Author: Dancing Snail
In this 2025 nonfiction bestseller, South Korean writer Dancing Snail makes space for readers to absorb her insights at their own pace.
Translated from the Korean by Sandy Joosun Lee, “It’s Okay Not to Get Along with Everyone” features simple, but not simplistic, illustrations designed to propel readers into a more positive state.
The accompanying text is concise, clear, and not overwhelming.
This 255-page book could easily be read in one sitting, but I found it helpful to read a page or two before pausing to reflect on the contents.
Dancing Snail is the pseudonym of a South Korean author and illustrator known for nonfiction works focusing on mental health and self-compassion.
She also illustrated the 2018 bestselling memoir “I Want To Die But I Want To Eat Tteokbokki,” written by South Korean author Baek Se-hee. The book was published in English four years later.
Dancing Snail, who has been open about her struggles with depression, anxiety, and burnout, delicately handles many of the same themes as she seeks to find joy in the midst of life’s challenges.
The book also offers insights into South Korean culture. In one passage, she writes about asking friends: “Have you been eating well?” as a casual way of checking on their well-being.
“Everyone carries a different kind of hunger,” she writes. “Some crave achievement. Others, recognition. Some hunger for love. And naturally, we look at others through the lens of what we’ve lacked.”
The writer mentions how the desire to make sense of the world can be reconciled by leading with “your own kind of love.”
“The sharp point of a heart can sometimes become a blade,” she writes.
Nearly every page offers insights on digging deep within and giving yourself a hug. As the title suggests, we really don’t need to get along with everyone — but we do need to get along with ourselves.
