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A review by booksamongstfriends
I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokpokki by Baek Se-hee
4.0
Read this book. I don’t know how many times I have to say it, but read it. It’s not about food.
This is not a book you read to analyze its prose. It’s a translation of personal experiences. I’ve seen so many mixed reviews expecting food to be talked about and hoping for a glossed over view of mental health. This is not that book. It’s cut and dry, deliberately. Chaotic and real as day. Part memoir, part self help. Baek’s vulnerability allows us to see her mental health journey in such a light that humanizes and broadens the lens on the very topics we often avoid. As we read along through her sessions with her psychiatrists and follow entries were able to discuss a multitude of complex conditions such as, body dysmorphia, depression, and social anxiety. It’s hard to read/listen to this book and not feel like you’re the one on display. In holding this book you may feel you’re holding a mirror.
I recommend going into this read with an open mind that even though you may not be able to personally relate to what she’s experiencing, you most likely know someone who does. Someone who questions if you even like them, the person at work who you think can handle it all, or a person who is depressed but still craves a connection albeit through food. This book is a reminder that you’re not alone in what you’re feeling, and that depression, along with other conditions, are not a monolithic experiences.
This is not a book you read to analyze its prose. It’s a translation of personal experiences. I’ve seen so many mixed reviews expecting food to be talked about and hoping for a glossed over view of mental health. This is not that book. It’s cut and dry, deliberately. Chaotic and real as day. Part memoir, part self help. Baek’s vulnerability allows us to see her mental health journey in such a light that humanizes and broadens the lens on the very topics we often avoid. As we read along through her sessions with her psychiatrists and follow entries were able to discuss a multitude of complex conditions such as, body dysmorphia, depression, and social anxiety. It’s hard to read/listen to this book and not feel like you’re the one on display. In holding this book you may feel you’re holding a mirror.
I recommend going into this read with an open mind that even though you may not be able to personally relate to what she’s experiencing, you most likely know someone who does. Someone who questions if you even like them, the person at work who you think can handle it all, or a person who is depressed but still craves a connection albeit through food. This book is a reminder that you’re not alone in what you’re feeling, and that depression, along with other conditions, are not a monolithic experiences.