyou5802
* u/munisme
* /u/Next_Grapefruit_3206

…and the r/bangtan Mod Team

by EveryCliche