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.

Set in South Korea, KIM JIYOUNG, BORN 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo, really paints a vivid picture of the myriad struggles women face simply because of their gender. The plight of women living in a male-dominated society will likely not be a surprise to many women readers, irrespective of where they live, but this fictionalised format still made me want to rage with anger and sadness. I was both infuriated and discouraged. 

The fictional narrative is supported with references from official reports and studies. This might disengage some readers but I appreciated the foundation upon which the story was built. I believed what I was reading.  
  
This is by no means an uplifting read, but it is educational and stirring. I highly recommend it.

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.

I enjoyed this book and although my rating is 3/5, I would definitely still recommend. I liked how fast-paced and almost jolted it was; I didn't want to know everything about Kim Jiyoung's life, but felt we were shown enough to comprehend her internal battles and hardships. I felt that writing it this way allowed you to feel you were really inside Kim Jiyoung's mind; seeing only the bits that stuck out for her, whether small or large grievances, these were catalysts and transitions in her life. At the same time, I found some parts a bit lacklustre; I just felt I never truly got attached to Kim Jiyoung and it was more a factual list of the injustices that females face in Korea painted as a fiction novel. I found the facts, figures and references very interesting but again, it made it feel more memoir/non-fiction and although it verified the inequalities, prevented an emotive response to the main 'fictional' character. Fiction or not, I learnt a lot and found it a thought-provoking read. 

*I received an advance review copy of Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 from the publisher through NetGalley.

A book with an interesting topic to it. It’s set in Asia and how Kim Jiyoung wasn’t really made to feel that she is wanted. 
Thank you to both NetGalley and publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review

I really enjoyed this book, I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. I enjoyed it and would probably purchase it once it released. I enjoyed learning about Kim Jiyoung's life and her sister and how her family was formed but it showed how women are often discriminated against in South Korea, which might be helpful for more people wanting to know about their lifestyle. I love how it included the discrimination at every part of her life and how even though their culture is so different to ours, there are elements that overlap, for example a boy picking on her and she was told that he liked her. 

it was a quick and easy read but I must admit at first I had to re-read the first few pages a couple of times to make sure I had understood what I thought was going on. I wold love to have known what happened after the book ended however it was about her life, not about her present or her future really. 

Great book, I loved her story and it is incredibly thought provoking.

Eye-opening account of the gender discrimination women in South Korea have to deal with from the moment of birth.

Reading about the small and big but always constant moments of injustice was very moving. 

Makes for a very good every-day life counter piece to Han Kang's The Vegetarian.

Kim Jiyoung, born 1982 is not the usual book that I read but, I was surprised of its content.
The story tells of her birth to present day of a 33-year-old woman living in a Korea. How society belittle the female gender and treated men as the better, class even if the women the more intelligent one.  From how the girls ate and clothed to how they treated when they went entered the workforce. 
I found this quite fascinating as I didn’t know much of the Korean way of life. Their life reminds me of a dystopian novel. Every part of their life was judged. It also made me angry because they didn’t have a choice in the matter. 4 stars from me.

"Kim Jiyoung is thirty-three years old, thirty-four Korean age. She got married three years ago and had a daughter last year. She rents a small apartment on the outskirts of Seoul with her husband Jung Daehyan, thirty-six, and daughter Jung Jiwon." Kim Jiyoung is every Korean woman; she represents the experiences of generations- overlooked, undervalued and downtrodden. In a society where: female babies are a disappointment; brothers are fed first; provided a superior education; given their own room; supported by the menial wages of female family members, Jyoung is just another casualty.

     In interview Cho Nam-Joo, explained, "Kim Ji-young's life isn't much different from the one I have lived." and perhaps that explains the detached and resigned delivery in which she fails to tip even the slightest emotional nod. Instead, her narrative reads more like a Wikipedia entry for the faceless woman on the book's cover. This is further enforced by passages listing historical facts and figures, for example, "In 1982, the year Jiyoung was born, 106.8 boys were born to 100 girls, and male birth ratio gradually increased, ending up with 116.5 boys born to 100 girls in 1990."

     I do not doubt that this tale needs to be told, nor that the 'noise' created around the book's publication and the impressive sales of more than a million copies by the end of 2018 isn't playing an important role in the world's awakening to events and the experiences of Korean citizens. But, as someone who has previously read factual books about their plight ( I recommend, 'Nothing to Envy' by Barbara Demick), what I was looking for was a heroine with whom I could sympathize and engage; drawing me into the heart of a family and enabling me to experience Korean life through her daily existence. Sadly, that is not what I found. Hopefully, the forthcoming film will address this issue and add the necessary warmth to Nam-Joo's dry delivery.

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.

A thought-provoking view at gender inequality in Korea, a part of the world that we know relatively little about. Kim Ji-Young has been raised to think she can have it all, even when the reality catches up with her at every turn, from childhood onwards. Finally, voices from the past start to manifest themselves through her. Interesting and incendiary.

I was absolutely devastated by this account of inter-generational gender discrimination in South Korea. It made me really grateful to be bringing up a daughter in the United Kingdom. I can see how big a deal this book must have been in South Korea. The book makes it clear how bad women have got it, and their quiet desperation. This is a must read.

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.

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

Astoundingly profound. I found myself highlighting near every other page, in awe of the subtle but also hard hitting punch some lines conveyed. 4*

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.

I get that this is an important book in Korea (from all the reviews etc), but honestly I found this a very flat tale. Jiyoung is not a real person - she never seems to come to life and is almost emotionless. The subject matter is incredibly important, but the way it's presented is very dry. It's almost like the subject is being skimmed over? The depression/disassociation seems really strange too. And the end with the psychologist was jarring, because it wasn't used as a true framing device.

This may reflect that I am not Korean, rather than a fault with the book. But it didn't really grab me. 

Overall, important topic but not great execution.

*An e-copy of this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher, Simon and Schuster, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

This was super interesting and totally fuelling my obsession with all things Korean at the moment. It does not really read like a novel, more like a biography, essayistic in style and with lots of facts and figures. Harsh at times, the things women are put through, yet I am not surprised. Just because a country manages to pull itself out of being a developing country to one of the biggest economic powers in the world in the span of a generation does not mean that equality and society really moves at the same pace. Highly recommend.