IntroductionBefore the Names Are Carved is a cycle of five connected short stories inspired by the moral questions raised through our exploration of Han Kang’s Human Acts.Set in Greyhaven, the collection follows people whose identities have been reduced to a risk score, an accusation, archived testimony, an artificial future, or a predicted death. At the center … [Read more...] about Before the Names Are Carved: Five Connected Stories
moral courage
Before Yes: A Modern American Story Inspired by Albert Camus
What if the most important moral decision in your life happened long before the tragedy itself? Introduction by By Albert CamusWhen I wrote The Stranger, I did not intend to create a hero.Nor did I intend to create a villain.I wanted to place one ordinary man before a series of ordinary decisions and ask whether honesty alone is enough to guide a human … [Read more...] about Before Yes: A Modern American Story Inspired by Albert Camus
Min Jin Lee on Time, Failure, and Falling Behind in Life
What if the years you call wasted are preparing you for work you cannot yet see? Introduction By Min Jin Lee For many years, I believed I was late. I was late to trust my own voice. I was late to leave the law. I was late to publish my first novel. I was late to finish Pachinko, a book whose earliest questions had followed me since college. When I … [Read more...] about Min Jin Lee on Time, Failure, and Falling Behind in Life
Noah Eckstein’s Harvard Graduation Speech: Understand Without Agreeing
Introduction by Nick Sasaki Noah Eckstein’s Harvard graduation speech begins with a line that sounds like the opening of a joke:A Christian, a Muslim, and a Jew walk into a bar.But he is not inventing a joke.He is telling the story of his own family.His Christian grandmother, his Pakistani Muslim grandfather, and his Jewish grandfather were not symbolic … [Read more...] about Noah Eckstein’s Harvard Graduation Speech: Understand Without Agreeing
Joseph Grenny on Crucial Conversations and Human Truth
What if Joseph Grenny revealed that most broken relationships begin with one conversation people were too afraid to have? Introduction by Nick Sasaki Some books teach skills. Some books teach habits. Crucial Conversations reaches into something deeper. It deals with the moments that quietly decide the quality of our lives: the conversation we avoid, the … [Read more...] about Joseph Grenny on Crucial Conversations and Human Truth
Gad Saad on The Parasitic Mind, Truth, Biology & Moral Courage
What if Gad Saad exposed why truth itself became dangerous in modern institutions? Introduction by Gad Saad There are times in history when a society loses more than confidence. It loses its ability to tell the difference between truth and performance, courage and compliance, scholarship and ideology. That is the moment we are living through now.For … [Read more...] about Gad Saad on The Parasitic Mind, Truth, Biology & Moral Courage
Angela Duckworth on the Grittiest People of All
What if Angela Duckworth gathered history’s grittiest people in one room? Introduction by Angela DuckworthWe speak often about grit as if it were one thing.We use the word for discipline, determination, staying power, hard work, and the refusal to quit. We admire it in athletes, founders, leaders, students, artists, and reformers. Yet the deeper I have … [Read more...] about Angela Duckworth on the Grittiest People of All