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4.47 AVERAGE
4.47 AVERAGE
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
informative
medium-paced
4/5 stars
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Such an interesting book about the biggest group in the world.
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Such an interesting book about the biggest group in the world.
emotional
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
This is a tough one to rate. As a fairly new fan of the group, I find it strange that I didn't really learn anything new from this book. It makes me question the intent behind it.
If it's for brand new fans: this doesn't provide anything truly substantial, nor does it give you a great look at the personalities of the members. It's rather dense and data heavy with dates and album information. The only thing a brand new fan might get out of this would be a better feel for how they started as completely unknown underdogs and went on to break records.
Which is why I say:
If it's for fans that have been around longer than 5 minutes: this doesn't teach you anything, nor does it give you a great look at the personalities of the members. Honestly, if you've watched anything where they talk about themselves, you know how they started. Run BTS, Bon Voyage, American Hustle Life - these all show and/or discuss how they went from sharing beds, making budgeted grocery runs, cooking their own food, and maintaining what may now seem like a surprising amount of humility. All of those give you a much better look at the members and how they put up with a lot for the love of the music and their fans. This book was confusing with regards to how little it shared personal anecdotes and real in depth looks at the members' feelings on things.
So, if one was to say: well, they can't go into detail about the heavy stuff or some of the personal anecdotes, I'd ask why not? This book ironically references the programs mentioned before and the interview on You Quiz on the Block where they do share these personal anecdotes and a lot more details of their experiences: good and bad. I think it's perfectly fine not to name those that were awful towards them; aside from those who named themselves, their detractors went unnamed and it started fan wars anyway (side note: how pathetic that grown men were beefing with teenagers). That's fine, but on You Quiz on the Block, the stories about RM and Tae hiding food were explained in more detail; J-Hope, Jungkook and the banana incident were explained. Suga has talked in depth about how hard it was hiding his shoulder injury in other forums. His own music goes into more detail than this book did.
Also, I'm perfectly willing to admit it might be that my bias towards Namjoon made it feel as if there weren't a ton of quotes from him in this book. Which was a bummer. Also, I'm sad that they described other songs from Map of the Soul: 7, but they don't have Suga and Namjoon talk about "Respect", one of my favorite songs from the album. In addition, yes, this is a record of BTS, but they mention J-Hope's solo project and there's a brief mention of RM's Rolling Hall performance. So, it's strange they don't talk about the members' feelings about enlistment or the future or Chapter 2. It felt strangely unfinished.
Also, this book does something rather inaccessible to me personally (even as a heavy reader) which is describing sound through words. I've never had an easy time imagining music when described in a book. I think the QR codes were a nice touch, but it made the song descriptions even more confusing - why include them if the reader can simply go over to Spotify to listen to them?
So, if you have never read or watched any content other than the group's musical performances and were looking for a book that reads more like a music magazine's telling of a surprising success story of 7 hardworking boys from different areas around South Korea, this might have been a more enjoyable experience.
If you were looking for a book that gave more insight into the members' memories and feelings from debut through 10 years of their career, I don't think you'll find it here. I almost wonder if the book was planned before the enlistment discussion came into play and they tried to meld interviews into a book. I even think the members interviewing together and transcribing that would've made for something more candid with a lot more heart.
Oddly enough, I think this book does a great job inadvertently revealing just how much the members have always shared of themselves through their other content. They're so authentic, honest, and open and that makes this book all the more confusing and less enjoyable in some ways. It almost feels like it didn't come from them at all.
If it's for brand new fans: this doesn't provide anything truly substantial, nor does it give you a great look at the personalities of the members. It's rather dense and data heavy with dates and album information. The only thing a brand new fan might get out of this would be a better feel for how they started as completely unknown underdogs and went on to break records.
Which is why I say:
If it's for fans that have been around longer than 5 minutes: this doesn't teach you anything, nor does it give you a great look at the personalities of the members. Honestly, if you've watched anything where they talk about themselves, you know how they started. Run BTS, Bon Voyage, American Hustle Life - these all show and/or discuss how they went from sharing beds, making budgeted grocery runs, cooking their own food, and maintaining what may now seem like a surprising amount of humility. All of those give you a much better look at the members and how they put up with a lot for the love of the music and their fans. This book was confusing with regards to how little it shared personal anecdotes and real in depth looks at the members' feelings on things.
