Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-ju.

At least she's not a woman in the 19th century?

Another in the storied tradition of 'being a woman sucks' books, this time set in modern(ish) Korea. It starts off like it could be non-fiction and since I've heard a bit about how rough things are for woman in Korea I didn't really start wondering if it was fiction until near the end when I started wondering if you'd have to be Kim Jiyoung's shrink to know all this. I'm sure there are plenty of Korean women who've been through more or less exactly same thing but finding out this particular story wasn't real definitely dampened the impact a bit.

From matter of fact sexism like the girls working to put their younger brothers through school to constant sexual harassment and inability to make her own choices, Kim Jiyoung's life isn't one I'd wish on anyone. The mental breakdown the book opens with is certainly understandable, though given that she's a fictional character I wonder about the purpose served by having her believe she's other women from her past. Might have gone over my head a bit.

Definitely a harrowing read but a worthwhile one to remind yourself of the things us men take for granted which women have to constantly fight for.