Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982
Books | Fiction / General
4
(130)
Cho Nam-Joo
A GUARDIAN 'ONE TO LOOK OUT FOR 2020' A RED MAGAZINE 'CAN'T WAIT TO READ' BOOK OF 2020 THE MULTI-MILLION-COPY SELLING SOUTH KOREAN SENSATION THAT HAS GOT THE WHOLE WORLD TALKING Kim Jiyoung is a girl born to a mother whose in-laws wanted a boy. Kim Jiyoung is a sister made to share a room while her brother gets one of his own. Kim Jiyoung is a female preyed upon by male teachers at school. Kim Jiyoung is a daughter whose father blames her when she is harassed late at night. Kim Jiyoung is a good student who doesn’t get put forward for internships. Kim Jiyoung is a model employee but gets overlooked for promotion. Kim Jiyoung is a wife who gives up her career and independence for a life of domesticity. Kim Jiyoung has started acting strangely. Kim Jiyoung is depressed. Kim Jiyoung is mad. Kim Jiyoung is her own woman. Kim Jiyoung is every woman.Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 is the life story of one young woman born at the end of the twentieth century and raises questions about endemic misogyny and institutional oppression that are relevant to us all. Riveting, original and uncompromising, this is the most important book to have emerged from South Korea since Han Kang’s The Vegetarian. Praise for Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 'It describes experiences that will be recognisable everywhere. It’s slim, unadorned narrative distils a lifetime’s iniquities into a sharp punch.’ The Sunday Times ‘A ground-breaking work of feminist fiction’ Stylist ‘Along with other socially critical narratives to come out of Korea, such as Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning film Parasite, her story could change the bigger one.’ TheGuardian 'This witty, disturbing book deals with sexism, mental health issues and the hypocrisy of a country where young women are “popping caffeine pills and turning jaundiced” as they slave away in factories helping to fund higher education for male siblings.' The Independent 'Enthralling and enraging.' Sunday Express ‘Cho’s moving, witty and powerful novel forces us to face our reality, in which one woman is seen, pretty much, as interchangeable with any other. There’s a logic to Kim Jiyoung’s shape-shifting: she could be anybody.’ Daily Telegraph
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More Details:
Author
Cho Nam-Joo
Pages
256
Publisher
Scribner UK
Published Date
2020-02-20
ISBN
1471184293 9781471184291
Community ReviewsSee all
"I finally got a chance to read it after having waited close to 2 months to get a digital copy from the library.<br/>And it was captivating to me.<br/>I read it in a day, (it’s a short read) it captured my attention the whole time. Even though the author makes a disclosure saying the characters she created are fictional and would purely be coincidence in real life, it leads me to wonder if she’s going off of her own experiences or maybe experiences of other women who have shared their stories with her.<br/>I was told this was the book to have started the 4B movement I’ve been hearing and seeing about on Tik Tok but I’m not quite sure.<br/>It is a great book to open up conversations of the inequalities we as women feel in a society and how unsafe/dissatisfied/invalidated we feel in the “man’s world”.<br/>Even though this was mainly focused in Korea with studies referenced for that country, it is relatable to women everywhere.<br/>At one point or another, a woman has felt, seen, and/or heard disrespectful comments and touches coming from a man’s insensitive mouth and hands.<br/>At some point, it needs to stop. Collectively, women are getting fed up and tired of how most (not all) men negatively (re)act towards their gender. I feel this book is worth reading even if it’s just a fictional scenario of a woman’s life mixed in with article references of statistics and studies.<br/><br/>"
L H
"I loved this novel. Kim Jiyoung is so many of us out there. And specially in a time when the Korean culture is so relevant it’s good to hear all their stories."
C
Cyn
"I had higher hopes for this book. I read a lot of Asian lit, dystopian lit, etc. and I... live in reality... so none of the content was shocking. Women know how women are treated, especially in countries outside of the US. The psychologist in this book finally had his eyes opened to the plights of women, and I found that incredibly sad. How can you be so absorbed in your own privilege that you don't even realize the entire system is built to cater to you while trampling women to the ground? Is the fact that women keep having children until they have a son and mourning the birth of daughters (that is, if they didn't just abort them after finding out they were female) not a BLATANTLY OBVIOUS SIGN that maybe women aren't respected or valued?<br/><br/>This book made me angry, because it highlighted a lot of the misogyny that I am fully aware exists in not only Korea, but the entire world. An example: women go through the most painful and difficult 9 months of their lives to birth a new human, risking their and their baby's lives in the process, and men think they're "lucky" to skip out on work. Meanwhile they're glued to the toilet, retching, in pain, with their hormones running wild. Definitely the preferable option, right?<br/><br/>My gripe with the book is that it was very dry and boring, and it didn't really bring anything new to the table for me. It just felt like reading a woman's experience... existing, which is something I live every day. Perhaps bringing the misogynistic, sexist truth to light in Korea is an entirely different matter, but I'm in the US. We have books shoved in our faces about how women are mistreated and there are tons of anti-patriarchy bumper stickers wherever you go. Yet we're still mistreated, misunderstood, sexually assaulted, murdered, and blamed for our own victimhood when in reality, we were just existing as a woman in a man's world, which is still the ultimate crime no matter where you go."
Leah Silecchia
"I read this book within 24 hours, just squeaking in my book goal for this month."
L W
Lisa Wright
"LOVED IT!! Beginning, middle, and end were all fantastic! Such an interesting read for anyone wanting to learn a bit about misogyny and Korean culture. I recommend it to all readers! "
J M
Jessica M
"A good quick read that looks at misogyny outside of its normal eurocentric gaze, and focuses on the misogyny built into korean culture. Its a book that allows readers to understand and somewhat experience the misogyny that women have gone through. Gives you a good prospective on why birth rates in countries similar to Korea are thsle way that they are."
Jayla
"3.5 stars but highly recommended/borderline must-read."
Janhavi