Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982

There probably isn't a woman on this Earth who cannot relate to Cho Nam-Joo's novella Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982, first published in Korean, and recently translated into English. What makes this novella so accessible to women of all races, nationalities, and social and economic backgrounds is that it starkly and blatantly presents what it means to be a woman in a man's world. A woman trying to be everything to everyone, while still attempting to hold on to a piece of herself. If it sounds insurmountably difficult, that is because it is.

Kim Jiyoung is having a mental breakdown. All we know is that she is displaying multiple personalities - taking on the identities of other women. Of course, everyone thinks she has truly lost it, but readers are taken back to the beginning, when Jiyoung was a child, and it becomes apparent that she is plagued with a curse she has carried her entire life - she was born female.

As a young girl in Korea, Jiyoung's role in this world was clearly defined for her from the outset - no matter how hard she worked, no matter how accomplished she was, she would always fall second behind men. These clearly defined gender roles played an important part in Jiyoung's life, as is evidenced by this novella, which follows her as a young school girl, to a college student, to a professional in the marketing world, culminating in the fate of many women - life relegated as a wife and mother.

Reading almost like a work of nonfiction, complete with footnotes to cite its more technical points about gender roles and stereotypes in Korea, Cho Nam-Joo paints a distressing portrait of an oppressed woman. What makes this novel so chilling is that Kim Jiyoung could be so many of us. While gender inequality in America is not in as great of dire straits as it is in Korea, many women have lost sleep at night trying to figure out how to balance both a career as a working professional and a career as a wife and mother, as well. Many women have caused themselves undue stress and burnout trying to best the boys and climb the corporate ladder, only to discover that they often have to work twice as hard as the men to even think about gaining equal footing, And that is why this novella is so timely and so important - it pulls back the curtain on the struggles women face as they attempt to juggle too many roles in a world that doesn't give them nearly enough credit.

Recommended to the feminist in all of us.

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 was a fascinating read and hard to put down. The writing was engaging but the subject really punches you in the gut and you feel the sacrifice women are sometimes forced to make when having to decide between a satisfying and fulfilling education and career or being at home to raise and take care of their family. We see early on the difference in how boys and girls are treated from before birth and into adulthood based solely on their gender. The topics of feminism, misogyny, family, and work/life sacrifices by women, were fully explored in the book and would make for very engaging discussions. Highly recommended for all.

This book is chilling, made even more uncomfortable by the uncorrected proof format. It's sobering to read about the lives of South Korean women underneath the K-POP and beauty routines we see in America.

As soon as I saw “Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982” by Cho Nam-Joo and read the synopsis that highlights feminism, new motherhood, and the story of a Korean millennial woman, I had to request it. Since reading Kang’s “The Vegetarian” and Lee’s “Pachinko,” I have been searching for other Korean literature and history. This compact little novella was such a treat! I loved it and would highly recommend for other young women. It is so relatably painful.

The writing style is so matter-of-fact, which could bother some readers, but it is still authentic to Kim Jiyoung's experiences. The narrator interspersed cited facts about Korean female education, achievement, employment from the 1980s to today. Following our protagonist’s life really emphasizes that professional success is a challenge for the modern Korean woman in a deeply patriarchal society. Women in western countries will also recognize these same institutional barriers and sympathize with the struggle Kim Jiyoung has to maintain a career. There is also a perspective shift in this book that is mind blowing and perfectly satirical. Who doesn’t love a twist!