So, if one was to say: well, they can't go into detail about the heavy stuff or some of the personal anecdotes, I'd ask why not? This book ironically references the programs mentioned before and the interview on You Quiz on the Block where they do share these personal anecdotes and a lot more details of their experiences: good and bad. I think it's perfectly fine not to name those that were awful towards them; aside from those who named themselves, their detractors went unnamed and it started fan wars anyway (side note: how pathetic that grown men were beefing with teenagers). That's fine, but on You Quiz on the Block, the stories about RM and Tae hiding food were explained in more detail; J-Hope, Jungkook and the banana incident were explained. Suga has talked in depth about how hard it was hiding his shoulder injury in other forums. His own music goes into more detail than this book did.
Also, I'm perfectly willing to admit it might be that my bias towards Namjoon made it feel as if there weren't a ton of quotes from him in this book. Which was a bummer. Also, I'm sad that they described other songs from Map of the Soul: 7, but they don't have Suga and Namjoon talk about "Respect", one of my favorite songs from the album. In addition, yes, this is a record of BTS, but they mention J-Hope's solo project and there's a brief mention of RM's Rolling Hall performance. So, it's strange they don't talk about the members' feelings about enlistment or the future or Chapter 2. It felt strangely unfinished.
Also, this book does something rather inaccessible to me personally (even as a heavy reader) which is describing sound through words. I've never had an easy time imagining music when described in a book. I think the QR codes were a nice touch, but it made the song descriptions even more confusing - why include them if the reader can simply go over to Spotify to listen to them?
So, if you have never read or watched any content other than the group's musical performances and were looking for a book that reads more like a music magazine's telling of a surprising success story of 7 hardworking boys from different areas around South Korea, this might have been a more enjoyable experience.
If you were looking for a book that gave more insight into the members' memories and feelings from debut through 10 years of their career, I don't think you'll find it here. I almost wonder if the book was planned before the enlistment discussion came into play and they tried to meld interviews into a book. I even think the members interviewing together and transcribing that would've made for something more candid with a lot more heart.
Oddly enough, I think this book does a great job inadvertently revealing just how much the members have always shared of themselves through their other content. They're so authentic, honest, and open and that makes this book all the more confusing and less enjoyable in some ways. It almost feels like it didn't come from them at all.
I'm very biased (lol) when it comes to this book, but it really was a lovely read! And it's always super exciting to see behind-the-scenes stuff regarding my favorite artists.
A thorough and insightful look into the 10+ year journey of BTS, including some lesser known parts that are illuminated with details and insight from the members themselves.
I really appreciated the detailed annotations, including QR codes for referenced media. It added an extra level of immersion to be able to see interviews, videos, and other media that related to the scene at hand.
While this is obviously written for fans, I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about how an underdog band of strangers built themselves into successful musicians who see themselves as family, and the trials and wins that got them there.
I really appreciated the detailed annotations, including QR codes for referenced media. It added an extra level of immersion to be able to see interviews, videos, and other media that related to the scene at hand.
While this is obviously written for fans, I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about how an underdog band of strangers built themselves into successful musicians who see themselves as family, and the trials and wins that got them there.
[...]there is one clear theme that echoes through this fandom across the world. And that theme is that by being fans of BTS, they found new directions for their lives.
Which is why, perhaps, the question to ask ARMY and any K-Pop fan, or any fan of any artist around the world, isn't "Why are you a fan?" but "What life, beyond being a fan, are you living now?"
bangtan saved my life & this book made me sob so i simply cannot approach this objectively
Which is why, perhaps, the question to ask ARMY and any K-Pop fan, or any fan of any artist around the world, isn't "Why are you a fan?" but "What life, beyond being a fan, are you living now?"
bangtan saved my life & this book made me sob so i simply cannot approach this objectively
Imperfect, personal, kind of messy, and heartfelt....a wonderful record of BTS
BORACITY UP IN HERE! It was nice seeing a view of the boys history from their point of view. I can’t wait for my own copy to be in my hands so I can annotate the hell of this