Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982

“... you may not get to see all of it, but I want you to know: it’s a wide world out there.” Whilst this is a novel (as far as I’m aware), I feel it could probably be autobiographical for many Korean women - I (probably a little naively) was shocked to hear about how they are treated in comparison to men. A quick read (less than 200 pages), and pretty different from my normal reads - but what is netgalley for, if not to try new things? I enjoyed this more than I originally thought I would

I've watched the new wave of korean feminism from afar and cheered the women there on. This book brought home to me the divisions in korean society and why these women fighting for their rights are so important. I read this book in one sitting. I found the style and the voice compelling. Jiyoung's life story was very well told and the clear misogyny of korean and to different degrees most nations was illuminated fully. I _felt_ the injustices Jiyoung experienced a perfect demonstration of the injustices all women experience , however rich or poor they are born. A must read for young women - and their mothers and grandmothers.

I'm immensely grateful to have had the opportunity to read this wonderful book through an ARC from Netgalley and the publishers.

I’m a sucker for translated fiction, particularly from/about East Asia, and after devouring Convenience Store Girl earlier this year, I’ve developed a particular fondness for short, direct and slightly quirky fiction. Given all this, Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 seems perfect for me. A Korean bestseller about an ordinary Korean woman living in late 20th/early 21st century Korean society? I’m sold.

The book itself does not disappoint. Set largely chronologically, the book tells Jiyoung’s story until her mid-30s, largely focussed on the issue of sexism and gender imbalance in Korea. From her role within her family (a younger brother always receives prominence due to their gender) to her time at school, in higher education, the workplace and in marriage and homemaking, its an eye-opening look at how gender defines so much of what’s available and expected of a person in Korean culture and society. Footnotes, used to reference statistics throughout, help to tell this story and make it feel incredibly real and powerful, despite being fiction.

There do seem moments of progress throughout, but one of the real masterworks of the novel is the way that throughout progress seems to slowly, but surely, be made, until the concluding few chapters issue a gut punch which serve as a painful reminder of how much is left to change.

Part of the joy comes from the fact that Jiyoung is a very ordinary woman. There’s nothing particularly extra special about her, her situation and her story, but as a window into another culture it’s a very powerful tale and drives home how commonplace many of these issues still are in society (worldwide).

Would totally recommend as an eye-opening, very enjoyable and sharp novel, perfect for fans of Convenience Store Woman, that can be devoured in an afternoon, but left to consider for far longer.

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 is a novel about a normal South Korean woman and the reasons why she starts acting strangely. Jiyoung's life story isn't anything unusual: the second daughter born to a family who wanted a boy, made to share a room with her sister while her younger brother has his own, a good student tormented by boys and male teachers at school, goes to university but doesn't get put up for internships, and who is expected to give up everything else to become a mother. The book charts that life, up until the present day when, with a young daughter and a husband, she seems to have a breakdown. What has caused this to happen to Kim Jiyoung, and is her story more than just one person's life?

The novel is being marketed as a sensation in South Korea now translated into English, and it is clear why is so: this is a book that uses the story of one woman to look at misogyny and systematic oppression on a large scale, raising important points using the everyday details of life. The narrative is fast-paced and descriptive, going through the stages in Jiyoung's life and showing how they aren't exceptional, but also feel in many ways inevitable, even without knowing that she ends up a depressed mother. Society has given her certain paths to take, and even her fighting against the rigid walls of these paths is contained, decisions both hers and not hers at all. These themes aren't surprising, but the style of the narrative works to show how everyday it is and how it can wear women down.

This is a short book that makes powerful points about the institutions that contain South Korean women, and indeed women all over the world, using the lens of one character and her relatively usual life. It is both an insight into one country's society and a reflection of many others, and it is clear why it has been so popular.

This book is sexism through a Korean lens. While parts of this story are particularly relevant to Korean women, I suspect that many women would identify with Jiyoung, her life and her decisions. It shows how ingrained sexism can be in a culture and refers to facts and figures to show how it manifests in Korea. A nice quick read, but great, and one I would recommend.

