Wow!

The book was different from what I was expecting. I have now officially read it ten times. I did a lot of re-reading, annotating, and letting it all sink in. I have been a fan of BTS since 2014. it has been a journey to see them from the beginning and where they are now. It’s not only impressive but inspiring as well. This book brought up some tough times for the groups but also talked about their success. Some of the events that took place in the book, I remember watching them on YouTube, and it was wild.

In my Army book club with my friends, we all voted that Chapter 5 was the hardest for us. I will not say any spoilers if you haven’t read the book, but it wasn’t because it was poorly written or uninteresting; it was the events that happened in that happened. Yes, they got through those events, but it was still hard to read. So please proceed with caution in Chapter 5 because it left us devastated for the members and slightly annoyed.

In the book, they also talked about the Wings Tour, the final concert in Seoul n December 2017. If you have seen it, they are saying their goodbyes and like it is their last concert ever. The book touches on this, and it all makes more sense. As much as I loved that concert, it is now hard to watch it knowing what I know now. It hit me straight in the gut. Same with their songs because they dove into many of the songs’ meanings or the situations that inspired their songs, and listening to them now, I can appreciate them even more.

While reading the book, I learned many new things about BTS. Although I have been a fan of them forever, I don’t say I am an expert. There is always room to grow and learn about them because they are humans and humans change all the time. I would have liked to hear more from the boys and their take on how they felt or resolved some of this situation because they would often announce an event and leave it as is, not going into detail at all. Which I understand because they need their personal life too, but it felt as if they expected us as reader to know everything or at least it’s context. I found the QR codes fascinating because they take you to some of the moments and songs they discussed in the book. If you are an Army, you can dig deeper into this book, but as a non-Army, the reader might need more meaning, but you could follow along with it.

Overall, I did enjoy the book, even though it made me tear up a lot. I suggest reading if you are interested in BTS or want to know more about them. I will reread it after my heart settles from the August D concert. Have you read the book? If so, what are your thoughts?

-Dezi