[This Week's Books] 'Beyond Disruption, Beyond Destructive Innovation' and 5 More Titles

◆Beyond Disruption, Beyond Destructive Innovation = “Move fast, break things.” Just like the motto Mark Zuckerberg promoted when creating Facebook, the business world has long been dominated by ‘disruptive innovation.’ It created irresistible value for consumers by destroying or replacing existing industries. However, it is also true that there were significant side effects. As existing companies or jobs were replaced, it became a ‘winner-loser’ game or resulted in an economy dominated by the winner-takes-all principle. In response, the two authors introduce an alternative concept called ‘non-destructive creation.’ They argue that it is possible to innovate without breaking or destroying existing things, thereby building a business world that harmonizes with society. (Written by Kim Wi-chan and one other · Korea Economic Daily)

◆TAKE OUT European Art and Culture = This is the first volume in the ‘TAKEOUT’ series, which introduces fascinating cultures, histories, and art knowledge from around the world. It presents 27 stories about Europe. The book is organized around the theme of travel. It explores hidden local stories while visiting spring travel destinations in Europe and appreciating literature and paintings. The itinerary concludes with attending a winter concert. Targeting readers who prefer to move with their own rhythm and leisure based on the ability to see value directly rather than following group tour courses. The author personally conducted research on foot, and the book includes records, photos, and QR codes that allow readers to browse performances and exhibition scenes related to the content. (Written by Ha Gwang-yong · Param Book)

◆The Flood Reaches My Soul = This work was published in Japan in 1973 by Nobel Literature Prize-winning author Oe Kenzaburo, who passed away last March. The novel tells the story of a man with an intellectually disabled son amid the threat of nuclear war. It focuses on the existential threats to humanity through a plot where a group of young people seize firearms from the police and Self-Defense Forces and devise a certain plan in the face of humanity’s extinction crisis. It also includes a special interview from the time of the first edition’s publication, in which the author stated, “Even though the great flood of environmental pollution has appeared again, I think Japan, like at Hiroshima, cannot accept it this time either.” Additionally, it contains commentary from the time of the paperback edition to help understand the flow of the author’s literary world. (Written by Oe Kenzaburo · Bank Tree)

◆Grandmother and My Four-Season Cooking School = A cooking school opened in a small rural village in Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do. The teacher is the grandmother, and the student is her biological granddaughter. The granddaughter Yeha chose her grandmother’s house as her school instead of university to learn cooking. Spending a full year through spring, summer, autumn, and winter, the book records the grandmother’s cooking skills, who has run a rice cake shop for 30 years. Against the backdrop of their simple daily life, it introduces 90 vegetarian dishes ranging from acacia sirutteok (steamed rice cake) to pumpkin flower galette. It shares warm and cozy food stories including seasonal fruit and vegetable dishes, easy-to-follow rice cake recipes, namul (seasoned vegetable dishes), jangajji (pickled vegetables), kimchi, and soups. (Written by Yeha and one other · Suo Seojae)

◆Population Crisis = This is a Swedish social science book that is highly regarded for having greatly influenced the landscape of population debates in the 1930s. Published in 1934, it depicts Sweden’s situation as the poorest country in Europe at the time, with the lowest birth rate worldwide. It addresses continuous population decline, the resulting drop in productivity and living standards, and low birth rates, introducing practical social reform measures to overcome these issues. Although the book is nearly a century old, its content remains relevant today. The arguments that progressive family policies can increase birth rates and improve the ‘quality of population’ and ‘quality of life,’ and that society should bear most of the costs of childbirth and child-rearing while actively supporting married working women to balance work and family life, are not much different from current birth policies. (Written by Alva Myrdal and one other · Moonye Publishing)

◆Awkward Art Stories = This book captures the ‘Masters’ Gaze, Facing People: British National Gallery Masterpieces Exhibition’ held at the National Museum of Korea. The art historian author examines not only the exhibited works and their explanations but also the art historical context they embody. Through 52 pieces from the British National Gallery’s collection, which trace the flow of Western art history, the book explores which genres emerged based on new era demands, which art movements competed, what twists each work contains, and the multidimensional relationships between art and art, and art and its era. It covers the background of the National Gallery’s founding and encompasses masterpieces left by Western art masters from Renaissance art to Impressionism. (Written by Yang Jeong-mu · Social Critique)

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.