I read this book with an increasing sense of disbelief and anger, as Nam-Joo charts the life and experiences of Kim Yijoung, an ordinary woman of South Korea, struggling to exist in a hugely paternalistic and belittling society. Little wonder that this book has been such a touchstone in South Korea for women since its publication in 2016. Working as a mirror to society, the ordinariness of Kim’s existence from childhood to womanhood is delineated by the instances of sexism, chauvinism and subjugation that women endure in a society so completely controlled and dominated by the actions and needs of men, and the way that these needs, and their perceived ‘superiority’ are so routinely put before those of women. As a single Western woman with all the freedoms that this affords me, I felt myself growing increasingly enraged and frustrated by the denial of freedom and visibility of Kim herself. The writing is clipped and sharp where small explosions occur within the sedate pace of the book overall, and made all the more powerful for it. An eye-opening and necessary read.

I devoured this book in a day. Such fascinating insight into Korean society and the everyday misogyny faced by girls and women there. The book is split up into periods of Kim Jiyoung’s life (with some insight into her mother’s childhood too), showing her experiences as a young girl at home, then school, college, working life, motherhood, and along the way we get insight into the experiences of the girls and women around her. It’s extremely powerful.

There are footnotes throughout that help to show the realness of the everyday sexism Kim Jiyoung faces, all backed up with facts and studies. Yet it is still extremely accessible and relatable. No matter where you’re from or what level of misogyny you’ve experienced, all women will be able sympathise and perhaps empathise – I certainly found the grandmother’s treatment of her grandson compared to her granddaughters familiar…

I’ll be telling everyone about this book.

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 is an unusual novel that treads the line somewhere between fact and fiction.

It's a short account of one Korean woman's life, and all the micro-aggressions that gradually wear her down till she loses all sense of self. She's an emblem, an allegory of Korean womanhood - her story could be that of any woman.

The style is quite unusual: it's essentially a long list of all the instances of institutionalised sexism Jiyoung has faced over the years, woven together in a chronological narrative. There are regular footnotes, linking Jiyoung's experience with real-world research and articles on gender imbalance in Korea. It's a brilliantly overwhelming read, even with its relatively short page count.

This is a polemic novel: readers shouldn't expect a riveting plot, but you will get an eye-opening and captivating exploration of female experience. It's great to see Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 has been translated for an English audience after the success it's had in Korea.

This is part novel, part autobiography or rather it feels that way as you read it, yes it’s fiction but it feels like you are reading someone’s life story, a wonderful insight into Korea and women’s lives in Korea, as a woman I found it difficult to read without getting angry, watching her worn down and losing her identity, but this happens everyday all over the world, it’s just more prevalent in some countries than others but it exists and happens everywhere. A fascinating and insightful read that draws parallels with the western world. Highly recommended

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

A book that will make you angry. The senseless and constant undermining of women throughout the story is horrific. The writing cleverly highlights the mistreatment without labouring over it. And the really awful thing is that you know there are so many women across the world going through the same thing day after day. Really made me think.

Frustrating, honest and brilliant.

Starting with Kim Jiyoung being in a hospital and the age of 33, we are told the story of her life growing up in Korea, from a young age, through school, university, her first job and into motherhood. As we hear about her life, we learn about the society that literally breeds a sexist culture. You see how women’s thoughts and opinions are suppressed and disregarded and how all this has led to her hospitalisation. I mean, it’s a book of fiction, but it could easily be a biography.

This book is an eye opener. It’s intense but Kim Jiyoung isn’t written as an emotional character, in fact, I feel that Cho Nam-Joo has purposely done this and has let the actions and words of those around Kim Jiyoung speak for themselves. There is no need for deep and personal descriptions of feelings when the actions are that unbelievable that you sympathise immediately.

I’d recommend this to every one. I read this in 2 sittings and would say it’s my favourite book I’ve read this year.

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 tells the story of a Korean woman from her birth to the present day. The book starts when she's 33 and hospitalised for a depression and then goes back to tell her life story. From her youth to university, her first job, getting married and becoming a mother, the author gives the reader the background and cultural context as to why her breakdown has happened.
The book describes everyday sexism in modern Korea, with women trying/wanting to balance their lives between the traditional patriarchal culture and a more modern approach (studying, having a career), sometimes leading to mental health problems.

While I enjoyed reading this book, it rather reads like an essay. The author lists examples of what Jiyoung had to face in her life, underlining them with facts and statistics. I didn't feel emotionally connected to Jiyoung and she could have been any Korean woman of that age, which is probably the point of the author. Jiyoung is not a unique case.
This dry and matter-of-fact writing style might not be for everyone, however the book is short and easy to read and is really worth a try.

