koreanlinda's reviews
201 reviews

This was my first James Baldwin book, and I don't think I can pick up another for a while. It was utterly sad. Very sad. 

The tragedy is mainly two-fold, or rather double-sided. First, there is the tragedy of the narrator David trying to fit into a box that is not him. That effort hurts him and others around him. Second, because everyone is trying to fit into a box that they believe to be expected of them (maybe except Giovanni), they fail to see one another for their true selves. Everyone fails to see others for who they are; therefore, they aren't seen for who they are, either. 

There are multiple layers in this failure of genuine understanding among people such as sexual orientations, gender roles, and national identities. I read that Baldwin made almost all the characters white to focus on sexual identities without mixing in racial dynamics. Understandably this book is full of questions and provocations. 

Perhaps that is the beauty of Baldwin's work. There is a lot to think about during and after the reading. All the thoughts and questions will follow you around for a while.

Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in January 2025
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda 

I read this book in its original language, South Korean, and I appreciated that Chapter 6 was written in the dialect of Dongho's mother. 

This book is filled with atrocity and therefore pain. The English title is Human Acts, but it can easily be exchanged for Cruel Acts. That is how much the pages are filled with cruelty committed by the army of soldiers, which correctly reflects the 5.18 Gwangju Uprising in 1980.

The story follows a middle school boy Dong-ho according to the memories of people around him. Then it follows them after he is gone. It shows how people suffer from these memories; for some people, in addition to their own trauma from torture.

I highly value this book because Han Kang wrote it succinctly and "beautifully." The story is quite absorbing, making it a page-turner. However, be prepared to be filled with sorrow after witnessing an ocean of pain people carry page after page.

Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in January 2025
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda

It is funny how this book squeezed into my life. It was one of the last books I loaned from the library related to the WWII era and atomic bombings in Japan after my trip there. In addition to books, I watched two animations: In This Corner of the World and Graveyard of the Fireflies. I highly recommend both. 

I was mentally suffering while learning about and processing my childhood trauma when I picked up this book. I was deep into reading on the topic of PTSD and chronic illness. I almost returned Totto-chan to the library without reading it imagining that I do not have the mental capacity to read more about people suffering from wars. However, after reading the preface, I decided to continue, and I am thankful to my past self for making that decision. 

This book is one of the most heartwarming stories I have ever read. Tetsuko Kuroyanagi (Totto-chan in the story) writes her memories from Tomoe Elementary School in the third person point of view, and the life that she and her classmates experienced there is almost too good to be true. Sosaku Kobayashi founded and ran the school using his deep understanding of child development, and it created a space where children, who often entered the school with various obstacles, thrived in learning and growing. Totto-chan was not an exception. She came to Tomoe because she was expelled from the previous school in her first grade for distracting the class too much. It turns out that the school system was too rigid for Totto-chan's curious mind. We see this happening in our school system all the time. We blame students who don't fit in and label them as delinquents instead of adapting the system to their needs. 

As a teacher, I have insisted on not working with students younger than highschoolers because I do not have enough energy to keep up with youngsters; however, the children at Tomoe were so adorable, all in their unique ways, that I felt some interest in teaching younger kids. That is how good the book was. I urge you to pick up this book no matter what state you are in now, especially if you are having a hard time. It will bring you smiles and joy in every episode that Kuroyanagi shares. I feel so much hope knowing that such a level of student-centered and sensitive teaching was possible and took place somewhere in this world. Thank you, Mr. Kobayashi for building Tomoe and Ms. Kuroyanagi for sharing her stories. 

Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in January 2025
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda 

I dreaded writing this review. I struggled through this book. I saw myself on too many pages. I am not morbidly obese, but I had my portion of body image issues and self-hatred. I experienced violence as a child and cruel treatment in my adolescent years. I have chronic physical and mental illnesses, and I am prone to addictive behaviors. 

I am both in awe and shock. I am awed by Roxane Gay's writing style: plain and straightforward. I try to write essays in an honest manner, but Gay's bareness in writing is on another level. I am in shock because someone was able to bear such a level of naked self on a page. I did not know it was possible, yet Gay proved it was. 

I recommend this book to everyone to relate to Gay's experiences or, if not, to bear witness to the experiences of people who continue to live after experiencing sexual violence, people who live with fat bodies, and people who have addiction issues. Gay will help you humanize these people to the maximum.

I am still heartbroken a day after finishing this book. So raw, so bare, so vulnerable, and so sad. But I am very glad I read it.

Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in January 2025
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda 

The book is quite interesting since Seneca explores various ideas about life and the world; however, it could not sustain my attention since it is a collection of numerous letters. The letters were written to be read one at a time, not all at once. Although I read a few letters at a time, I concluded that I probably wouldn't finish it at such an ever-so-decreasing pace. 

The book is quite interesting since Seneca explores various ideas about life and the world; however, it could not sustain my attention since it is a collection of numerous letters. The letters were written to be read one at a time, not all at once. Although I read a few letters at a time, I concluded that I probably wouldn't finish it at such an ever-so-decreasing pace.

I listened to this book over a few long road trips, and it is a perfect book for such setting. The pace is not too fast or not too slow. It keeps going at a steady speed and makes you wonder what will happen next. And voila!, you are at the destination. (In addition, Miranda Raison's lively narration is fabulous.)

The setting is super interesting. A mysterious husband comes out of Lauren the protagonist's attic, and every time he goes up, a new one comes down. Not only her partner changes, but her body and environment change slightly as well, such as hairstyle or job. 

The story arc is quite like a NA (new adult), except it does not focus on sexual exploration. Lauren, a single woman at the beginning of the story, goes through a year of experiencing various lifestyles with various partners from the attic. During that process, she undergoes challenges that push her to reflect and grow. 

Although the story is entertaining, the protagonist is annoying. She is a self-centered immature woman in 20s. She is short-sighted and falls for the convenience of changing partners and her lives through the magic of attic. She gets obsessed and dependent, which gradually takes her to her irreversible demise.

Only after she makes a dramatic change to her approach to life, she gets a chance to redeem herself.

 

While the writer attempts at making the story more inclusive of LGBTQ+ community by inserting a bisexual supporting character, it falls short in my queer eyes. Because the whole book is filled with Lauren having relationships with numerous men, the pressure of heteronormativity is heavy. However, if the author is heterosexual herself, I think it is appropriate that she writes what she understands the best in terms of romantic and sexual relationships. 

I see the author is "a writer, curator, and a game designer." Perhaps the ingenious setting for this story came from her game designing experiences. I enjoyed following Lauren's adventure in this imaginary world. I recommend it for a light reading on vacation or a car ride. 

Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in December 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda 

Ah... I feel shitty after reading this book. I don't mean that I regret reading it. I'm glad I did, but the content of the book is so disturbing that it churns my stomach. In the form of a fictional thriller, the story delves into White supremacy and Anti-Asian racism in the US (so well that it disgusts me). They are strewn throughout the book, but their essence is captured in the narrator's following words:

Ah... I feel a strong urge to leave this country again. Knowing that such beliefs about BIPOC and immigrants are not limited to the narrator of this book depresses me. 77,297,721 votes in the 2024 US Presidential election are proof and those votes are not even all the people who want to take America "back" from us. 

I strongly recommend this book to people who love thrillers and who want to learn about Asian American experiences. It is ironic that this book was written by a young Asian woman author from a prestigious educational background and became a bestseller. Although R. F. Kuang writes in Acknowledgement that she felt well supported in her experience of publishing this book, everything shared about the US publishing industry in this book greatly discouraged me (an Asian American writer) from ever attempting to enter it. Ah... I will need time to recover from Yellowface.

Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in December 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda 

I read this book because I loved the Blue Period series by Tsubasa Yamaguchi. It turns out Yamaguchi only did the artwork, and the story was written by Makoto Shinkai. I did not like the story much because it was too simple and slow. It is mostly plot-driven, and I didn't get attached to any characters. I think younger readers might enjoy it more. The artwork is done beautifully at least.

Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in December 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda 

This book landed on my lap magically. (I mean, it caught my attention on display in a library.) I was already deep in thought on the topic of loving my body, and Rupi Kaur's poems helped me think about it more, also from different angles. 

The biggest strength of Kaur's poems is that she bravely bears vulnerability. 

It is painful to hear the stories of violence that she and other women experienced at early ages. But that's what writing can do for you. By writing, you shed the pain, and at the same time, others shed it, too, while reading. 

What makes this book weak (presumably weaker than Kaur's later books) is that many poems reveal Kaur's heavy dependence on male partners. It pained me to witness that. The book is filled with poems of heartbreaks and healing, but the healing won't last if you stay dependent on men as in "every revolution/ starts and ends/ with his lips" (p.48).  Kaur also disturbingly uses the word "love" for certain past relationships that were abusive or toxic. For example, "love made the danger/ in you look like safety" (p.104). In my opinion, that is not love, but rather infatuation or delusion. I hear that her later books are better, so I look forward to reading them. 

Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in December 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda