I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Se-hee
Overview of I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki
In this raw therapy memoir, Baek Sehee navigates depression while craving life's simple pleasures. Endorsed by BTS and translated by an International Booker Prize nominee, it's the contradiction we all live - wanting to disappear yet still hungering for spicy rice cakes.
About its author - Baek Se-hee
Baek Se-hee, bestselling author of I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki, is a South Korean essayist and mental health advocate whose candid exploration of depression resonates globally.
Born in 1990, she studied creative writing and spent five years in publishing before channeling her decade-long experience with dysthymia (persistent mild depression) into this genre-blending memoir and self-help work.
Structured as transcripts of her therapy sessions, the book delves into anxiety, self-doubt, and healing through everyday struggles, anchored by her relatable craving for the spicy rice cake dish tteokbokki.
Originally self-published in 2018, the Korean edition became a cultural phenomenon, later translated into English by Anton Hur in 2022 and endorsed by BTS leader RM. Its raw authenticity led to a stage adaptation, amplifying conversations about mental health. The two-part series has been translated into over 20 languages, bridging personal vulnerability with universal resonance.
Key Takeaways of I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki
- Chronic depression management requires embracing life’s duality of despair and small joys.
- Therapy uncovers how performative calmness masks deeper anxiety and self-doubt.
- Baek Sehee’s sessions reveal that healing is non-linear and requires relentless self-compassion.
- Mental health in South Korea balances societal pressure with private psychiatric care.
- Self-criticism thrives on black-and-white thinking; nuance is key to emotional freedom.
- Authentic self-acceptance means rejecting society’s checklist for personal fulfillment.
- Long-term dysthymia treatment involves medication, therapy, and redefining self-worth.
- Baek Sehee’s memoir proves that vulnerability about darkness is a form of light.
- Struggling silently? Normalizing therapy conversations reduces stigma in collectivist cultures.
- I Want to Die redefines success as internal peace over external validation.
- Emotional exhaustion stems from perpetual people-pleasing and repressed inner turmoil.
- Tteokbokki cravings symbolize hope’s persistence amid mental health battles.
