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koreanlinda's reviews
191 reviews
The Future of Silence: Fiction by Korean Women by Bruce Fulton, Han Yujoo, Kim Chi-won, Ju-Chan Fulton, Park Wan-Suh, Oh Jung-hee, Seo Yeongeun, Kim Ae-ran, Kim Sagwa, Gong Seonok, Cheon Un-Yeong
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Phew, that was a lot. This anthology of nine stories written by Korean women from various periods in modern Korean history will blow your mind with its diversity and depth. I had to take breaks between stories because there was plenty of emotional substance to take in and process. Living in South Korea as a woman is quite difficult. I knew it already from my own experience of living there until my adolescence and later visiting and working there briefly. What I learned anew from the first half of this book is what my mother and aunts would have gone through in their times.
Since I am sensitive to the quality of translation, I looked up information about the translators beforehand. The married couple have been working together translating Korean literature for many years, and I was able to see their expertise in this book.
I'd be happy to exchange thoughts on any particular story if anyone would like. Feel free to message me on Instagram below.
Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in June 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda
Since I am sensitive to the quality of translation, I looked up information about the translators beforehand. The married couple have been working together translating Korean literature for many years, and I was able to see their expertise in this book.
I'd be happy to exchange thoughts on any particular story if anyone would like. Feel free to message me on Instagram below.
Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in June 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny, and Violence
The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center by Rhaina Cohen
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.25
My close friend recommended this book to me, and I am grateful for their recommendation. I already knew a lot about the expansive meaning of couples, families, and relationships through my experiences as a queer person (bi, pan, poly), but this book brought me added insights about the various shapes of relationships people are building in the US and the obvious limitation in our legal and economic system.
I would recommend this book to anyone who cares about relationships. It will challenge your inherited ideas such as couple supremacy and heteronormativity. It will also warm your heart to see how people find love in unexpected places and make tremendous amounts of effort to cherish their rare finds.
Since I read my first polyamory book, The Ethical Slut: A Practical Guide to Polyamory, Open Relationships, and Other Freedoms in Sex and Love by Janet W. Hardy, Dossie Easton, there have been more and more books published on various relationships other than a man and a woman marrying each other. I enjoyed reading one of them: Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman (also recommended by the same close friend). I'm happy to see this trend where we open our minds to the infinite possibility of forming loving and caring relationships in our lives however they fit our individually unique needs.
Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in June 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda
I would recommend this book to anyone who cares about relationships. It will challenge your inherited ideas such as couple supremacy and heteronormativity. It will also warm your heart to see how people find love in unexpected places and make tremendous amounts of effort to cherish their rare finds.
Since I read my first polyamory book, The Ethical Slut: A Practical Guide to Polyamory, Open Relationships, and Other Freedoms in Sex and Love by Janet W. Hardy, Dossie Easton, there have been more and more books published on various relationships other than a man and a woman marrying each other. I enjoyed reading one of them: Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman (also recommended by the same close friend). I'm happy to see this trend where we open our minds to the infinite possibility of forming loving and caring relationships in our lives however they fit our individually unique needs.
Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in June 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda
Sweet Blue Flowers, Vol. 4 by Takako Shimura
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I read this series after reading Wandering Son by the same author Takako Shimura. Both series have strong plot and character development. What I enjoyed the most was the slow pace of the story where the author intricately weaves in all the subtle (and strong) emotions felt by the characters. While Wandering Son is a story of gender exploration and identity, Sweet Blue Flowers is about sexual orientation. Among these high school students, diverse romantic and sexual orientations are represented. I cherished the glimpse into the characters' daily lives and internal monologues. They came off ever so gentle and precious. I strongly recommend it to everyone who craves spending time with the soft spot in their heart.
Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in June 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda
Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in June 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia
What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo
I went into the book with lots of fear; however, I am very glad I read it. I felt seen in Stephanie's story, and I learned a lot about C-PTSD. Although the abuse I experienced was not as severe as Stephanie's, I had symptoms that she experienced from C-PTSD. Stressful situations and mistakes pushed me into self-chastism and depression. While I was constantly scared of being punished, I continued to punish myself internally.
I recommend this book to everyone who has experienced traumatic events or any abuse including a lack of love from a childhood caregiver. You will learn a lot. Not only you will gain knowledge, but you will also get empowered through Stephanie's narrative: Our PTSD is a precious part of ourselves, and it can manifest as our superpower.
Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in June 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
This book was a hard read for me as a survivor of child abuse. I was beaten repeatedly by my mother and teachers when I grew up in South Korea. Although Stephanie Foo is a Malaysian Chinese-American, I was able to see lots of overlapping ideas around domestic violence between her family culture and mine.
Part 1 (out of five parts) was the hardest to read because it describes all kinds of violence that Stephanie experienced when she was young. However, it gets easier from there, and Part 5, as Stephanie promised at the beginning of the book, has a happy ending.
