Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo

FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC! Cho dives head first into depicting what it’s like to be a millennial woman and to be constantly sandwiched between the expectations of being able to do it all.

Throughout the story Cho backs each of Jiyoung’s experiences with documented statistics as if she already knows that non-woman readers will question the validity of the experiences.

The last chapter is a total punch in the stomach as you see the perception of the story from a man’s point of view and although he has sympathy, the last sentence of the entire book illustrates that he, they, don’t understand and continue to perpetuate the system of the patriarchy.

There’s one quote that I kept thinking about, “What do you want from us? The dumb girls are too dumb, the smart girls are too smart, and the average girls are too unexceptional.”

Although this book made me cry and boil with anger, all the experiences are very real and are universal. It made me feel less alone and incredibly grateful to and for the women in my life.

(Was fighting ugly crying when I finished the book on the bus. Maybe don’t read the ending while in public 🤗)