You’ll never guess who is top of the book charts (yes, it’s BTS.)
Even when the book was just a JPEG-less placeholder on GoodReads, it was destined for big things. Now it is official: Beyond the Story: 10-Year Record of BTS, the 544-page “memoir” of K-Pop supergroup BTS has shot to number 1 on the book charts (not sure what exactly the book charts are?) just hours after its official release from Flatiron Books.
The group celebrated its 10-year bandversary in June and the memoir-slash-archival piece looks back over their road to global fame:
BTS shares personal, behind-the-scenes stories of their journey so far through interviews and more than three years of in-depth coverage by Myeongseok Kang, who has written about K-pop and other Korean pop culture in various media. Presented chronologically in seven chapters from before the debut of BTS to the present, their vivid voices and opinions harmonize to tell a sincere, lively, and deep story. In individual interviews that have been conducted without a camera or makeup, they illuminate their musical journey from multiple angles and discuss its significance.
Brave to conduct interviews for a book without makeup, I say. Per The Hollywood Reporter, “The book also features more than 300 scannable QR codes that will let readers access trailers, music videos and other fun features online about the group.” So if you see anyone scanning their book on the subway, you’ll know why.
[h/t The Hollywood Reporter]