BSG #54: The Twist is Misogyny / Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 / Interview w/ Ethel Rohan

Book Squad Goals

This week, we’re off to South Korea to discuss "Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982" by Cho Nam-Joo (translated by Jamie Chang), a book that helped spark a women’s rights movement when it was first published in 2016. The Squad talks about the controversy surrounding the book and gets into some of our shared experiences of misogyny and sexism in America. After that, Emily interviews Ethel Rohan, author of the new short story collection "In the Event of Contact," winner of the 2021 Dzanc Short Story Collection Prize.
Join us on May 31st for our third-ever Hatepisode on "Ready Player Two" by Ernest Cline (Kelli assures us we’ll all hate it!). Then read along for our next Bookpisode on "Earthlings" by Sayaka Murata on June 14th. In the meantime, check out the Book Squad Blog for additional content on books, movies, video games, and more! Send your feedback, thoughts, and weird gynecologist stories to [e-mail], or DM us on social media.
0:30 – Intro
9:58 – Book intro
13:50 – Cultural context and consideration of controversy
26:05 – What are some shared experiences we have with the book?
45:05 – Is this a horror novel?
52:30 - How does the narrator affect our understanding of the novel?
1:03:45 – Ratings!
1:07:50 – Interview with Ethel Rohan
1:45:16 – What’s on the blog? What’s up next?
Kelli’s Glamour article; Are Guys Getting Paid More Just Because They're... Guys: https://www.glamour.com/story/12-real-people-discover-what-the-pay-gap-looks-like
NPR piece: https://www.npr.org/2020/04/19/835486224/south-korean-bestseller-kim-jiyoung-born-1982-gives-public-voice-to-private-pain
Guardian piece: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/feb/15/cho-nam-joo-kim-jiyoung-born-1982-interview
Mary’s Severance blog: https://www.booksquadgoals.com/blog/book-review-severance-by-ling-ma
BBC News: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50135152