Kim Ji-young, nacida en 1982

Ner reviewed Kim Ji-young, nacida en 1982 by Cho Nam-joo

None

5 stars

5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Este libro puede descubrirte cómo actúa el sistema patriarcal directamente en nuestras vidas sin tan siquiera haber nacido, amoldándonos a unos estándares que nos perjudican, amueblándonos la cabeza para que sea prácticamente imposible salir de esas dinámicas o, por el contrario, puede no decirte nada nuevo porque ya tienes el suficiente bagaje con estas lectura, con este mundo cruel que se esfuerza sistemáticamente por complicarnos la existencia. Aun así, e independientemente de cuál de estas dos situaciones sea la tuya, lo que está claro es que en todo momento te morderás la lengua de la rabia, pondrás los ojos en blanco ante la cantidad de tonterías que se pueden verter en nuestras mentes y, sobre todo, sentirás una pena anorme ante esta protagonista porque no podrás evitar pensar: "Podría ser yo, mi madre, mi hermana, mi vecina, o aquella desconocida con la que choqué en el sueprmercado."

Wild Woila reviewed Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo

A damning account of the patriarchy in Korea

3 stars

A straightforward but damning account of the patriarchy in modern Korea. An unusual mix of fictionalised autobiography and footnoted essay.

eriol reads books reviewed Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo

Review of 'Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

A short but impactful book that hits home on feminist issues. It's a smooth read.

oatmilk_alex reviewed Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo

Review of 'Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982' on 'Storygraph'

5 stars

This is such an important book for Korean historical fiction

Lily reviewed Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo

Review of 'Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Honestly this was a pretty difficult read - it was infuriating which I'm sure was intended but didn't make for an enjoyable reading experience. However I recognise the value it has in bringing everyday sexism to light, even though in my case it was preaching to the choir. The end was pretty gut-wrenching and left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. Again I realise this was intended, but that still doesn't make it fun! All in all it was 3.5 stars for me.

Erin reviewed Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo

Review of 'Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

This is one where I can see its significance in Korea - given the description here on Goodreads - so I went with 3 stars. But it was a very meh reading experience.

This is largely a litany of sexist experiences the average woman in Korea is likely to have. It’s very didactic - intentionally so, but that makes it a less interesting read.

I much prefer reads that are subtler with their message. A book that is similar in style but more effective (to me) is The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani. It has a similar restrained style with a lot of summarizing in between snippets of scenes. But it handles its themes of race, gender, and class in less on the nose ways. It’s also just more interesting overall as a narrative because there’s a mystery, a story!

I think Cho probably felt the need to be super …

This is one where I can see its significance in Korea - given the description here on Goodreads - so I went with 3 stars. But it was a very meh reading experience.

This is largely a litany of sexist experiences the average woman in Korea is likely to have. It’s very didactic - intentionally so, but that makes it a less interesting read.

I much prefer reads that are subtler with their message. A book that is similar in style but more effective (to me) is The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani. It has a similar restrained style with a lot of summarizing in between snippets of scenes. But it handles its themes of race, gender, and class in less on the nose ways. It’s also just more interesting overall as a narrative because there’s a mystery, a story!

I think Cho probably felt the need to be super clear and obvious for her audience, but I’m not a good fit for that audience.

I did like the last chapter as a final touch - that’s where it felt the most like Cho made a storytelling choice that made the case for this book existing as fiction instead of nonfiction.

bab reviewed Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo

Review of 'Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

The life of Kim Jiyoung as she faces constant misogyny, weirdly it cites many of the examples it uses.

hanghuhn reviewed Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Jamie Chang

Review of 'Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982' on 'Storygraph'

3 stars

I don't know anything about Asian, especially Korean culture. I knew that women are treated differently, but I didn't know to what extend. It's not that misogyny, sexual harassment etc. at the work place (or in other situations) doesn't exist in the western world. Or that some men view women as less equal or that women don't get paid as much as men even if they do the same job. But in my world family members aren't sad or disappointed if the newborn is a girl (at least I've never experienced it or heard of it in the same amount I read in the book; it still is possible. In every culture there are people with old views). So, what I meant to say is, that the book is an eye-opener and discusses a very important topic.
Why the three stars then? The writing style is what bothers me. It's …

I don't know anything about Asian, especially Korean culture. I knew that women are treated differently, but I didn't know to what extend. It's not that misogyny, sexual harassment etc. at the work place (or in other situations) doesn't exist in the western world. Or that some men view women as less equal or that women don't get paid as much as men even if they do the same job. But in my world family members aren't sad or disappointed if the newborn is a girl (at least I've never experienced it or heard of it in the same amount I read in the book; it still is possible. In every culture there are people with old views). So, what I meant to say is, that the book is an eye-opener and discusses a very important topic.
Why the three stars then? The writing style is what bothers me. It's felt like a non-fiction (well, I think it's not entirely fiction, because the topic is real and not imagined). But every now and then there are facts about women or society in Korea which were cited with footnotes, like in an academic article. It felt out of place for me.
At the end, I didn't know what exactly happened to Jiyoung. The book left me confused.

Josep reviewed Kim Ji-young, nacida en 1982 by Cho Nam-joo

Review of 'Kim Ji-young, nacida en 1982' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Un maravilloso compendio del machismo institucional que padecen las mujeres en Corea del Sur y, mucho me temo, en todo el mundo. Me ha resultado muy enriquecedor.

Axl reviewed Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo

Review of 'Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

It's a short fiction novel, that reads like a biography about a Korean woman's experiences with society's treatment of women, mysoginistic and sexist behaviors, (complete with some statistics and articles).
I really enjoyed it for what it was and found it so interesting, everyone should read it.

Amber Herbert reviewed Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo

Review of 'Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I didn’t expect this novel to have such a tremendous impact on me. As a “teen mom,” I’ve had to deal with others judging me—and often underestimating my potential—because I’m a woman and I’m not expected to make a name for myself. Even in the US, it isn’t uncommon for women to stay at home indefinitely after childbirth because it’s more palatable than the man giving up his career to look after the children. I found Jiyoung’s story poignant and nauseatingly true, and I hope that one day our expectations of women are set just as high as our expectations of men. Until we reach gender equality, stories like this will continue to haunt those who have endured similar injustices.

Court reviewed Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo

Review of 'Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Brutal and honest.

hill_valley reviewed Kim Ji-young, nacida en 1982 by Cho Nam-joo

Review of 'Kim Ji-young, nacida en 1982' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

Es aceptable porque es una lectura bastante amena, pero centrarse en unas situaciones concretas sin mostrar correctamente el contexto histórico lo único que consigue es que busques en otras fuentes para complementar, y a la vez hace que cuestiones la finalidad del libro. Ya que aunque es ficción, se hace para mostrar algo real que es pasado y, por ahora, presente.

mario reviewed Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo

Review of 'Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This is a short but very powerful novella.

One of the top selling books in S Korea this century, it brutally lays bare gender inequality and prevailing attitudes. Told from a dispassionate 3rd person perspective, I found the statistics and footnotes initially odd in a novel, but as it goes on they become strangely compelling.