I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki

Reviews

I like that this book’s conversations don’t follow a conventional narrative arc from conflict to redemption. Baek doesn’t stand on a pedestal purporting to have found all the answers . . . Ultimately, there are no shiny promises that Baek will keep getting better; I appreciate her bravery to admit this to readers. At once personal and universal, this book is about finding a path to awareness, understanding, and wisdom. Honest and authentic throughout . . . A sincere attempt at self-discovery that will resonate with young people who suffer from similar forms of depression and anxiety. Candid . . . heartfelt . . . Sehee’s mission to normalize conversation about mental illness is an admirable one. A testament to the gradual nature of therapy’s cumulative healing effects, I Want to Die should resonate with anyone who eagerly transcribes every nugget of advice they get. Earnest . . . clever . . . [Baek Sehee] uses months of (real) transcripts from her therapy sessions to explore her own depression and anxiety, always tiptoeing toward something like self-awareness. An eye-opening view into a person's most vulnerable moments in a new way. With candor and humor, Baek offers readers and herself resonant moments of empathy. For readers feeling a little icy around the edges, [Sehee’s] memoir promises to defrost. [I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki] is a therapeutic salve . . . Sehee's memoir is a connective tissue for all of us looking for a silver lining. Compelling . . . there is a fascination being inside the counseling room with [Sehee]. We feel we are a party to a sacred realm and find ourselves drawn to her testimony; mesmerized by her ability to keep thwarting herself from getting better. And we want her to get better. If you’ve ever felt exhausted and anxious by performing well-being, this is a book for you. This book will comfort anyone who’s ever been depressed, anxious, or just frustrated with themselves. Baek Sehee ingeniously combines elements of memoir and self-help . . . She offers an intimate look into one patient's experience in therapy and her own analysis of and takeaways from those sessions . . . Everyone is just trying to be as okay as possible, after all—and seeing Sehee's processing of that in I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki is sure to make readers feel a little less alone in their own attempts. An intimate examination of the deep impact that mental health can have on one’s life . . . I read both of Baek Sehee’s books back to back, and from my perspective, they’re two parts of a whole. To fully understand Baek Sehee’s reckoning with her mental health, you have to read both memoirs. Expand reviews