Thank you to the publisher who provided me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Arguably the most infuriating book I have ever read, and that's exactly what makes it brilliant. Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982, runs through the life of Jiyoung as she goes through childhood, adolescence, marking out her territory in university, finding her first job, getting married and giving birth. It also includes all of the insipid and horrifying instances of misogyny she lives with and perseveres through, conscious that they are awful but unable to stop them. Defeated by society's own institutional inequality and constantly burdened by the weight of the life she gives up to have a family, there's a lot of resonance here for any woman who has lived this life. The unfortunate reality is that many, many women have experienced this life.

If only every man on earth could read it.

A fascinating insight into growing up in Korea. We hear about North Korea and assume life in the South is so much more western. However, it is disturbing to hear how women are treated so differently. I really enjoyed this read as though fiction it seemed autobiographical . Kim Jiyoungs story starts with home and the arrival of a younger brother through to her marriage and slow breakdown based on her experiences with life as a young woman in Korea. A short and riveting read.

Through the eyes of her therapist, we follow the life of Kim Jiyoung as she experiences everyday sexism all from birth, youth and into her adulthood where she becomes a stay-at-home mother, and begins to unravel under pressure.
Kim Jiyoung first came to my attention last year when a member of K-pop group Red Velvet, Irene, had recommended this book during a fan signing. I still remember the aftermath where many of her male fans cursed her, insulted her and even burnt pictures of her. Back then, a translation of the book did not exist, so when I found out it was being translated, I jumped at the opportunity to review one of South Korea’s best-selling feminist novels.
Rather than a full-length novel, Kim Jiyoung is more of a series of anecdotes – a string of events that chronicles her life, with interspersing stories of the women around her, e.g. her mother, mother-in-law and sister. The style is very objective, and the tale integrates quantitative and historical data.
The story is mainly set in Seoul, SK, but her experience is universal. Jiyoung realises from a young age that being a girl means something different, something less. She is served food last in her family, and if her siblings need to share, her younger brother is automatically given his own share while she shares with her sister. “He’s the youngest.””You mean he’s the son!” Just those two lines hit very close to home for me.
The story follows select moments of her life that reflect that society she is in. From the schoolboys who tease her to the men who force her to an uncomfortable alcohol-laden dinner party, the everyday sexism she is forced to accept slowly takes a toll on her. This book is so simple in its concept, and the fact that it angered so many men does not surprise me. It holds a mirror to their privilege without actually calling them out, uncomfortable enough to make them uncomfortable. It lays down the facts and backs itself up, sending the message that hey this is what women are facing in Korea and it’s not okay. The story of Kim Jiyoung is full of silence but every bit powerful.

wow. omg. this book is phenomenal. everything about it is exceptional: the writing, the story, the narrator at the end.... the ending. the book started off in a present day scenario of Kim Jiyoung, then retrospectively looked back in her life, from childhood, to adolescence, to marriage, and then motherhood. we really get to see a vivid insight into what it means to be a girl/woman in Korea, not just in present day but through generations, as shown by Kim Jiyoung's mother and mother-in-law's experiences. I can't fault this book. the ending is so perfectly poignant and insightful. (my takeaway from the ending was that: oh, what a vicious, repetitive cycle we are in, as a society!)

This novella hit a nerve in South Korea and became one of the biggest-selling books of the new century. In it, Cho Nam-Joo tells the story of a Korean everywoman from her birth in 1982 until 2016, the year the book was published in its original Korean. Kim Ji-young experiences systemic misogyny in all stages of life, be it as a kid in her own family, in school and at university, in the workplace and also as a wife and mother. The protagonist does not only suffer because of stereotypical women-hating machos (although they also feature in the text), but there's a whole web of factors, attitudes and implications that affect all characters differently, from the education system to the economic crisis, from conservative gender roles to questions of agency related to intersectional feminism. An overall feeling of powerlessness and internalized societal norms lead to self-alienation and to female trauma that is inherited over generations: When Kim Ji-young is born, her mother apologises to her mother-in-law for having a girl. When Kim Ji-young is pregnant with a girl, people feel sorry for her and try to cheer her up. Being a woman means being a failure.

