Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by booktribes
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I've been putting off this book for quite some time and have finished it late in November. Here's my review:
Kim Ji-Young, Born 1982
Rating: 3 stars
Kim Ji-Young, Born 1982 is a feminist literature that follows a young woman named Cho Nam-Joo who is a current housewife that became a stay-at-home mom which later faced depression. The storyline centers around Nam-Joo that reflected her early childhood years to becoming a woman faced with rigid misogyny.
Before reading the book, I expected I would be angry after finishing the book but it just made me kind of reflect how true is Nam-Joo's occurence with me living as a woman in today's "feminist" society. Here are some of the things that Nam-Joo discussed that truly made me bothered about feminist and misogyny:
-Telling girls what to wear in early childhood up until adulthood (girls should wear skirts for school and no trousers, girls should not play soccer outside)
-Boy's restricted to do housework and are gained with the most excellent necessities (food, lines/queues, clothing)
-Society's way of saying "boys are boys" , "they're just playing." and "he pulls your hair that means he likes you"
-Women getting blamed if they don't have baby boys instead of girls
-Blaming women for getting assaulted for dressing the way they wanted
-Rejecting a man politely and getting blamed for being too hard
-Smiling to man automatically means you are easy and wants to be approached and somehow that means "yes assault me"?
-ratio of women vs men's salary and probability of obtaining promotions
-Woman sacrificing their dream jobs to "be a housewife or the stay-at-home mom" then later get blamed for not being an obedient wife when mentioned she wants to work
Those are just a few and there are other little reflections of Nam-Joo that made me reflect too. I would say that our current society's thinking of feminism have a few flaws but I am thankful that some of the list did not apply to today's society or specifically to me at least. But we cannot deny that there are still misogynistic families and societies like this. Growing up as an Asian especially, I was taught to wear skirts and not to play football. I have been the one who had my hair pulled as a girl and been told to ignore them because a boy liked me(?) and soon when I get married, I will also have to consider future decisions of sacrificing my dream job/education to raise a child. When I read this reflection I automatically predicted that the women is in the blame for even considering to work than to raise the child, that the mother didn't love the child. Do you realize that the men never had to think about these matters. I believe I'm not the only woman who thought of this.
This book is empowering, moving and still had got me thinking in lots of different ways when I already read several feminist books. Although, in some parts it did make me angry but mostly it just made me reflect. It is definitely not a feminist book that is the same as every feminist book. I truly recommend.
Kim Ji-Young, Born 1982
Rating: 3 stars
Kim Ji-Young, Born 1982 is a feminist literature that follows a young woman named Cho Nam-Joo who is a current housewife that became a stay-at-home mom which later faced depression. The storyline centers around Nam-Joo that reflected her early childhood years to becoming a woman faced with rigid misogyny.
Before reading the book, I expected I would be angry after finishing the book but it just made me kind of reflect how true is Nam-Joo's occurence with me living as a woman in today's "feminist" society. Here are some of the things that Nam-Joo discussed that truly made me bothered about feminist and misogyny:
-Telling girls what to wear in early childhood up until adulthood (girls should wear skirts for school and no trousers, girls should not play soccer outside)
-Boy's restricted to do housework and are gained with the most excellent necessities (food, lines/queues, clothing)
-Society's way of saying "boys are boys" , "they're just playing." and "he pulls your hair that means he likes you"
-Women getting blamed if they don't have baby boys instead of girls
-Blaming women for getting assaulted for dressing the way they wanted
-Rejecting a man politely and getting blamed for being too hard
-Smiling to man automatically means you are easy and wants to be approached and somehow that means "yes assault me"?
-ratio of women vs men's salary and probability of obtaining promotions
-Woman sacrificing their dream jobs to "be a housewife or the stay-at-home mom" then later get blamed for not being an obedient wife when mentioned she wants to work
Those are just a few and there are other little reflections of Nam-Joo that made me reflect too. I would say that our current society's thinking of feminism have a few flaws but I am thankful that some of the list did not apply to today's society or specifically to me at least. But we cannot deny that there are still misogynistic families and societies like this. Growing up as an Asian especially, I was taught to wear skirts and not to play football. I have been the one who had my hair pulled as a girl and been told to ignore them because a boy liked me(?) and soon when I get married, I will also have to consider future decisions of sacrificing my dream job/education to raise a child. When I read this reflection I automatically predicted that the women is in the blame for even considering to work than to raise the child, that the mother didn't love the child. Do you realize that the men never had to think about these matters. I believe I'm not the only woman who thought of this.
This book is empowering, moving and still had got me thinking in lots of different ways when I already read several feminist books. Although, in some parts it did make me angry but mostly it just made me reflect. It is definitely not a feminist book that is the same as every feminist book. I truly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault