If the world were a village of 100 people

Author: Ikeda Kiyoko
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: If the World Were 100 People is hailed as the book with the fewest words in the world so far, rewritten from an email and consisting of just over 60 pages. Since its publication in Japan last December, it has been a bestseller, with sales exceeding five million copies. The author is the translator Ikeda Kiyoko. After the September 11 attacks in the United States last year, she received a forwarded email that deeply impacted her, leading her to write this heartwarming work, which is referred to as a "new millennium legend born from the internet." The book shrinks the world into a village of only 100 people, where 20 of them suffer from malnutrition, and 1 faces death. Among all the wealth, 6 people hold 59%. And 17 people lack access to clean, safe water. Yet, you are not among them. Don’t you feel lucky? If you can understand this book, then when you are happy, your joy will double or even triple. When you feel unhappy, you will see a different reality, making you realize that you are even luckier than others. It will teach us to view the world with a heart of gratitude, awaken our sense of universal love, and cherish the happiness we already possess.