1.
The index finger has its own circumstances!
2.
Anyone can become a hero
3.
Friendship flows like a river
4.
Everything comes back to you
5.
Summer will surely pass
6.
The power of the index finger to you

Author's Note
Recommendation

It doesn't take much strength to lift each other up.
“If only I had the strength of my index finger.”

Lee Seon-ju, the author of 『The Blind Detective's Counseling Center』, winner of the Munhakdongne Youth Literature Award
Affectionate encouragement for ordinary people

“After reading a novel, I often spread out my left hand and snap my index finger.
Some people save themselves and their neighbors with little power.

Some people use their great power to destroy communities, nations, and even the world.
“As it turned out, all the power, small or big, came from the index finger.”
-Recommended by Song Su-yeon (children's and youth literature critic)

After winning the Munhakdongne Youth Literature Award and beginning her career as a writer, Lee Seon-ju established herself as a "must-read author for teenagers" by introducing the "blind detective" character to Korean youth literature with "The Blind Detective's Counseling Center."
"The Power of the Index Finger" tells the story of a high school girl who suddenly develops the ability to strengthen only her index finger, and her friends.
This novel arouses curiosity about why the protagonist, Haji, who is neither good at studying nor has many friends, came to possess the power of the index finger.
Unlike the author's previous works, readers will likely find this one unique in that it incorporates fantasy.

The novel features the 'index finger', which symbolizes the unnoticed or ordinary person, rather than the thumb, which symbolizes the leader or the best of the group.
It is impressive that attention was paid to the index finger, the second finger among the five fingers.
"The Power of the Index" tells us that it is not great power that changes the world, but a kind heart that wants to help others.



The power that began with the courage to share a friend's worries

Haji, an ordinary high school student, suddenly gains the ability to strengthen only his index finger.
It is an 'ambiguous' ability in this world that can cause you to break a pencil or bend a spoon while eating school lunch if you let your guard down even for a moment.
A power I never wanted or imagined.
Haji, who had been living like an “island alone” with her best friend Youngin, begins to see the bullying that was secretly taking place in the classroom.
Having witnessed similar situations in the past but lacking the courage to step forward, Haji now observes the unseen bullying taking place in the classroom.
The unusual friendships between friends, such as throwing the juice cartons from the cafeteria on the desk or tapping each other on the shoulder as they pass by.
The index finger, which seemed useless, gains a new level of strength when it meets the courage to share a friend's worries.

However, for Haji, who has lost some of her memories of 'that day' due to guilt, the voices she hears from time to time shake up her daily life.
Then, at the library, I come across a pair of horn-rimmed glasses that couldn't possibly be 'that kid'...
What is the truth about that day in Haji's lost memories?

Only after I breathed a sigh of relief did I realize I was hurt.
I was just watching.
Just watching...? Wasn't that cowardly?

They are not the only ones who get hurt if they don't show courage when they need to.
(p.21)


“Give it to me!” he said earnestly.
What matters is the earnest heart.
“One, two, three!”
A brave friendship that flows thrillingly through your fingers

The true power of the index finger is the power to connect with one another.
As Haji, who had been floating in his own world, begins to pay attention to others, the power in his index finger shifts.
When a child who wants strength desperately says, “Give it to me!” and Haji responds, “I’ll give it to you,” strength is transmitted.
Seoljeong-ah, Hoyeojun, Jeongyeongin, and Yuikpyo, who appear in the novel, are children who became friends when the main character Haji sent the power of his index finger.
The moment when a thrilling power is transmitted between the index fingers, hearts are connected and ‘I’ becomes ‘we.’
The children sitting in the seventeen classrooms wearing the same uniforms all seem similar, but inside they each have different worries.
Teenagers, each with their own worries, such as bullying, career paths, and parental divorce, help each other through life and endure the stifling summer heat.
After the summer that seemed like it would never end, there are children who have grown a little like plants.
"The Power of the Index Finger" shows the power of all ordinary beings who live in this world, sometimes with laughter, sometimes with tears, and sometimes with warm friendship.