Unpacking 'Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982': A Feminist Perspective on South Korean Society 1982

By Cho Nam-Joo

In this story that you could definitely read as non fiction because of how much all these women’s stories reflected reality, the author will make you feel angry for justice.

NO NEED TO READ BETWEEN THE LINES TO UNDERSTAND THE GAP THAT RESIDES TO THIS DAY IN SOUTH KOREA WHEN IT COMES TO EQUALITY BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN, STARTING RIGHT AFTER BIRTH.

This story pictures the fight for justice in a very fluid manner, the author telling us about Kim Jiyoung, her mother, sister and girlfriends who will have no choice but to sacrifice their studies for their brothers, forget about their dreams and their own well being, physically and psychologically, to sustain a viable household and ensure their husbands and all men in their lives have everything they need.

These women will have to endure, watching their daughters helplessly as they understand but don’t have any power to change the future they know they’ll have. 

A LOT OF IMPORTANT SUBJECTS WILL BE BROUGHT BY CHO NAM-JOO, FROM POSTPARTUM DEPRESSIONN, PERSONALITY DISORDERS, ALL LED BY THE SACRIFICES A WOMAN HAS TO MAKE DURING HER WHOLE LIFE FOR THE BALANCE OF OTHERS. THE END OF THE STORY COMPLETELY BROOKE ME. NO NEED FOR A BIGGER STORY TO PERCEIVE THE HARD REALITY OF A PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE BURSTING WITH OBSTACLES THAT JUST SHOULDN’T BE.

Without surprise, almost nothing has changed today, or maybe it has from the perspective of privileged liberal feminists and their comfortable and purposely blind side of history.

This story will help you understand more about South Korea, thanks to the documenting the author did in this book, sharing real statistics with us during the whole story.

HANNA LAMRI. @dinerlivresque