Read this when
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982
She gave up her job for her baby. Then she started talking in other women's voices. The quiet book that made a country argue about sexism.
Who it's for
Kim Jiyoung, a 33-year-old who left her job to care for her baby daughter, begins speaking in the voices of other women (her mother, a friend who died), and her psychiatrist reconstructs her life: a family that favoured sons, harassment on the way home from sc.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 is Cho Nam-joo's 2016 Korean novel, translated into English by Jamie Chang (Liveright, 2020). It opens with Kim Jiyoung, now a stay-at-home mother, beginning to speak as other women she knows, then moves back through her childhood, schooling, working life and marriage, documenting everyday sexism and discrimination.
Where to find it
In print (Liveright in the US, Scribner in the UK); widely available from libraries (Libby/Hoopla) and as an audiobook. Not public domain. A 2019 Korean film adaptation exists.
Before you start
Heads up: Sexual harassment and stalking.
Age: Ages 14+
Slavery is terrible for men; but it is far more terrible for women.Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