The book led to a fierce debate about sexism in Korea. Some months before its publication, the "Gangnam murder" shook up the country: A woman was murdered at a metro station, and the perpetrator stated that he had been ignored by women for so long that he could not stand it anymore. The hate crime heated up the #metoo movement in Korea, but there was also a huge backlash. Many K-Pop singers and other celebrities who professed to reading Cho Nam-Joo's feminist novella (which, as the author explained, is largely based on personal exprience) were attacked and threatened on the internet. When the book was turned into a movie, the actors and actresses got under attack.

But Cho Nam-Joo has the numbers to back up her text, and she includes them in it - the book is written in a very particular, rather dry and detached style that includes studies and other research (the twist-ending reveals why, and the last sentence is vicious). The effect is harrowing - it is by largely denying empathy and stating the facts that the protagonist's dire situation becomes clear. Gender inequality in South Korea is ranked as one of the highest in the world, you can find some stats here.

Similar to Han Kang in The Vegetarian, Cho Nam-Joo depicts a scenario in which other characters interpret the effects of degradation and lack of agency that the protagonist shows as mental illness - but it's worth contemplating whether those protagonists are sick, or whether the circumstances under which they have to live are sick.

Very interesting and highly relevant, not only in South Korea. Here's the movie trailer with English subtitles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f-XGrn_7Kk

The way this book is written is very intelligent. The position of a woman in the business world is something that does not get acknowledged enough. It's something that gets dismissed or joked about a lot. I found the most heartbreaking part of this story, the end. When you think you've met a man who understands the struggles a woman has to go through every single day, especially in Korea, you're faced with the cold hard truth that no, this man is not enlightened as one thought. I loved every second of this book and would love to read more about the women that shaped Kim Jiyoung.

Wow! What a read. Having just read a book about life in Taiwan which shattered my ideas about that country I was just in the mood to find out more about another nation held up as a good model.
I was shocked and horrified to find that in this day and age the sexism found in what is held up as a modern, progressive country.
The ending took my breath away.

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 is a fascinating story about a Korean 'everywoman', following her life story from her birth in 1982 until her death in 2016 (the year this was published in its original Korean).

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book, but I ended up finding it absolutely gripping. I know very little about life in Korea, so it was extremely interesting to follow the life of an average Korean woman and find out more about what life is actually like for them. I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in learning more about gender roles and the life of women in Korea.

An eye-opening and fascinating novel about gender inequality and sexual discrimination in South Korea. Written in documentary style, which I thought highly effective, it follows Kim Jiyoung from childhood to adolescence, adulthood, marriage, motherhood and postnatal depression. There is nothing exceptional about Kim Jiyoung, she is everywoman and she experiences discrimination from the day she is born as relatives comfort her mother that the next child will be a boy.

It is a short book that can easily be read in one sitting but I read it over several days, taking frequent breaks because it just made me so angry. As the title states, Kim Jiyoung wasn’t born in 1237, 1658 or 1846 when discrimination was the norm but in 1982. Cho relates everyday sexism at home, school and workplace, from Jiyoung’s younger brother receiving biggest and best helpings of food at family meals, to university professors never recommending female students for job interviews. The incidents are numerous and the men never apologise because they do not comprehend that they have done anything wrong. Cho cleverly uses statistics and factual data, given in footnotes to stress just how common and universal Jiyoung’s experience is. The book is really an indictment of the society and country which rapidly transformed from traditional to modern without addressing the roles of women within it.

An important, powerful novel, reminiscent of but very different to Han Kang’s The Vegetarian, a must-read.

My thanks to Netgalley, Simon and Schuster and Scribner for the opportunity to read and review Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982.

I absolutely adored this book and the authors writing style. It was so eye opening to see what life is like for a woman in Korea and how different things are from life at home.

I loved how the chapters were split up into different areas of Jiyoungs life from childhood to adulthood and it felt like we really got to know her well throughout the book.


Would highly reccomend this book to everyone.

My thanks to Simon and Schuster UK and NetGalley for a review copy of this one.

