Ipsha Panda

Kim Ji-young, born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo. “You’re right. In a world where doctors can cure cancer and do heart transplants, there isn’t a single pill to treat menstrual cramps. The world wants our uterus to be drug-free. Like sacred grounds in virgin forest.” Apparently, from the face of it the novel seems to be very tedious as the protagonist is a very common woman in Korea but this novel hold enormous power and narrates the sensitive phases of a woman’s life quite meaningfully. Although it might seem a little humdrum if looked upon superficially, the novel does not stop to reflect on the significance of the plot. Plot: Ms Kim Jiyoung, a mother and wife starts acting like her husband’s old lover, an old friend of both, talking and adopting her mannerisms as if she’s possessed by her (if put differently, Jiyoung is in the midst of a mental breakdown caused by post partum depression and takes personalities of other females as her ailment intensifies).The book then backtracks to Jiyoung’s childhood in Seoul. From childhood to her marriage, throughout the periods of her adolescence, college years, marriage to her present life she faces constant sexism, misogyny, social discrimination and gender disparity. Kim Jiyoung is a daughter whose father holds her accountable and inculpates when she is harassed for wearing a skirt. Kim Jiyoung is a good student who doesn’t get opportunities for internships. Kim Jiyoung stands out at her job but she isn’t the one to be promoted. Kim Jiyoung is a wife who gives up her career, financial freedom, social independence, interest for a life of household affairs. Kim Jiyoung is a mother who gets sympathized for birthing a girl. Kim Jiyoung is a partner whose husband (pretty oblivious to her needs most of the time) takes her to a psychiatrist when she opens up about her feelings. Things I liked: Cho Nam-Joo used real statistics supported by references and footnotes throughout, hence, never leaving the truth about dire situation of gender bias and chauvinism. The novel is a mix of fiction and nonfiction that makes it much thought provoking. The novel is of one seventy six pages a punchy book with eye opening and hard hitting context. The author writes in a disconnected format as though reading from an objective view point which makes the novel so much more realistic. Kim Jiyoung is the most common name for the South Korean women born in 1980s. So, Kim Jiyoung represents every woman in Korea and the world who has ever been oppressed in anyway. Kim Jiyoung’s experiences felt very personally familiar and it is quite frightening how almost every woman faces normalized discrimination, misogyny, patriarchal supremacy, systematic sexism in daily life without actually realizing it. Taken as a whole, Kim Jiyoung, born 1982 was a great book, relevant (doesn’t matter where you live) and disturbing (considering it covers issues that need TW). It’s a story everyone should understand and acknowledge. You can never experience the abuse, trauma and turmoil a woman goes through, nor can you fathom the pain from outside. The discrimination in rationalization, assigning roles and responsibilities, favoring towards one gender and discarding the interest of other, the overwhelming sense of being a woman, being the second gender, the acute feelings of helplessness and oppression of living in a patriarchal world, the books covers it all. One line conclusion: The biases, sexism and prejudice towards women don’t just vanish. It only takes new faces and elusive forms. Rating: 4.8/5