Mieko Kawakami’s “Heaven” prompts young people’s discussion on bullying

The second meeting of the National Youth Reading Club centred on the novel “Heaven” by the Japanese writer Mieko Kawakami, translated into Albanian by Andreas Dushi.

The young people’s discussion focused on some of the questions that concern them in everyday life: Why does someone bully? Why is someone bullied? Do pupils know such experiences in the reality where they live?

Literature served as a starting point to discuss a phenomenon present in the reality of many young people, bullying, seeing it through the experiences of the book’s characters, but also through the pupils’ everyday reality.

The pupils noticed similarities between the situations described in the novel and the reality where they live, while the discussion was also enriched by their interpretations of the characters’ behaviour and choices.

A special role in the meeting was played by the presence of psychologist Skerdi Zahaj, who joined the discussion on bullying, offering a psychological perspective on the phenomenon. The dialogue with the psychologist was valued by the young people as an opportunity to see the topic beyond the literary experience.

The National Youth Reading Club aims to encourage reading and discussion among young people, turning the book into a space for reflection on issues directly connected with their lives. At the next meeting, the young people will discuss the book “We, Children of the Berlin Zoo”.