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BookWORM; Oscar Lawalata: LOVE AT FIRST READING

(JP/Jerry Adiguna)Fashion designer Oscar Lawalata was not a fan of books when he was little

Ika Krismantari (The Jakarta Post)
Mon, May 2, 2016

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BookWORM; Oscar Lawalata: LOVE AT FIRST READING

(JP/Jerry Adiguna)

Fashion designer Oscar Lawalata was not a fan of books when he was little. He started enjoying reading a bit later in life, in his 20s, after he had begun working. A friend, Oscar said, helped him to discover the excitement of reading books.

“I have a close friend, who is a book maniac, who made me wonder what was so exciting about books. I asked him to pick me a book and he offered me a novel by Pearl S. Buck,” the 38-year-old reminisced.

And it was love at first reading.

“I just loved it right away,” he said. Unfortunately, Oscar has forgotten the title of the first novel that he read.

He said he finally realized how reading actually fitted with his character as a thinker and observer because reading helped him to broaden his mind and perspectives when looking at problems.

“I am [also] a sensitive and well-organized person,” said Oscar, who admitted that he was easily brought to tears when reading.

Unfortunately, due to his tight schedule, Oscar can only read in his spare time. But when he reads and likes a book, he will get a pencil and underline all the inspiring quotes in the text or rewrite them on a gadget.

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BUMI MANUSIA
by Pramoedya Ananta Toer



I first read Bumi Manusia (This Earth of Mankind) about 10 years ago. It really inspired me because I can see the mentality of Indonesian people from the book.

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SOPHIE’S WORLD
by Jostein Gaarder

It is the most memorable book that I have read so far because I can see myself as Sophie. I feel like I am Sophie, who always questions and discusses everything.

When I was little I always asked my mother so many questions about life and the purpose of life. “What is life?” and “What am I going to do with my life?” and “What is love?” are the kinds of questions I asked her.

It is rare for me to finish a book within a day, but with Sophie’s World I did. I first read the book about seven years ago.

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PEARL S. BUCK NOVELS

I love all her books like Peony (1948) and The Three Daughters of Madame
Liang (1969). I like her books because she always takes a women’s perspective in her writing. I like her writing style, which is natural and nonjudgmental with a female perspective.

— JP/Ika Krismantari

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