I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki: the bestselling South Korean therapy memoir

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Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of I WANT TO DIE BUT I WANT TO EAT TTEOKPOKKI by Baek Se-hee, a memoir/self-help book. I finished reading this book tonight, and while it wasn't what I expected, there were things about it that I enjoyed. she got annoyed when female friends and acquaintances praised her for being pretty, yet got jealous and unhappy when men didn't compliment her on her appearances And to conclude, this Freudian bale of hay ultimately validated my feelings (of not being the right reader for the book). And to reiterate my point above, I truly hope this book can bring someone else comfort even though it did nothing for me. Why did I continue reading this even though I already knew halfway through that this wasn't for me? Well, to put it simply, I think Anton Hur is super cool, and I will read everything he translates/writes. Don't get me wrong, the experience wasn't awful at all, it just wasn't 'rewarding'/'fulfilling'. it wasn't hard at all to realize that maybe not all therapy sessions in this book were successful, i would have liked some problems to be discussed more, not just followed by other questions, but i enjoyed learning about the author's family, her way of thinking and her view of relationships with other people

I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki (Paperback) I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki (Paperback)

I wonder about others like me, who seem totally fine on the outside but are rotting on the inside, where the rot is this vague state of being not-fine and not-devastated at the same time. The world tends to focus too much on the very bright or the very dark; many of my own friends find my type of depression baffling. But what’s an ‘acceptable’ form of depression? Is depression itself something that can ever be fully understood? In the end, my hope is for people to read this book and think, I wasn’t the only person who felt like this; or, I see now that people live with this.’I loved the concept. Se-hee displays vision, creativity, and courage. This project is the invention of a genre: The "MySelf-Help Book"! The internationally bestselling therapy memoir translated by International Booker Prize shortlisted Anton Hur.

I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki: A Memoir: Baek

Saya juga sangat mengapresiasi prakata dari Dr. Jiemi Ardian bahwa self-diagnosed itu tidak dianjurkan karena sangat mudah sekali bagi seseorang untuk melabeli kondisinya setelah membaca buku seperti ini. It’s hard, it’s a long game, and although probably life changing, it doesn’t feel like it at the time. This one won’t give you a lightbulb moment, but it might make you feel very heard and a lil warm. Update: Forgot to put this in my review originally but one other thing I appreciated about this book is that the author is outspoken about her feelings about mental health and it's my understanding that a lot of Asian cultures tend to frown on this, so having such a visible figure doing this in an open way and receiving support is great. Baek and I are clearly very different people with very different views. And I suppose I’m just the wrong reader for the book. I was defeated by my own high-ass expectations, and only have myself to blame. If you like Baek's book more than Kane's play, that's actually super good news for you.

But if she's so hopeless, why can she always summon a desire for her favourite street food, the hot, spicy rice cake, tteokbokki? Is this just what life is like? Alas, the book has a major problem: It is unbelievably boring. The educational impulse is overwhelming, protagonist Baek remains a chiffre, and the (highly professional) dynamic between her and her therapist doesn't allow for enough immersion. Also, you would expect more complexity from a novel that focuses on the guidance of a mental health professional - but then again, I suppose the author wanted to connect to younger people who are afraid to reach out for help, and for this demographic, this highly accessible approach might be justified.