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

Product Information

I WANT TO DIE BUT I WANT TO EAT TTEOKBOKKI has a fantastic, catchy title, which was what originally gravitated me towards this book. As someone who gets depressed and also has anxiety, this book sounded high-key relatable and I was really excited to read it.

I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki - Google Books I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki - Google Books

I think one of the most important lessons that I learned from this book is that there is only one "you" in this world, and you are special in your own way, regardless of what happens. I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokpokki is a book originally written in Korean, about a woman diagnosed with dysthymia. Baek Se-hee wrote the dialogues during her sessions with a psychiatrist, and included her inner thoughts on how she wants to love herself better. Although I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokpokki is actually a compilation of written dialogues between the author and her psychiatrist, I was able to immerse myself into the conversation, to the point that it felt very intimate, as if I was in her situation all along. I was never clinically diagnosed with depression or any other mental illness, but I went through my own dark moments and I could relate to most of the things that Baek Se-hee went through. The confusion in Baek Se-hee's dialogues mirror my own, and the psychiatrist's words sent me a blanket of comfort that I absolutely needed.That’s enough for me - why did I torture myself by comparing myself to someone else? If twenty-year-old me met me today, she would cry with joy. And that’s enough for me." I reached for “I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki” by Baek Sehee for two main reasons: 1) I hoped to get a better insight into the way a standard therapy is conducted in South Korea, 2) I was interested to see how therapist’s culture influences the approach. The book, structured in the form of twelve conversations is a record of three months out of ten years of the author’s therapy, plus some loose chapters about her problems and thoughts. What a banger of a title. Holding out on suicidal ideation because of a small joy in life and holding that dialectic. I wanted to read this based on the title alone. 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.”

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

If you're curious about what my coworkers think about on a daily basis with their weak ass sugary mix coffee, here it is.

Reviews

Will strike a chord with anyone who feels that their public life is at odds with how they really feel inside.' - Red 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.

I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki: A Memoir|Hardcover I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki: A Memoir|Hardcover

I always find it quite difficult to rate non-fiction, especially when it’s a very honest and vulnerable story, so I shall leave my thoughts here instead :) What a banger of

About the contributors

Das Buch beinhaltet den Dialog mit ihrem Therapeuten, sowie authentische und ehrliche Reflexionen über ihre eigene Person. Und genau das konnte mich absolut abholen und überzeugen. Das Geschriebene lädt zum Innehalten und Nachdenken ein. Es geht um das Ergründen der Ursachen von Gefühlen und alten Verhaltensmustern, die sie mit Hilfe der Therapie umpolen kann.

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

also: interesting to learn the term dysthymia, which describes "a state of constant, light depression." good to know. 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.Recommended to fans of medical memoir, mental health self-help; readers interested in psychology, psychiatry; readers seeking diverse voices Generally this book was pretty repetitive. Little progress was made and Baek needed lots of reassurance she was doing okay. It wasn’t gripping or exciting, but also, that’s what therapy is like. 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.