I Want to Die But I Still Want to Eat Tteokbokki - I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Sehee Hardcover

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Translated by International Booker shortlistee Anton Hur, the sequel to the New York Times bestselling South Korean smash hit.

Baek Sehee could never have predicted how many people I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki would reach across the world. A runaway international bestseller, this record of conversations with her therapist demonstrated the realities of anxiety and depression. But Baek's battle with dysthymia did not end there. In I Want to Die but I Still Want to Eat Tteokbokki, her experiences become more complex, as she vulnerably shows that striving for contentment is an ongoing journey.

Review Quotes

"In her distinctive voice, a noted South Korean author explores the roots of her mental illness and struggles toward a healthier life . . . Baek's journey through the dark forest of depression is sometimes painful but ultimately revelatory and inspiring." --Kirkus Reviews

"Sehee's admirable commitment to showing her 'deepest inner wounds' will resonate with readers struggling to unpack their own mental health issues." --Publishers Weekly

"Ruminative . . . [Sehee is] especially interrogative of her own relationship to her body, confronting binary judgments . . . she's long endured, the damage internalized as self-condemnations of being 'insignificant, worthless.' . . . 'I want to keep learning about myself and finding the best user manual for my life.' Wise advice for all" --Booklist

"Be sure to check out this sequel which is just as heartfelt, vulnerable and insightful as her first internationally acclaimed bestselling South Korean memoir." --Ms Magazine

"Ultimately hopeful. Through chronicling the therapeutic process, [Sehee's] self-awareness increases, and she gains the strength to put into place the building blocks of healing . . . a reminder that even the smallest steps toward self-awareness can be a triumph." --Shelf Awareness

"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." --Book Riot

"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" --Library Journal on I WANT TO DIE BUT I WANT TO EAT TTEOKBOKKI

"Candid . . . heartfelt . . . Sehee's mission to normalize conversation about mental illness is an admirable one." --Publishers Weekly on I WANT TO DIE BUT I WANT TO EAT TTEOKBOKKI

"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." --Buzzfeed on I WANT TO DIE BUT I WANT TO EAT TTEOKBOKKI

"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." --Chicago Tribune on I WANT TO DIE BUT I WANT TO EAT TTEOKBOKKI

"An eye-opening view into a person's most vulnerable moments in a new way." --Cosmopolitan on I WANT TO DIE BUT I WANT TO EAT TTEOKBOKKI

"With candor and humor, Baek offers readers and herself resonant moments of empathy." --Booklist on I WANT TO DIE BUT I WANT TO EAT TTEOKBOKKI

"For readers feeling a little icy around the edges, [Sehee's] memoir promises to defrost." --Wired.com on I WANT TO DIE BUT I WANT TO EAT TTEOKBOKKI

"[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." --PopSugar on I WANT TO DIE BUT I WANT TO EAT TTEOKBOKKI

"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." --Books & Film Globe on I WANT TO DIE BUT I WANT TO EAT TTEOKBOKKI

"If you've ever felt exhausted and anxious by performing well-being, this is a book for you." --Ms. Magazine on I WANT TO DIE BUT I WANT TO EAT TTEOKBOKKI

"This book will comfort anyone who's ever been depressed, anxious, or just frustrated with themselves." --Real Simple on I WANT TO DIE BUT I WANT TO EAT TTEOKBOKKI

"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." --Shelf Awareness on I WANT TO DIE BUT I WANT TO EAT TTEOKBOKKI

About the Author

Baek Sehee (1990-2025) was born in Goyang, South Korea and studied creative writing at Dongguk University in Seoul before working for five years in publishing. For ten years, she received psychiatric treatment for persistent depressive disorder, which became the subject of her essays, and then her memoirs I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki, books one and two, which have been translated into more than twenty-five languages.

Anton Hur was born in Stockholm, Sweden. He is the author of No One Told Me Not To and the novel Toward Eternity. His translations include Bora Chung's Cursed Bunny, which was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize and a finalist for the National Book Award.