For singer Uyen Linh, the age of 30 is wonderful, because at this age she always knows what she wants. 

The book 1987+ reveals the stories, experiences and opinions of people were born in 1987 and 1988. 

“Sometimes we have been lost in emotions, but at the age of 30, we learn to think about the close people surrounding us,” she said.

Linh is one of the 17 authors of the book 1987+, the second installment in a series of prose written by people at the age of 30 who join to share their memoirs, opinions and experiences in life.

The book was published following the success of the first installment, 1987, which was introduced in November last year and sold 12,000 copies.

It became a phenomenon of the domestic publishing industry because all the co-authors of the book were writing for the first time. Normally, a book of literature published in the domestic market sells 2,000 copies.

The year 1987 was the first year after the country’s famous Đổi mới (Renewal) policy was initiated. It marked the transitional period between the subsidised economy and the renewal era, when the country promoted the expansion of business.

The book gathers authors who were born in 1987 and 1988. The writers came from different backgrounds, including journalists, screenwriters, photographers, business people, singers, models and actresses.

Some of them are well-known, such as Miss Việt Nam 2006 Mai Phương Thúy, singer Uyên Linh – winner of Việt Nam Idol 2010 - music producer SlimV, painter Đặng Hồng Quân (illustrator of short stories on Việt Nam News), communication director Nguyễn Dạ Thương and voyager Trần Đặng Đăng Khoa, who traveled around the world by motorbike and was featured in Việt Nam News last year.

Thúy was crowned when she was 18. Now she is not only a pageant queen but also a businesswoman.

“At the age of 17, we desire to discover the world,” she said. “At the age of 30, it’s time to discover ourselves.”

While authors in the first installment are anonymous in order to demonstrate how their stories can represent a generation, authors in the second episode revealed their names and profiles because they share with readers their own experiences and different opinions, victories and failures, losses and gains.  

“While 1987 includes stories of childhood and experiences of people at the age of 30, the book 1987+ digs into people’s opinions of life, problems of modern society and the conflict between young and old generations,” said Mai Như Ngọc, writing under the pen name Nick M, chief author of the books.

"They are young people who preserve the tradition and manner of the previous generations, who were born in the renewal era. They also desire to come out and nurture different dreams and perspectives."

The book 1987+ is available at bookshops nationwide and online. — VNS