Chinese Readers Turn to Self-help Books after SARS

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, July 07, 2003

Chinese Readers Turn to Self-help Books after SARS

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China's bookstores are being swamped with psychological self-awareness books and volumes on howto deal with tragedies as booksellers anticipate a national period of soul-searching in the wake of the SARS crisis.

Leading the books focusing on psychological introspection and encouragement is "Saving the Breasts", written by well-known womanwriter Bi Shumin.

Her novel hit the best-seller charts across the country. Over 100 copies of the book were sold everyday in one major bookstore in Shijiazhuang City, capital of north China's Hebei Province, during the first week of its publication.

Bi depicted stories of a doctor helping breast cancer patients to recover from psychological depression.

Bi, who has just finished her doctorate in psychology, is now managing her literary career and a psychological clinic at the same time.

"I tried to record people's love of life and their fear of death in my books," said the doctor-turned-writer.

Other best-selling tomes include a series of translated works such as "If We Forgive God", a self-help book for trauma victims, which enjoyed a ready market after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, and a book commemorating the 100th anniversary of the publishing of Helen Keller's autobiography.

In addition, "A Child Called It", "The Lost Boy" and "A Man Named Dave", written by retired United States Air Force crewman Dave Pelzer, the only American to be selected as one of The Outstanding Young Persons of the World (TOYP) in 1994 for his child abuse awareness and prevention efforts, were also among the recent best-sellers in China.

Books helping parents to better understand child psychology andto handle crises and tragedies have also tapped a vein in the market.

Chen Chao, literature critic in Hebei Province, said the popularity of psychology-related books epitomized post-SARs attitudes toward life and death.

"People want to enjoy their life in a more rational way," said Chen.

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