Kim Ji-Young, Born 1982 is a 2016 Korean novel, now translated into English (besides other languages). This hard-hitting novel has sold over a million copies, and was also adapted into a film that released in October this year. The book traces the story of Kim Ji-Young, the title character, from the year she was born, 1982, to 2016 highlighting the sexism, discrimination and injustice she faces at every stage of her life [The author, a former scriptwriter for television, in fact, said that Ji-Young’s life wasn’t much different from her own]. Ji-Young is the second daughter in the family of a lower-level government servant. Her mother is a housewife who also takes up an assortment of jobs from home to supplement her husband’s income, having had to give up on her own education and work in her youth so that her brothers could get the best educations. Ji-Young of course has a ‘better’ time in that she does get an education, as best as her parents can afford, and even goes to university, and has a chance at a career (though not for long), but at every stage be it as a child growing up, to school, to interviewing for a job, getting one, and having to give it up, she is impacted in some way or other by sexism, having to share where her younger brother doesn’t, having to accept being secondary, being looked over despite being qualified simply because she is a woman, whether for a job or inclusion in a team at work, having to give up her career for her child, and having fingers pointed at her for everything, whether it be her fault or not, mostly the latter. However, there is a little hope too in the story. Ji-Young’s mother, despite and also perhaps because of having faced worse in her life, does stand up for her daughters at times, and tries within her constraints to ensure that they do not have to give up their dreams as she did. Others girls and women who Ji-Young encounters (at school and work) too sometimes take a stand, rather than accepting things quietly, winning for themselves and others small victories. But despite all that, at the end one realises that there is still very long to go before much of this changes, and many will still have to walk the same path, face the same life as Ji-Young. (The final sentences will definitely shake you.)

I found the book to be a very impactful one, and while set in Korean society, some (actually most) of these forms of discrimination and sexist behaviour aren’t restricted to that country, so the truths it brings one face to face with would resonate with many. I was also quite surprised with how fast the book moved—of course, it is a short read (under 170 pages in the edition I had), but still it moves well, and it doesn’t ‘feel’ like a translation at all (The translator is Jamie Chang). Some reviews of the book I read mention how the book uses a rather dry tone. Partly I do agree with this, as it certainly does that, and in addition, the footnotes supporting different facts make it feel somewhat like non-fiction at times, but on the other hand, the tone I felt is explained once one gets to the end of the book and realises who the narrator is, and what it is one is supposed to be reading. Well worth a read, for everyone. Four and a half stars!

Kim Jiyoung may have been born in Korea in 1982 but she could have been born in any country in the world, any time in the 20 years previous, and still encountered the same obstacles and challenges. This is the story of a modern woman, who will never be as successful or treated as fairly as her brother purely for the fact that she is a woman. She will be judged by strangers and family alike for decisions she does or doesn’t make. She will encounter expectations that society places on her... because she was born female. This book is striking as a account of one womans place in society and how it affects her mental health.

This is a heartbreakingly beautiful book about a woman growing up in a country where men are classed as more important in the world. Where women feel the need to apologise for not producing male airs. After growing up and not letting her sex define her or hold her back she ends up having to give her career up and then ends up even more confused and unstable. This book is in some ways shocking especially as this woman was not born that long ago but along the way there are signs of change which is good.

Fascinating, urgent and powerful testimony of the South Korean female experience. A brilliant glimpse into another time and culture, with all too-stark parallels to our own - chauvinism, patriarchy, oppression, violence and all. Little wonder it has become a touchstone of feminist literature both within South Korea and beyond.

This is the story of the systematic sexism the main character and the women in her family endure throughout their lives, from constant micro aggressions to really shocking revelations, such as her mother choosing to abort a perfectly healthy baby because it would have been a third girl in the family. The beginning reminded me of The vegetarian, as the main character seems to be losing her sanity, but this is a much less oneiric and more straightforward story, which I appreciated given the subject.

Some of the stories are shocking when I think that they so close in time (like when she is asked how when would react to a client sexually harassing her in a job interview), and some others seem uncomfortably familiar, and I see them happen all around me, like the lack of support she gets to raise her child and her own career sacrifices, compared to her husband. The very ironic end is the perfect ending to this overall sad story. I was glad to hear is such a success in Korea.

A very relatable book for any young woman growing up today. Examples of misogyny and sexist behaviour grow from subtle to glaringly obvious and all can easily be imagined in today's world. Kim Jiyoung's treatment by others has an almost Big Brother quality to it, she must have done something to attract unwanted attention, family members seem to watch for any slip up of female duty. The atmosphere throughout the book gives you a sense of how trapped and alone Jiyoung must feel and how desperate for equality

My thanks to Cho Nam-Joo, Simon and Schuster UK and NetGalley for the ARC of Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982.

Cho Nam-Joo has written a powerful short novel set in Korea detailing the life of Jiyoung. There is disturbing accounts of discrimination and misogyny supported by relevant references. The writing is superb and unique. Highly recommend.