I Want to Die but I Still Want to Eat Tteokbokki: Further Conversations with My Psychiatrist by Baek Sehee, translated Anton Hur
The author struggled with suicidal thoughts and self harm and saw a psychiatrist to talk about the problems. She wanted to quit her job. She felt bad when she succeeded. She did harm herself once and came close to checking herself into a hospital. She also has thoughts about diet and working out. She likes working out, but struggles to determine whether it is for her or just to support men. She does have a partner and a job, so there must also be a more positive side to her life that she is not expressing in the book. She spends time exploring areas both within and out of her control. The book feels more powerful coming from her cultural point of view. She does not have the "I deserve it all" brashness of Americans. She has worked hard and has humility. Her timidity masks deep internal struggles. However, she is also willing to be vulnerable in open about them. (Alas, she died at a young age not long after writing this book.)
Julia's older sister Olga gets killed by a truck after getting off the bus. This is one more stressor in Julia's life. She wants to go to college and write. She doesn't want to be the perfect Mexican daughter. However, her parents are very controlling. She regularly gets grounded for infractions. They don't know of the secret rich boyfriend she has. She tries to find out more about her sister. She also attempts to take her own life. Her parents send her to Mexico where she finds out more about her parents and their past struggles. She does discover some of her sister's deep secrets. She is later excited to find out she got a full ride to NYU and will be able to fulfill her dreams.