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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
Why do I have to deny myself something I want right now to prepare for a future that may or may not come?
just finished kim jiyoung, born 1982 and i am quite literally FULL of rage. this book made me want to scream into the void. every chapter felt like a punch in the gut!!!!! watching how kim jiyoung’s life was molded, restricted, and erased by the constant weight of misogyny. from being told her brother’s needs mattered more, to being harassed on the bus, passed over at work, and pressured into giving up her career after childbirth, every chapter was a brutal reminder of how society silences women with a smile.
what infuriated me the most was how normalized everything was. the sexism wasn’t loud or obvious—it was insidious, casual, and everywhere. and somehow, that made it worse. reading it felt like drowning in every “be quiet,” every “don’t overreact,” every time a woman’s pain was brushed off as irrational.. it's just painfully real. reading about kim jiyoung slowly losing herself while everyone around her brushes it off like it's normal made me feel sick. the way society just expects women to endure, sacrifice, and stay quiet??? i want to fucking scream!!!!!!
and don't even get me started with the ending. i genuinely thought we’d get a sliver of justice or healing, but instead we got her story narrated by a man. a man who recognizes the problem but still comfortably benefits from it. i felt so much empathy for jiyoung, she didn’t just break down for herself, she broke down carrying the weight of every woman before and after her. i was upset most of the time reading this book, but maybe that’s the point. it’s not supposed to make you feel comfortable...
this is a wake-up call.
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here are some of my favorite quotes or lines from the book...
Frankly, it’s only natural that men remain unaware unless they encounter special circumstances as I have, because men are not the main players in childbirth and childcare.
People who pop a painkiller at the smallest hint of a migraine, or who need anaesthetic cream to remove a mole, demand that women giving birth should gladly endure the pain, exhaustion, and mortal fear. As if that’s maternal love. This idea of “maternal love” is spreading like religious dogma.
Every field has its technological advances and evolves in the direction that reduces the amount of physical labor required, but people are particularly reluctant to admit that the same is true for domestic labor.
Jiyoung became different people from time to time. Some of them were living, others were dead, all of them women she knew. No matter how you looked at it, it wasn’t a joke or a prank. Truly, flawlessly, completely, she became that person.
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
To put it in Taylors words: Screaming, crying, perfect storms
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is barely a novel, it's more a sort of concentrated manifesto in the form of a story, told from the perspective of an "everywoman" character who experiences all the various struggles of women in Korea. It's really interesting to see things set out in such a clear way and find the parallels and the differences between Korean society and our own. The story element is well done: it's relatable, not preachy, and doesn't get in the way of what the author is trying to get across.
I picked this up after hearing Korean misogynists were upset over the contents of the books, and I'm glad I did.
At first, it comes off very dry and factual in the way the story is delievered, but once everything clicks, the undeniable dread and sadness sets in. The life of Kim Jiyoung is at first told in 3rd person and almost comes off as a report, but everything makes sense in the final chapter leaving you with the sad reality that the sexism and patriarchy in society continues in South Korea no matter how much progress is made in the laws.
Overall, dry read but everything makes sense making it great.
At first, it comes off very dry and factual in the way the story is delievered, but once everything clicks, the undeniable dread and sadness sets in. The life of Kim Jiyoung is at first told in 3rd person and almost comes off as a report, but everything makes sense in the final chapter leaving you with the sad reality that the sexism and patriarchy in society continues in South Korea no matter how much progress is made in the laws.
Overall, dry read but everything makes sense making it great.
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No