Order of Baek Se-hee Books
Baek Se-hee (1990-2025) was a South Korean nonfiction writer best known for her candid memoirs about mental health. She authored I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki and its follow-up, I Want to Die but I Still Want to Eat Tteokbokki, both of which explore therapy, emotional struggle, and life with persistent depressive disorder. Readers around the world connected with her work for its raw honesty, relatable voice, and refusal to shy away from the stigma surrounding depression and anxiety.
She launched her writing career in 2018 with the release of I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki. Below, in order of publication, are her books along with their synopses.
**Baek Se-hee Synopses:**
*I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki* introduces readers to Baek Se-hee as a young social media director whose daily life is shadowed by persistent sadness, anxiety, and harsh self-judgment. Though she manages to hold everything together at work, suppressing her true feelings leaves her exhausted and disconnected from the people around her. Uncertain whether what she's experiencing is clinical depression or just an unavoidable part of life, she decides to see a psychiatrist.
Across twelve weeks of sessions, she transcribes her conversations with her doctor and pairs them with short, reflective essays. In doing so, she begins to uncover the recurring thought patterns and behaviors that have quietly pushed her toward loneliness and insecurity.
Blending memoir with mental health reflection, this first installment in a two-part series traces Se-hee's journey toward understanding herself and finding a path forward.
Se-hee never anticipated that her first book—built around real therapy sessions—would resonate with readers globally, but its unflinching portrayal of anxiety and depression turned it into an international bestseller. Still, her journey with dysthymia was far from over.
In the sequel, *I Want to Die but I Still Want to Eat Tteokbokki*, she reveals how her inner struggles have shifted and deepened, illustrating that the pursuit of peace and stability is never truly finished. This second book carries her exploration forward, as she continues working to understand herself and move through life with greater honesty and self-compassion.
**Baek Se-hee Reviews:**
It's remarkable how a book from a woman living on the other side of the world can mirror my own inner world so precisely, as if her thoughts were pulled straight from my mind. Battling self-hatred and depression takes a real toll, and the fear of rejection—especially being single at 40—still lingers for me. What I've come to understand is that radical honesty, even when it threatens a friendship, is sometimes necessary for my own peace of mind.
*I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki* made me feel truly understood. It showed me that the emotional chaos I live with isn't unusual or something I face alone. This is a book that makes you feel seen. —F.
