Kim Ji-young, Born in 1982

I read this book in my spare time after work. I read it intermittently for a long time. What impressed me the most was that the author created an ordinary girl. Some small things that happen every day in daily life may seem logical to most people, but the author questioned these "common things". I hope that every boy and girl will no longer be numb when facing the inequality in life, and I also hope that every girl can have an independent and free life. What do you think after reading this great book? Welcome to communicate with me!

This book has sold more than one million copies in South Korea and was selected as the best novel of 2017 by the Korean Bookstore Federation. It also tells the story of Kim Ji-young, a woman in her 30s who gradually lost herself after experiencing too many patriarchal phenomena. At home, everything comes first. Jin Zhiying likes to secretly eat her brother's milk powder. When her grandmother finds out, she will slap her hard on the back, catching her off guard, and the milk powder spurts out of her mouth and nostrils. From the tone, eyes, face angle, shoulder height and breathing rhythm of grandma scolding them, one sentence can be summarized - "How dare you covet my golden grandson's milk powder? Jin Zhiying and her sister can only pick up the small scraps lying around to eat; their brother's chopsticks, socks, sanitary trousers, schoolbags and shoe bags are always in pairs. It seems that they are not worthy of good things or are not qualified to eat good things. When she was in elementary school, the male classmate next to her bullied her in a way that could not be described as a prank or a joke. When she told her sister and mother, her sister only said that boys were so childish and advised her sister to ignore it, but her mother gave Jin Zhiying a scolding. The teacher also smiled and said that he bullied her because he liked her, but shouldn't you treat someone gently if you really like her? If you want to bully her if you like her, then how should bullying be defined? Is love manifested in bullying? In middle school, there are basically no rules for boys when it comes to dressing. Except that they cannot make their pants too wide or too narrow, there are many restrictions for girls. They must wear the clothes required by the school. When winter comes, it is so cold that it makes people want to cry. Male teachers also like to pinch the delicate flesh on the inside of the female students' arms, slap their butts, or slide their hands up and down the underwear buckles on their backs. Once when I was being followed in a cram school, my father not only showed no comfort when he found out, but also scolded me for why I went to a cram school so far away? Why was my skirt so short? She finally graduated, but was repeatedly rejected because she was a woman. Even though she was very good, she even had an interviewer ask: "What would you do if a customer touched you physically, such as pressing your shoulder, or accidentally touching your thigh?" This weird question also revealed that women are not welcome in the workplace, and women will always be victims. It was hard to find a company of a certain size to work for, but at the company party, I was constantly drunk and the security guards at the company also liked to install cameras in the women's toilets. The male employees thought this was normal. If you don't have children after marriage, you are suspected of having problems. If you do have children, you are said to be a "mom bug", that is, a woman who relies on her husband to make money and takes care of the children at home. In fact, taking care of children and doing housework every day is not much easier than working, but most people don't take it seriously and seem to take it for granted. The concept of favoring boys over girls does not only exist in South Korea. It has been a disadvantaged group in China since ancient times. It seems to have changed a lot in recent years. However, if you carefully look into the internal rules and conventions, generally speaking, there is still a prejudice against women. Because of these stereotypes, women are particularly unhappy at home and in the workplace. All this cannot be changed by a regulation or a movement. What is needed is time and understanding to truly achieve equality between men and women.

The ending is a bit abrupt, I don't know if it's missing or if it's really the end. The writing is average, and it is a book whose meaning outweighs its form. There are no fierce claims or movement declarations, just telling the facts. Some prejudices are so common to women that we don't even think they are prejudices: for example, the ID number for boys is 1 and for girls is 2. Why not 1 for girls and 2 for boys?

After reading it, I was very impressed. Even though women in the workplace work the same amount as men at the same time, the difference in treatment is indeed huge.

In fact, the most chilling thing When faced with these injustices What mothers hate is their children rather than the injustices themselves What my mother often says is If I had known earlier, I shouldn't have given birth to you Because I don't get married and don't want children I don't want to live in the established life of a small city Because women in big cities Relatively speaking, you have more options In the past, my father often said: I have two daughters at home, but I can't even have a hot meal or dish. If I remember correctly, at that time, I was 15, my sister was 11, and an adult man had to rely on two children to have a hot meal. At that time, I was full of guilt... Another time, when we were having a treat at home, my third uncle, a weirdo, saw my dad helping to make dumplings, and he was surprised and said that the three women in the family actually needed a man to do it... We had prepared a family meal, although most of it was cooked by my mother, eh... Sad

There are no twists and turns in the plot, there are no geniuses and unique characters, but what is narrated is the life of ordinary people that can resonate. Because it is ordinary and common, it is even more frightening.

After reading this book, what comes to mind is the figure of a mother, who works hard all day long, is used to giving delicious food to her children, and is used to... The book tells the story of Kim Ji-young's upbringing and a series of things that happened after she joined the workforce and became a housewife. It made me reflect on what is the meaning of our education? For a good job, to find a good husband, for... Gender equality has a long way to go. How many companies choose male employees because they consider women's production? How many women struggle to balance family and work? There are different pay packages for men and women, sexual harassment and so on. On the other hand, it is not easy to bear the mortgage, car loan and pension that men bear due to their inherent concepts. Learn to live for yourself.

I've always been aware of the controversy surrounding this book. After watching it, I was still quite shocked and confused. What I don't understand is the complaint made by Korean men about this book. He even said something like "No one will encounter so many hardships in his life." Equality between men and women is an eternal issue "Feminism is not about man hate, it's really not. If you believe in equality, you are a feminist" - Emma Watson

Finally finished reading Still very sad We should speak up, not keep retreating We should think about ourselves instead of making excuses for cowardice We can only hold the position by ourselves Don't retreat anymore

After watching it, I felt powerless 😔, because this is the reality