Part 1 (out of five parts) was the hardest to read because it describes all kinds of violence that Stephanie experienced when she was young. However, it gets easier from there, and Part 5, as Stephanie promised at the beginning of the book, has a happy ending.
Although I felt immense sorrow, I did not cry throughout the book until the pages of Stephanie's life started getting filled with love. The power of happy tears was stronger than other kinds. As I closed the book, I felt hopeful about my own life. I thought, if she can live, I can live, too. Like Stephanie said in Chapter 41, "Maybe this life I've got is going to be spectacular, after all."
I went into the book with lots of fear; however, I am very glad I read it. I felt seen in Stephanie's story, and I learned a lot about C-PTSD. Although the abuse I experienced was not as severe as Stephanie's, I had symptoms that she experienced from C-PTSD. Stressful situations and mistakes pushed me into self-chastism and depression. While I was constantly scared of being punished, I continued to punish myself internally.
I recommend this book to everyone who has experienced traumatic events or any abuse including a lack of love from a childhood caregiver. You will learn a lot. Not only you will gain knowledge, but you will also get empowered through Stephanie's narrative: Our PTSD is a precious part of ourselves, and it can manifest as our superpower.
Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in June 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Abandonment
Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia
Wind/Pinball by Haruki Murakami
challenging
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I knew going in that the stories written by Haruki Murakami were sad, but this was deeper than sadness. In my view, the central theme in his novels is a sense of emptiness. Life is mostly mundane, purposeless, and boring. We are too scared to acknowledge and express our innate desire to connect with others. When we attempt at it, we often fail.
On the other hand, I felt bitter around the protagonists because they didn't seem to have real struggles such as childhood trauma or financial troubles. I can easily dismiss them as privileged brats. However, if one of the purposes of reading books is to understand people's experiences that differ from mine, this book hit the right point for me. It makes sense because the protagonists are cis straight Japanese men in their 20s living in Japan with comfortable incomes. I never lived such a life.
Everyone lives a different life. If these men are having a hard time with their lives, I can't deny or invalidate it. One thing that I could not figure out until the end was the meaning behind the twins. Why twins? Just for exoticism? If not, did they symbolize something? I am used to Murakami using nameless flat female characters as props to advance plots, but the use of twins added an enigma to my reading.
Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in June 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda
On the other hand, I felt bitter around the protagonists because they didn't seem to have real struggles such as childhood trauma or financial troubles. I can easily dismiss them as privileged brats. However, if one of the purposes of reading books is to understand people's experiences that differ from mine, this book hit the right point for me. It makes sense because the protagonists are cis straight Japanese men in their 20s living in Japan with comfortable incomes. I never lived such a life.
Everyone lives a different life. If these men are having a hard time with their lives, I can't deny or invalidate it. One thing that I could not figure out until the end was the meaning behind the twins. Why twins? Just for exoticism? If not, did they symbolize something? I am used to Murakami using nameless flat female characters as props to advance plots, but the use of twins added an enigma to my reading.
Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in June 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism
Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
Sunny Side Up by Jennifer L. Holm
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
It was such a nice read. It is lighthearted enough so that I could read it before bed. The target reader seems to be children and YA, but I enjoyed reading it as an adult reader as well. It is written in the view of a child whose family suffers from a member's substance abuse. It was lovely to see how she finds comfort from kindness from people around her and an introduction to comics by an unexpected friend.
Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in April 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda
Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in April 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse
Palimpsest: Documents From a Korean Adoption by Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.25
This was a difficult read. Don't get me wrong. The writer makes it very easy to follow the story, but the story itself is very hard to digest. It sits on your chest like a chunk of meat that won't go down.
The atrocity committed against numerous adoptees infuriated me. If the writer had not shown the love she was surrounded by from her family members, friends, and strangers, I might have given up in the middle of the book. So many people committed irreversible damage to babies and children for their own interests: jobs, money, politics, etc.
I loved Wool-Rim's drawing and writing style. It's comforting and down-to-earth. There are some pages where she shares the whole document from her adoption process. There are some pages where she uses excerpts. Those pages slow you down, but if you pay attention, you will understand why the writer made such choices. Every detail matters when you are searching for truth amid a hidden past.
I was not adopted, but I grew up in one of the biggest baby-exporting countries in the world: South Korea. So I keep reading, listening to, and watching adoptees' stories. (One documentary I recommend is Return to Seoul, directed by Davy Chou.) I empathize with their suffering, and I wish they get a fair share of healing from people they connect with, including Koreans like me. I also want to remind all the adoptees that growing up with your birth parents is often not ideal. As I grew up in my abusive mother's care and with several teachers' violent treatment in Korea, I wished that I lived in another country with different parents. Although we experienced different hardships with our upbringings, I look forward to connecting with more Korean adoptees in my life.
Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in April 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda
The atrocity committed against numerous adoptees infuriated me. If the writer had not shown the love she was surrounded by from her family members, friends, and strangers, I might have given up in the middle of the book. So many people committed irreversible damage to babies and children for their own interests: jobs, money, politics, etc.
I loved Wool-Rim's drawing and writing style. It's comforting and down-to-earth. There are some pages where she shares the whole document from her adoption process. There are some pages where she uses excerpts. Those pages slow you down, but if you pay attention, you will understand why the writer made such choices. Every detail matters when you are searching for truth amid a hidden past.
I was not adopted, but I grew up in one of the biggest baby-exporting countries in the world: South Korea. So I keep reading, listening to, and watching adoptees' stories. (One documentary I recommend is Return to Seoul, directed by Davy Chou.) I empathize with their suffering, and I wish they get a fair share of healing from people they connect with, including Koreans like me. I also want to remind all the adoptees that growing up with your birth parents is often not ideal. As I grew up in my abusive mother's care and with several teachers' violent treatment in Korea, I wished that I lived in another country with different parents. Although we experienced different hardships with our upbringings, I look forward to connecting with more Korean adoptees in my life.
Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in April 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Child abuse and Colonisation
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was a hugely famous and popular book in Korea when it was published. Reading it a decade later, I understood why. It tells the story of all women having lived, are living, and will live in South Korea. Of course, it is not all-encompassing, but women-presenting people in Korea cannot escape the sexism and misogyny described in this book, perhaps partially but not entirely.
I grew up in South Korea until my high school year. While reading this book, I finally realized that every minute of my childhood was filled with experiences of sexism and misogyny. Through counseling therapy, I have already realized that the physical punishment (along with verbal and psychological abuse) by my mother and teachers was indeed violence and child abuse. (It was so normalized that I thought it was acceptable for most of my life.) However, I did not realize until now that the oppression and abuse I experienced were much bigger than my small circle of personal relationships.
I am now living in the USA, where they have a considerable portion of sexism and misogyny. However, I deem that there is a better awareness around it here, compared to South Korea. The frustration I experienced in Korea (during my residence in childhood and my visits in adulthood) and what I read in the book largely originates from the normalization of sexism and misogyny. There are small pockets of feminist groups speaking up for women's rights, but they are brutally demonized by mainstream society. Fighting for women's rights quickly feels like screaming into a void, unheard and disregarded. Even people who seem to care fail to understand women's struggles. For example, Jung, TaeHyun, a loving and supportive husband of Kim, JiYoung still considers his domestic role as "helping" her housework." JiYoung's therapist empathizes with her struggles as well as his wife's, who had also lost her career due to childbirth and parenting. However, at the end of his self-reflection, he concludes that it'd be wiser to hire unmarried female employees at his doctor's office so he doesn't lose their workforce due to their family obligations.
My heart goes out to all Kim, JiYoungs of South Korea and to my younger self, who lived in deep confusion and hurt for a long time.
Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in April 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda
I grew up in South Korea until my high school year. While reading this book, I finally realized that every minute of my childhood was filled with experiences of sexism and misogyny. Through counseling therapy, I have already realized that the physical punishment (along with verbal and psychological abuse) by my mother and teachers was indeed violence and child abuse. (It was so normalized that I thought it was acceptable for most of my life.) However, I did not realize until now that the oppression and abuse I experienced were much bigger than my small circle of personal relationships.
I am now living in the USA, where they have a considerable portion of sexism and misogyny. However, I deem that there is a better awareness around it here, compared to South Korea. The frustration I experienced in Korea (during my residence in childhood and my visits in adulthood) and what I read in the book largely originates from the normalization of sexism and misogyny. There are small pockets of feminist groups speaking up for women's rights, but they are brutally demonized by mainstream society. Fighting for women's rights quickly feels like screaming into a void, unheard and disregarded. Even people who seem to care fail to understand women's struggles. For example, Jung, TaeHyun, a loving and supportive husband of Kim, JiYoung still considers his domestic role as "helping" her housework." JiYoung's therapist empathizes with her struggles as well as his wife's, who had also lost her career due to childbirth and parenting. However, at the end of his self-reflection, he concludes that it'd be wiser to hire unmarried female employees at his doctor's office so he doesn't lose their workforce due to their family obligations.
My heart goes out to all Kim, JiYoungs of South Korea and to my younger self, who lived in deep confusion and hurt for a long time.
Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in April 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Violence and Sexual harassment
Daytripper by Fábio Moon, Gabriel Bá
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Among many unique values of this book, one of them is a new look at the meaning of life and death. By repeating life and death in many different ways, we get to reflect on why we live and how to live. It is also fun to trace the underlying commonality between chapters (AKA different universes). I love how Bras's dog stayed with him from the cover til the end, another beauty of the story. Although I felt saddened by some of the stories, I did not cry. However, it will be a great cleansing tearjerker for someone experiencing bulging grief and sorrow.
Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in April 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda
Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in April 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Death of parent