Let books heal

Not only young people, reading books to heal and understand oneself has increased significantly among readers aged 35-50, showing that the need to find inner balance from books is very important for all readers.

The best-selling trilogy of author Hae Min in Vietnam and author Quach Le Anh Khang - Photo: Publishing House - H.LAM

There was a time when healing books became a trend and caused a lot of controversy because of the quality of the content, suitability and practical impact. But until now, this genre of books has not lost its appeal in the market.

In the first six months of 2025, the e-book platform Waka recorded an average of 680,000 reads and listens to books on healing, self-understanding, and emotional management per month, an increase of more than 30% over the same period last year.

In 2024, the main readers of these books will be 18-24 years old. By 2025, the group of people aged 35-50 will also have a strong need to read, increasing from 22% (2024) to 47% (2025).

Extended Reader File

As a publishing house with many best-selling healing titles, First News CEO Nguyen Vu Phuong said that the books Sharing from the Heart and The Path of Transformation by author Thich Phap Hoa have sold over 100,000 copies in a short time.

In early 2025, the books Healing the Wounded Child Within, This Pain Doesn't Belong to You, Everyday Happiness, Truly Taking Care of Yourself... were all sought after by readers.

"The titles address personal and mental health issues, providing solutions such as: emotional management, meditation, self-care skills, healing memoirs, how to overcome childhood losses...

The most popular topics we see are books that help resolve past traumas, thereby understanding, accepting, and loving yourself because it directly touches on the core needs of readers: rediscovering themselves and creating a better life.

Closing the book, readers can know where to start to make changes.

This practice makes healing books go beyond the boundaries of a trend, becoming a sustainable need in modern spiritual life," Mr. Phuong told Tuoi Tre.

According to Nha Nam, author Hae Min's books such as: Love Imperfect Things, Slow Down in a Hurrying World, When Things Don't Go as Planned, Deeply Focus on Mindfulness, Dialogue with Yourself all sold from 40,000 to 100,000 copies.

Saigon Books also has some famous titles such as Don't be afraid of not being born or destroyed, Stop hurting yourself, Because you are stronger than you think, the Suoi Thong book series, Healing childhood traumas...

The common point of the healing book series is that it has a wider readership, not only young people in their twenties but also adults, parents or those who have a position in society.

"Each age group has different needs and expectations. Readers aged 20-25 are often struggling to find their personal identity. The 26-35 group focuses on healing accumulated wounds and learning to manage emotions in relationships with themselves and others. The 36-40 group, especially women, often have gone through many profound events and experiences," Mr. Vu Phuong further analyzed.

I don't believe that books can completely "heal" someone. But if the words are written from a heart that has gone through many broken things, it will somehow help a struggling person feel less lost.

Author Anh Khang

Don't be emotional

Since his debut in the literary world, Quach Le Anh Khang has become a "million-copy author" with many books that delve into the emotional aspect such as Days Drifting Back to the Old; Two-Way Road, Lover Becomes Stranger; How Sad Is It to Let Go; No Matter How Much Love, It's Still a Stranger...

He said he writes with the hope of "using literature and the beloved Vietnamese language as a shelter in stormy days, to name emotions because by correctly naming sadness and correctly recognizing hurt, we are halfway to the destination of happiness."

Anh Khang believes that writing about trauma that he has never experienced can easily lead to a feeling of "false empathy" - which sounds true but is not real: "And something that is not real is difficult to touch the heart, it is easy to fall into "pretending" and giving trite advice."

To truly transform, readers need to live with what they read: "I often joke that reading a healing book just to "feel relaxed" for a moment is like taking a painkiller and then continuing to work too hard. Don't let the pages stop at a temporary emotion.

The process of peace and completeness in each person's heart is very slow and sometimes very long, but as long as you patiently do the good deeds you have learned from books, repeating them every day like the way the sun rises every morning, then there will always be dawn ahead.

Balance between expertise and taste

Mr. Vu Phuong said that "stepping into" this genre of books also has many obstacles. The biggest difficulty is maintaining a balance between professional value and market appeal. If the book is too professional, it can easily become dry, but if it follows the taste, the content risks being superficial and only providing temporary comfort.

"In addition, the explosion of the keyword "healing" in the media has caused this concept to be abused and even misunderstood.

Regarding trends in the next 2-3 years, we predict that the market will enter a stage of refinement and maturity. When the fever passes, readers will become more alert, looking for truly quality works instead of following trends," Mr. Phuong commented.

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Lam Lake

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/de-sach-chua-lanh-20250818103441947.htm